LAST WEEK OF SUMMER VACATION

This is my last week of Summer Vacation before school starts up again on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. Therefore, I'm just gonna...

Happy Monday, Everyone! ;)

MY PODCAST LIST

One of the ways I practice on my steno machine is by writing dictation from the podcasts I subscribe to via iTunes. I know many other court reporting students like to practice in front of their TVs by writing to shows like "Law & Order" (to get those legal and police investigative terminology in their dictionary) or "House" (to get those medical terminology in their dictionary) or to their local news channel (to get those current events terminology in their dictionary). But I don't like sitting in front of the TV unless I'm totally relaxing and watching anything and everything on HGTV! (I keep dreaming about my dream house! Hehehe!) Before I go on, just so we're on the same page, let me give you Apple's definition of a podcast:

What’s a podcast?

A podcast is a free video or audio series — like a TV or radio show — that you download from iTunes and play on your computer, iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV. Visit the iTunes Store to search for podcasts that pique your interest. Once you find one, give it a quick listen, then click a single button to subscribe.

OK, so we're on the same page now? Good! :) Again, what works for me is listening intently through my ear buds to these fascinating podcasts on iTunes. I love it too that I can listen to these podcasts via my laptop or my iTouch. Can you say CONVENIENT??? :)

HERE'S MY iTUNES PODCAST LIST THAT I HABITUALLY PRACTICE ON MY STENO MACHINE WITH:

Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points

Concise monologues, averaging 2-3 minutes, of Bill O'Reilly talking about the biggest headline news in the United States. I like how straight to the point he is, and this podcast is a great, quick source for current events info. Also, I'm an avid Fox News watcher! :) The Biography Podcast - Stories of Life Great summaries in layman's language of great figures in history. Each podcast averages about 20 minutes. Beef up your dictionary with these well-known names, countries, historical events, etc. I especially enjoyed the story of Cleopatra. The Dave Ramsey Show Snippets of his TV show (aired on Fox Channel) talking to listeners about their financial concerns. I love his book "The Total Money Makeover" (see my post "Three Things"). You can get more speaker identification with this podcast going from the Listener (Question Symbol) to Dave (Answer Symbol). I love it when a listener is debt free, and they call in the show just to scream, "I'm freeeee!" Very encouraging! :) Great Speeches in History Self-explanatory. The great thing about this podcast is that it's not an actor reading the historical speech (unless it's Colin Powell reading Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address"), but you listen to the actual audio of the famous speech. Listening in like this makes you feel as if you're right there, taken back in time at these historical moments of our nation. The Simple Dollar Podcast I absolutely love this podcast! Trent Hamm, who hosts this podcast and its corresponding blog, http://www.thesimpledollar.com/, doesn't have the best voice in the world (sorry, Trent!), but he seems very genuine, talks to you like a long-time friend, and just wants to share great ideas about how to use, save, or spend your money and life more wisely. I totally recommend his stuff -- podcast and blog both! :) Stuff You Should Know This is a very entertaining podcast where two guys talk to the audience like buddies about "stuff you should know." The podcast sessions run an average of 20 solid minutes, and these guys are just plain old fun! Some hilarious, offbeat, but "stuff we should know" topics of theirs: How OCD Works, How Flirting Works, How Redheads Work, Will Robots Get Married? ...and the list goes on! 8Quotes - Motivational Quote Podcast This is one of my favorite! This podcast gives you eight motivational quotes on inspirational topics such as Doing the Work You Love, Making Changes That Stick, or When Opportunity Knocks. He also has a blog up, http://www.8quotes.com/blog/, which is basically the transcript of the podcast itself. This is a great opportunity to write on your steno machine while listening to his podcast and then go to his blog to compare your steno notes to his transcript. Unfortunately, his blog hasn't been updated since April 2009, but we can still listen to all his archives! In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley - Radio Program I learn so much every time I listen to Dr. Stanley's podcasts! He delivers his messages with such clarity, humility, compassion, Biblical accuracy, and then encourages us to do something practical with what we've just heard. I love his books, too (see my post "Time Management"). If you really like practicing by writing to your TV instead of a podcast, Dr. Stanley has videos on his website where you can watch, listen, and practice to his sermons. Click here for his videos, which are at the top left of his website. Just Vocabulary This 4-minute podcast is a great way to put words in your dictionary! Jan Folmer goes over two words at a time in each podcast where he basically dictates from a dictionary, but in a fun, engaging way. Also, Jan seems to have a slight English accent (I can't understand him sometimes!), so this will be great practice on trying to decipher people's words in context. So those are my NINE PODCASTS I like to listen to and practice with the most on iTunes. What about you? What would you put as the TENTH PODCAST on this list? Would love to know your thoughts! :) Lastly, if you haven't set up an iTunes account on your computer yet, do it already! It's COMPLETELY FREE! :) And all these podcasts are COMPLETELY FREE! :) Click here to download iTunes to your computer. Click on the top right blue button that says "Download iTunes." Happy listening and happy practicing! :)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Many people think they want things, but they don't really have the strength, the discipline. They are weak. I believe that you get what you want if you want it badly enough. - Sophia Loren

