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Kyung's Blog (158)

Where's my freakin' tax rebate/economy stimulus $/whatever the hell you want to call it?

Has anyone gotten their tax rebate money yet? I certainly haven't. I was planning on spending it on stuff. Now, I'm not sure.

What about you guys? What are you going to do with the money?

Shall I stuff it in my mattress?

Added by Kyung on May 16, 2008 at 11:32 — 14 Comments

How to get that next speed test.

Type it. That's all you've got to do. Of course, you may have to type more than one. But even if it's crap, transcribe it. Learn to read your crap.

It's not just about learning to write faster, it's also about learning to read slop. When you're in the real world taking a deposition, there are going to be times when you're writing slop. Learn to read it.

Add slop to you dictionary. If you consistently misstrokee something, you can either practice, practice, practice, and… Continue

Added by Kyung on May 14, 2008 at 6:00 — No Comments

Biggest wastes of time known to man - or why my transcript is late.

Just to be perfectly clear, my transcripts are not late. It's just a title. So for all you agencies out there going I can't hire that Kyung chick bec. she's surfing the web or blogging and not working on my transcript, do not worry. My transcripts are very rarely, if ever, late.

But now that we're on the topic. I find myself lately watching Wicked on Youtube, endlessly over and over. I'm going through the London production at the moment. I think Idina Menzel is really good. I'm also… Continue

Added by Kyung on May 9, 2008 at 11:11 — No Comments

Trader Joe's has some pretty cool products

Just came back from Trader Joe's today. They had little tiny frozen cilantro cubes. I am absolutely stoked bec. I always buy cilantro to make guacamole. But you only use a few sprigs, then you're left w/all this cilantro that goes to waste. Now I can just use one frozen cube at a time. So stoked!!!!

Added by Kyung on May 7, 2008 at 17:00 — No Comments

Bad back

Well, I've been working with a bad back for the last month or so. So I finally went to the chiropractor yesterday and got cracked. I'm now supposed to go 3 times a week for a couple of weeks. We'll see how that goes. But hopefully this will help me get unkinked. On the positive side, the chiro told me that he didn't want me working out at all. He's afraid I'll re-injure myself. I'm very excited that someone has actually told me not to exercise. It gives me an excuse to be a sloth w/out guilt .… Continue

Added by Kyung on May 6, 2008 at 5:59 — 1 Comment

Learning how to say no.

This is one of the most important things you will ever learn to do as a court reporter. It will save your sanity.

I want to state right now that you (the court reporter) absolutely have the right to say, no, I cannot take that job. And there is no reason on earth you should feel guilty. it doesn't matter if you don't have a job the next day and you just want to take time off. It doesn't matter if you need to stay home and catch up with depositions. What matters is that if you want to… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 26, 2008 at 17:54 — 2 Comments

Time to get your priorities straight.

Tuesday, April 29th is free scoop day at Ben & Jerry's.

http://www.benjerry.com/

So take a break from your desk and go get an ice cream.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Yum!!!!

What is your favorite flavor?

Added by Kyung on April 26, 2008 at 6:30 — 7 Comments

Precious clients

So I get a phone call at 9:33 this morning. I'm going out the door, so I figure I'll pick up the message or call them back on the road.

Message: The job you're taking is for a really good client of mine. He's a personal friend. You have to be there, in his lobby waiting at 10:45.

The job is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

My first thought is this, are they having a lot of problems with late reporters? So I call the agency. Are you having a problem w/late… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 17, 2008 at 20:00 — 10 Comments

Ill Health and Court reporting

Well, I have a terrible cough and a sore throat. I've pretty much lost my voice, and yet I still accepted a job. Idiot!!

Why, why did I do it? Well, thus leads to some insights into the tortured mind of a court reporter. Here is the thought process.

Yay, an agency has called with a job. But I'm so sick. I shouldn't take the job. But what if I don't get another job ever? I should take the job. But I'm so sick. Ask the agency are you really busy? Yes. Okay. I'll take the… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 15, 2008 at 20:50 — 4 Comments

Parentheticals - Let me translate them for you.

(Exhibit __ marked.) I'll mark that exhibit that you're trying to hand me as you continue to describe what the exhibit is as soon as you stop talking.

(Plaintiff's Exhibit __ marked.) or (Defendant's Exhibit ___ marked.) For those depositions where the attorney wants to make sure you know whose toys belong to who.

(Exhibit ___ marked but not attached.) Inevitably, the attorney probably read this exhibit as fast as possible and it will have all the spellings that you need… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 13, 2008 at 20:30 — 10 Comments

Pitfalls of court reporting

One of the pitfalls of court reporting is that you tend to start proofing everything you read. I was looking at a theater program the other day, and they wrote your instead of you're.