MY LAPTOP/STENO MACHINE ROLLER

I promised I'd tell you about the great deal my boyfriend and I got on my new laptop/steno machine roller. But before I tell you outright what product we decided to buy, let me give you some background info first. I was always lugging around so many things when I had to practice on my steno machine and use my laptop for realtime. I was constantly carrying: 1. My laptop carrier by SwissGear, which was an over-the-shoulder bag. This is a great product! But I overstuffed this tote with extension cords, notebooks, folders, books, and other school supplies that I felt were absolutely needed for my practice sessions! I'm sure I added at least 5 if not 10 lbs. on top of the weight of my laptop and the bag itself. My poor shoulder! 2. My steno machine carrier by Stenograph, which was also an over-the-shoulder bag. I stuffed this bag with my steno machine, paper pads, and some books, notebooks, and folders that I forcibly squeezed in here because they couldn't fit into my laptop carrier anymore. My other poor shoulder! 3. My purse... my water bottle... my coffee... my lunch... :P Finally, I knew enough was enough. It was time to buy a roller already! First I went on CSR Nation's forum and posted a discussion on August 3, 2009 entitled "Laptop/Steno Machine Roller." I asked for the pros' advice on which rollers they liked best and which rollers they would recommend for me as a student. Most of the pros recommended the Pirouette carrying case by Stenograph, but I wasn't willing to pay $200. Maybe if I was a working reporter already, that would be no problem at all! But as a full-time student, part-time employee, I seriously can't afford $200 "luxuries." To view the whole thread on CSR Nation, click here. I then went on Depo Man's forum and looked around for any info on laptop/steno machine rollers. I found a working reporter who said that he just uses a regular clothes roller to carry his steno machine and laptop... and nobody really cares (or really knows his roller is actually supposed to be for clothes, not machines!)... and he loves it because he got a great deal! Plus, he's already a working reporter who can easily afford the $200 "luxury," but is super happy with his buy. That got me thinking! I should just buy a regular clothes roller too since they're much cheaper than any specialized stenography roller is, and it'll do the same exact job -- house my precious products perfectly, safely, and with great ease! Also, the working reporter from Depo Man said that he found the regular clothes roller to be more durable than the specialized stenography rollers out there. I WAS SOLD! ;D That week Macy's was having sale, so my boyfriend and I went to their luggage department. I opened up every luggage they had to inspect if it was big enough to house my laptop, steno machine, books, and cords. I finally found "The One." :) My boyfriend bought me the Ricardo Capistrano Free Wheeler 21 inches two compartment spinner. Ooooh! So pretty! Yet functional! :)

The roller was on sale at Macy's, plus I reopened my account at Macy's to get even more savings. The total came up to about $50.00 with warranty! Pretty sweet! :) I've been using this roller for a few weeks now, and I love it! Packing up my things has become so much easier since I only need to put everything in one place instead of two. Also, my shoulders and back are loving me again! :) I encourage you to get a roller if you're still hauling your steno machine and laptop separately. You'll save a lot of wear and tear on your shoulders, back, and (just being honest here) sanity! I'm not stressed out anymore having to worry about long walks from here to there lugging around all my heavy, bulky things! Now I just stroll along... leisurely... and with a smile! Hehehe!

GOOGLE PREVIEW BOOKS

If you didn't know, Google allows you to look up books with snippets of its contents. It's like a PDF version of the book literally at your fingertips. Simply type books.google.com onto your browser and then type in the book you're interested to look up. Or you can go to google.com, click on the "More" tab, and then click on the "Books" tab. These preview books are an excellent resource for people who want to get a feel of the contents of a book without leaving the comfort of their laptop or desktop area. There are limitations however. Those ah shucks moments are that... 1. Google does not provide the full contents on every and all books -- only snippets of books. So they'll cut a page here or there or even whole chapters. Again, the idea is to give you a preview of the book, and not disclose the entire book. 2. Sometimes Google will not even have snippets of books for you to preview. This is especially true when it comes to the bigger bestsellers out there. I get so bummed when I want to preview a book, but they don't have it listed. I guess you can't have everything! :P Google's preview books work very similarly to Amazon.com books where you can "Look Inside." I prefer Google because you tend to get more page views here. Along with Google's limited preview pages, there are reviews of the book, an overview of the book, and bookstore links where you can instantly buy the book if you wish. Here are four great preview books with great word lists to help us court reporting students build our dictionary. I've included Google's "Book Overview" with the links. Enjoy! :) ANOTHER WORD A DAY: AN ALL-NEW ROMP THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST UNUSUAL AND INTRIGUING WORDS IN ENGLISH

BY: ANU GARG A smorgasbord of surprising, obscure, and exotic words

In this delightful encore to the national bestseller A Word A Day, Anu Garg, the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (wordsmith.org), presents an all-new collection of unusual, intriguing words and real-life anecdotes that will thrill writers, scholars, and word buffs everywhere. Another Word A Day celebrates the English language in all its quirkiness, grandeur, and fun, and features new chapters ranging from "Words Formed Erroneously" and "Red-Herring Words" to "Kangaroo Words," "Discover the Theme," and "What Does That Company Name Mean?" In them, you'll find a treasure trove of curious and compelling words, including agelast, dragoman, mittimus, nyctalopia, quacksalver, scission, tattersall, and zugzwang. Each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example, interspersed with illuminating quotations.

THE WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 1200 ESSENTIAL WORDS EVERY EDUCATED PERSON SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE AND DEFINE

BY: DAVID OLSEN

Quick. What's the Difference Between "Calvary" and "Cavalry"? Or "affect" and "effect"? How about "parameter" and "perimeter"? Lots of people need a quick and authoritative way to identify and define the most troublesome common words. The usual approach-stalling for time until you can grasp the context of what the person has just said-has its limits. If only there were a list, not of every word (after all, reading dictionaries is no one's idea of fun) but of the right words, the ones that are used frequently but don't quite register when you come across them. The Words You Should Know features straightforward, succinct definitions and sentence examples of over 1200 tough-but-common words. It's the kind of book that can get you out of a jam, improve your performance at school, and help advance your career. And that's no hyperbole, rigmarole, or embellishment.

WORD SMART: BUILDING AN EDUCATED VOCABULARY

BY: ADAM ROBINSON & THE STAFF OF THE PRINCETON REVIEW The words people use say a lot about them. Some words say that they are smart, persuasive, and informed. Others say that they don't know what they're talking about. Knowing which words to use and how to use them are keys to getting the most from one's mind and to communicating effectively.

To find out which words readers absolutely need to know, The Princeton Review researched the vocabularies of educated adults. The Princeton Review analyzed newspapers from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal, magazines from Time to Scientific American, and books from current bestsellers to classics. Editors threw out words that most people know and focused on the words that people misunderstand or misuse. TPR also combed through the SAT and other standardized tests to determine which words are tested most frequently. In this updated third edition, editors give readers the most important words they need to know to score higher. Includes special lists covering: • Common usage errors • Most frequently tested words on standardized tests • Foreign phrases, abbreviations, and terms readers need to know to understand finance, science, computers, and the arts

THE QUINCY WORD LIST: OVER SEVEN THOUSAND OF THE COMMONEST ENGLISH WORDS CAREFULLY GRADED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

BY: FRANK E. PARLIN, A.M.

Since this book was written in 1902, the full version of the book is available! (Remember, to be able to view the full version of a book on Google is not the norm.) You can even download the PDF version by clicking here and then clicking on the "PDF" tab at the top right corner of the page.

BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

I go back to school in about two weeks. I've always been one who loved going to school... especially when it comes time to shop for new school supplies! I get excited being around so many choices of pens, highlighters, clips, and notebooks! :) See, I'm a TRUE NERD! Hehehe. I believe we should surround ourselves with pretty yet functional things. We're going to be using our school supplies constantly, so why not choose the colorful versions you like instead of the drab, boring default? Buy your school supplies in the colors, patterns, textures, designs you LIKE looking at! Make it all pleasing to the eyes! :) For example: Instead of getting a standard, solid-colored laptop skin, get a skin that's totally, uniquely you! Mine is pink with a flowery stencil design. My sweet boyfriend chose it for me (he bought me my laptop as an early Christmas gift... several, several months early!). And now I love the color pink even more! :) I always tell him that he got me flowers that won't wilt or die! He's very practical that way! :P Instead of getting a generic pencil, get a pencil with cool designs or awesome sayings or with a sweet smelling eraser and a colorful grip to help keep callouses away. The options are endless! You don't have to opt for the classic No. 2 style. Here are some fun ones! Instead of the commonplace, bright yellow Post-It note, get multicolored Post-It notes, so it never gets boring! My boyfriend bought me a whole box of different colored Post-It notes from Office Max when they were having a huge sale. Needless to say, I think I'm well stocked on the Post-It notes department for the next decade or so! :) See what I mean? Shopping for school supplies can be loads of fun! :)

Here are some links to awesome school supplies sales going on right now:

• Staples
• Office Max
• CVS

The three school supplies I can't live without (if you were to ask!):

1. SCOTCH TAPE I tape a piece of steno paper together during my practice sessions and just let the steno paper run over and over again. This eliminates my need to buy new steno paper dramatically (my school sells steno paper for $1 a pad)! It's such the frugal, practical thing to do! 2. ROLLER I can't get along anywhere without my roller that carries my steno machine, laptop, books, folders, extension cords, mouse, and other little school stuff. (I need to tell you about the great deal my boyfriend got when he bought me my new roller... but that's for another post! So stay tuned!) 3. BINDER CLIPS I use binder clips to hold together steno paper for various reasons, whether they're for a test, assignment, or to just read through later. I also use binder clips as bookmarks in the various notebooks and textbooks I have. It's a great way to separate pages in a book, so you can get to your spot easily and quickly. And I always get the colorful binder clips. No more boring black stuff for me! I get enough of that at my law office! :P Speaking of binder clips, I couldn't resist to share this with you! This dress is made COMPLETELY of binder clips!!! Very vogue, isn't it??? Umm, I think not!!! :P What are your three can't-live-a-day-without school steno supplies? I would love to see what your lists look like! Lastly, I recently bought a DYMO label maker for about $20, and I really need to get crackin' on labeling EVERYTHING with it! You know how it is in school. EVERY steno machine looks JUST LIKE THE NEXT! Unless, of course, you label your stuff -- steno machine, laptop, flash drives, coffee mug, backpack, lunch pail, and all the rest -- with your wonderful name and "Don't Touch Or Else" warning! I really encourage you to label all your things either with a label maker or the good old Sharpie pen. Marking our territory, so no one hopefully steals our stuff or even by mistake takes off with our stuff, is one of the more essential school items. I hope this post was full of great info for you! Happy school shopping, fellow steno students! Countdown till school begins yet again! I can hardly wait! WOO HOO! :)

ONE STEP AT A TIME

I needed some inspiration and motivation today. Found some! :) Click on this video: ONE STEP AT A TIME By: Jordin Sparks

I gotta remind myself... it'll all happen at its right time... there's a season for everything... take it one step at a time... enjoy the journey... breathe... smile... be content with the present... hopeful for the future... blessed with the past... thankful and prayerful in all things... --- P.S. Thank you to Terry who always finds ways of encouraging me right back! You're the sweetest! ;) Here's the quote she shared with me that I'd like to now share with you: "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success." - Norman Vincent Peale --- And now, here are the lyrics to this very awesome song:

"One Step At A Time" Hurry up and wait So close, but so far away Everything that you've always dreamed of Close enough for you to taste But you just can't touch You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it You know you can if you get the chance In your face as the door keeps slamming Now you're feeling more and more frustrated And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting [Chorus:] We live and we learn to take One step at a time There's no need to rush It's like learning to fly Or falling in love It's gonna happen and it's Supposed to happen and we Find the reasons why One step at a time You believe and you doubt You're confused, you got it all figured out Everything that you always wished for Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours If they only knew You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it You know you can if you get the chance In your face as the door keeps slamming Now you're feeling more and more frustrated And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting [Chorus] When you can't wait any longer But there's no end in sight When you need to find the strength It's your faith that makes you stronger The only way you get there Is one step at a time [Chorus x2]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. You gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything.