When I read newspapers, especially, the local ones, I'm always ranting and raving to my husband that I don't know who's doing the proofing on this stuff, but they're bad!!!

You end up compulsively reading and re-reading anything you write for typos. When I read books, and they've made a… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 13, 2008 at 6:41 — 6 Comments

Massages

Well, I hurt my back somehow on Friday, and I have been in pain all week long. In depo today, I sat in the most uncomfortable chair and we were there for all day. Somebody just kill me now.

Anyway, I have signed up for a cheapie massage at a place called Massage Envy. They're having an introductory massage for $39 for 1 hour. You can also buy a membership which entitles you to one hour-long free massage a month, and then unlimited massages at the low, low price of $39. If this works… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 8, 2008 at 20:46 — 11 Comments

Expedites!! Expedites!! Expedites!!

I have never seen so many expedites. I am drowning in them.

I have taken 9 depositions in the last three weeks. 1 nonappearance, which I knew was going to be a nonappearance which was the only reason I took it.

Out of those 9 depositions 7 depositions expedited. That's a lot. And we're not talking oh, I need it in a week. We're talking I need it ASAP, I need it tomorrow. The depo was taken last Wed, but I need it asap. Blah!!!

My take. I think we were so slow… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 4, 2008 at 6:14 — 2 Comments

Man up, people!!

It's very annoying when you get this scattershot e-mails from agencies saying please don't do this or that, we've been getting a lot of compaints, etc.

Conversation had when calling in to confirm job

Agency: This is a really good client. Please don't be late. We've been getting a lot of complaints in general, so we're telling all of our reporters to be early.

Me: Have I ever been late for a depo?

Agency: I really don't know. We're just asking everyone to be… Continue

Added by Kyung on April 2, 2008 at 20:35 — 20 Comments

Your first job - Oh my God!! What do I do?

You've passed your test. You've paid your dues. You're now a card-carrying CSR. Yeah. You get a flimsy paper card/license. I bet nobody told you that. You've done your interviewing. Now what?

Well, once the agency calls you with a job and you accept, the preparation begins. Make sure you've got extra paper(if your writer is not paperless), your writer, your computer, cables, power strip, Depobook (or some other form of keeping track of your depositions). I pack everything in the car… Continue

Added by Kyung on March 28, 2008 at 8:47 — 12 Comments

More things I wish I knew

When you are a court reporter, you are so many more things than a court reporter.

You are a bill collector. Most of the time the checks will come in on time and they will be correct. Sometimes they won't. Please, for the love of God, look at your check and compare it to what you think you should be getting. Everybody makes mistakes. Lots of math errors and misunderstandings regarding rates. I think you said business lit is this rate and now you're saying it's this rate. Better to ask… Continue

Added by Kyung on March 24, 2008 at 20:00 — No Comments

My favorite parts of my job

I like it when everything is scoped and I only have proofing to do, and there is not a whole backlog of pages waiting to be done. I feel like I can breathe.

I like sitting at cafes drinking coffee and scoping and occasionally hitting the Internet. This can be wonderful on a beautiful, to be able to go out and proof outside.

I like sending in a completed job and cleaning off my desk.

Added by Kyung on March 22, 2008 at 5:47 — 11 Comments

Page rates - what to ask - things to consider when you're first starting out

Ah-ha!! I know everyone is thinking, finally, she's going to talk about something good. But in the interest of not giving anybody a heart attack in the court reporting community, I will refrain from posting my rates. If you're truly interested in the rates that I get paid, feel free to send me a message and I will tell you what my going rates are. These would be my personal rates that the various agencies pay me, and they vary. Honestly, no agency pays the same.

But what does this…

Continue

Added by Kyung on March 20, 2008 at 6:00 — 3 Comments

Dialing for Dollars - things I wish I knew my first year

There will always be slow times and times when you're completely slammed and drowning. When you're slammed and drowning, all you can do is put your head down and work like a dog until you're through the backlog. I do suggest you do not accept any jobs until you're through your backlog. If you do, you're just burying yourself further.

But this is about those times you are slow.

In California, you are a freelancer, an independent contractor. No matter how much an agency may… Continue

Added by Kyung on March 17, 2008 at 20:30 — No Comments

More things I wish I knew when I started

Attorneys lie!!!!

When they say, oh, I've only got an hour, can we work through lunch? He's lying!!!!! They will go on for hours while you're passing out from hunger. If he is saying this at 12. Smile and say no problem, but let's take a five-minute restroom break or something and grab the energy bar out of your bag or run to the nearest vending machine to get a little something to eat.

Attorneys do not like for you to ask them how long the deposition will be. If you must… Continue

Added by Kyung on March 17, 2008 at 16:30 — 2 Comments