- Thomas Merton

THREE THINGS

There are three big things I want to accomplish soon in my life.

These three big things are:

1. TO BE A CSR! 2. TO BE FIT! 3. TO BE DEBT FREE!

Here are my simple formulas for achieving my three goals:

TO BE A CSR:

Practice, practice practice!!! Learn briefs!!! Read back!!! Go to every class (when school starts again)!!! Ask for help!!!

TO BE FIT:

Eat less, move more!!! Do at least 30 minutes of cardio daily!!! Keep a food/exercise journal!!!

TO BE DEBT FREE:

Spend less than I earn!!! Don't buy any new, unneeded (only lusted after! :P) thing!!! Use only cash (and I have been!) and throw any extra money into the Debt Snowball!!!

Here are online resources to help get me to the finish line:

1. To be a licensed shorthand reporter soon, surround myself with great steno communities such as...

• CSR Nation
• Depo Man
• Magnum Steno
• NCRA
• The Brief Zone

(Note: All these sites are listed on my left sidebar under "Fave Steno Sites.") 2. To be a slimmed down, healthy, fit person, be accountable again. Make appointments and promises to myself and don't break them! Here are the best online communities I've found for people wanting to live their healthiest lifestyle now!

• Spark People
• Diet.com
• FitDay
• Never Say Diet

3. To become debt free, budget and really stick to that budget! No matter what! Implement the 7 Baby Steps as taught by Dave Ramsey, so I can one day scream, "I'M FREEEE!!!" Dave Ramsey's website is here and his podcast is here. I love his show! :) Here's some quotes from his book, The Total Money Makeover, a must read and must do for every person, great and small!

IF YOU WILL LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE, LATER YOU CAN LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE. This is the motto of your Total Money Makeover. It's my way of reminding you that if you will make the sacrifices now that most people aren't willing to make, later on you will be able to live as those folks will never be able to live. Winning at money is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. SHOCKING STATS: 90% of people in our culture buy things they can't afford.

---

Knowing is half the battle. It's the following through till I reach these goals that will determine whether I truly succeed or not! Wish me luck! Wait, I don't believe in luck. Pray that I'll be faithful! ;) And if I am, I'll eventually get to those goals, GOD-willing!

BEEN BUSY

Sorry I've been gone for a while! I've been busy!

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING?

Well, most obviously, I've been working on the new layout of Steno Nerd! Do you like it? I did like the fresh blue theme, but it was just getting too busy for me. I kept adding widgets that were fun, interactive, informative... but probably NOT essential. I needed to start from scratch completely... so I found this theme! I know it's a little more on the girly side, but I don't care. I love the color scheme! :) Other things... I've been busy hanging out with family and friends! YAY!!! I'm actually using my Summer Break for... gulp, RELAXING!!! Hahaha! :D

HERE'S A QUICK RECAP OF THE PAST FEW DAYS:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14

Last minute rain check on dinner with friends, so my boyfriend and I spent the night together. We watched "District 9" on recommendation from my co-worker. It was interesting. I'd recommend that others see this movie, but on a precautionary note -- that you don't easily get nauseous! I forgot my eyeglasses (I'm as blind as a bat without my extra pair of eyes! I'm getting LASIK as soon as I'm making the big bucks as a court reporter!), so my boyfriend and I had to sit up close. Toward the end of the movie, there were a lot of handheld shots (think fighting scenes!), so it had a similar effect as "The Blair Witch Project." My boyfriend got really sick at the end. Poor baby! :(

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15

I didn't work this day as I normally would (I worked instead on Wednesday to make up the time), so my boyfriend and I could go to my friend's baby boy's 2nd birthday party. It was fun to be surrounded with lots of friends and lots of kiddos. :) After the party, my boyfriend and I watched "The Time Traveler's Wife." It was sweet... but totally irrational. I cried! :P But only because I had my guard completely down thinking the worst of this movie, not expecting anything at all... and then it totally surprised me... sweetly! :) It's worth watching just to see how the story goes. Great cast! I love the poster! By the way, I totally love "(500) Days of Summer." Definitely watch that one! It's not rocky at all (like "District 9") and it's very real (unlike "The Time Traveler's Wife"). This movie reminds me of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16

My family and I (minus my brother) took out my 17-year-old sister for her belated birthday lunch at The Cheesecake Factory! Loved the food! Can't believe my sister will be an official adult next year! That's crazy! :P Then my boyfriend, my good friend, and I went to church (we go to the evening service). Afterward we checked out (outside only unfortunately) a townhouse that my friend's friend's friend said was on sale. It was beautiful! My boyfriend and I aren't engaged (yet!), but we're already talking about where we'd like to live. Exciting! ;D

MONDAY, AUGUST 17

I was supposed to go to Murrieta to do court observation hours with an official court reporter (Hi, Tami, if you're reading this!), but unfortunately it just didn't fall through this time. I'm sure it will again soon enough! Anyway, my boyfriend took the day off work, so he can drive with me to Murrieta (it's about an hour drive one way from Los Angeles, so we were going to make a day of it... together!). So with he and I free for the day, we instead went to Rancho Cucamonga, along with my boyfriend's dad, to babysit the adorable nieces. Here's a pic of the princesses -- Victoria & Allie. Too cute!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18

I worked on a transcription job I was given (I'm also a freelance transcriptionist, so if you need anything typed up, I'm available!), and then went to work, and then home again to work on the transcription job. Typing, typing, typing... Also, it was my brother's 22nd birthday, but I only saw him very briefly in the morning... right before he left to go to Disneyland! How fun! He was able to get a gift certificate since he has a seasonal pass, and Disneyland gives all registered birthday celebrants a free ticket on their special day. How cool is that?! Click here for more info.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19

Today I tagged along with my boyfriend to work. He's busy at work while I'm studying (and blogging!) at Coffee Bean. Later tonight, we're going to dinner to celebrate my dear friend's birthday.

HOW ARE YOU?

Whew! That's what I've been up to... so far! How about you? Ya'll enjoying your summer? Hope so! :)

POST SCRIPTS

• Thanks for reading Steno Nerd! I'm really grateful for the wonderful feedback! It really makes me happy just to be able to connect with fellow steno nerds... like yourself! Hehehe. :D

• We've recently passed the 500+ subscribers mark! Wow! Thank you so much again! :D

• I apologize for the non-steno topics of this post. But, hey, what do you expect? I'm on vacation mode! Hehehe. :D

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

If we always do what we've always done, we will get what we've always got. - Adam Ubranski

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF CR STUDENTS

It's my second week of summer break... and I'm more exhausted than ever! :P This morning is the first chance I've had to really *breathe* a little bit. I've been busy doing the following:

• Working 26 hours a week
• Visiting friends all over the place (great to see them!)
• Spending time with my boyfriend (always nice!)
• Researching blog stuff (making Steno Nerd better and better!)
• Fixing up hundreds of old pics on my computer (using Picasa, which I love!)
• And all the other little, many things I have to do... like, um, PRACTICING!!!

It's been super hard to find/make the time to practice on my steno machine. (To date, the last time I was on my machine was Monday... and today is Thursday!) I really need my school routine! I love the ease of going from Point A (school) to Point B (work). This is how I KNOW I can't do online court reporting school! I just can't function that way. I need a bricks-and-mortar school building for me to get in the mode of, "Okay, now it's time to WORK!" :P But that's fine, right? To each their own. :) This blog post is to commend all the court reporting students out there who have a much fuller plate than I do. I know we all have different burdens, responsibilities, and obligations in our lives, but I do want to take this time to recognize YOU... and to acknowledge that, compared to others, I have A LOT to be thankful for! Or, shall I say, I have a lot LESS things on my plate than some... which I need (and am!) to be thankful for! :) For example:

• I have more time on my hands than a parent who is also a court reporting student. (I'm not a parent.)
• I have more time on my hands than a spouse who is also a court reporting student. (I'm not someone's spouse.)
• I have more time on my hands than a full-time employee who is also a court reporting student. (I'm a part-time employee.)

I gotta say...

I RESPECT YOU GUYS!!! I COMMEND YOU GUYS!!!

I don't know how you do it! But I guess you truly "bite the bullet" and "do what it takes" to get to your goal: CERTIFIED SHORTHAND REPORTER STATUS!!! :) This is for you!

You have my admiration, Justice League ...of Court Reporting Students! :)

- Christine (Steno Nerd)

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