I'M STILL HERE!

Hello, Friends! I'm still here! On Planet Earth, that is. :) I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever. Sorry about that! :P I've been super busy getting ready for THE NEW YEAR!!! Don't you just love that it'll be 2010 so very soon??? I even have a countdown on my laptop! :) So in just 15 more days, we get to say bye bye to 2009 -- with all the good, the bad, the memories -- and say hello to 2010 -- with all the new the good, the bad, the memories! Hehehe. Seriously, though, New Year is probably my most anticipated holiday of the year because that's when we get to start new! That's when we get to make new goals and see how we can reach them! That's when we get a fresh, blank slate! It's exciting to see what 2010 will turn out like! I've already done a bit of a rough draft of my goals for 2010, headed by each month and the following categories:

1. Work
2. School
3. Money
4. Fitness

Those are four categories that I'll be drastically changing in 2010... and I'll share them with you soon enough! (I didn't add Spiritual, Family, Friends, etc. in there, but you're more than welcome to... and I encourage that you do actually! It's just that right now, I know for me those categories won't change much in 2010, but the above four definitely will.) For now, I just wanted to say...

THINKING OF YOU & MISSING YOU!!! I'll be back with more updates, I promise!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Celebrating the best GIFT of all -- JESUS!

HAPPY 2010!!! May it be an even better year than the last because we are all striving to become better in every area of our lives!

BACK TO SCHOOL

I've finished my first week of coming back to school! WOO HOO! :) It's good to be back, but I admit, it was a very rough first week. It felt really weird to be back in "school mode." I felt that I was still on "vacation mode," especially on the very first day of school, which was this past Tuesday, September 8, 2009. The six weeks of Summer Break really broke my rhythm of school+study+work+etcetera. I think I'll be in tip top shape, however, by next week. I'm counting on it, anyway! I am very happy to report, however, that by the second day of school, during my night class, I was able to write a 160 wpm Q&A test, and it felt FANTASTIC! I didn't feel like I dropped ANYTHING! Now the hard part is translating my steno notes onto a test transcript! OH BOY! This is where I've been messing up in passing that last 160 test to get into the 180 speed group. But I'm sure, it'll come... oh, it'll come! :) I only have one academic class left, which is Transcript Prep. It's a one-year-long class, and there will be multiple projects to complete by the time I'm done. I also hope to learn, by the time I'm done, all the ins and outs of Case CATalayst (Student Version). That's the goal! I'm truly fortunate to have worked at a court reporting agency where I was able to actually prepare the physical transcripts (photocopying, binding the booklets, and mailing them out) and then at law offices where I was/am constantly surrounded by deposition transcripts. It's a benefit, for sure, that I know what a deposition transcript looks like! (Thanks to Cody from CSR Nation for reminding me of that!) Allow me to share my schedule with you:

Monday/Wednesday 8:00-12:30 p.m. - SCHOOL 12:30-1:30 p.m. - LUNCH 1:30-2:30 p.m. - GYM (30 MINS. CARDIO; 30 MINS. WEIGHTS) 2:30-3:00 p.m. - SHOWER AT GYM 3:00-6:00 p.m. - STUDY NEAR SCHOOL 6:00-9:00 p.m. - SCHOOL Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-12:30 p.m. - SCHOOL 3:00-8:00 p.m. - WORK Friday 8:00-5:00 p.m. - WORK Saturday 8:00-5:00 p.m. - WORK Sunday *REST*

...and STUDY whenever I have any "free time." :) What's very awesome is that whenever my boyfriend and I hang out, we usually study together, grab something to eat, and if there's enough time (and if we're really burnt out, and we feel we deserve a little R&R), we watch a movie. We like going to our local Borders Bookstore and then catching a flick at the nearest AMC movie theater. I'm glad that he wants to study with me! (He's studying computer programming.) Two studying heads are better than one! One final thought: I found out that two of my classmates, who also were at 160 wpm, are actually at the 180 speed group now! One of them found out she passed on the last day of Summer Session (back in July 2009), and the other found out he passed on the first day back to school (just this past Tuesday). I'm truly happy for them!!! :D I hope to be right at their heels sooner rather than later! Here's my admission: I AM happy for them... BUT, of course, as a student who wants to finish school ASAP, I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy from my selfish heart! :( There, I admit it! I'm a corruptible human being! :P BUT BUT BUT!!! I'm thankful to say that I didn't remain in that envy state of mind for too long. WHEW! Thankfully, I was reminded by something I heard at church (I go to Christian Assembly in Eagle Rock in Los Angeles, California; I love this community!):

"It is rare to find someone genuinely happy for another."

So sad but so true, right? :P I don't want to be jealous (wanting what another has as my own) or envious (because I can't have what another has, I don't want them to have it either) of my fellow classmates. I want to genuinely, without any malice whatsoever(!), celebrate and rejoice in my fellow classmates' newest successes! Why? Because it is the right thing to do. Because it is the humble, unselfish thing to do. Because wouldn't I want the same in return as well? YES YES YES!!! :) Also, there's no need to be jealous or envious since I believe that I too will pass all my speed levels in due time. I'll get there as well! :) I just have to continue to work hard, believe, and not plant any negative seed down my court reporting path... nor plant any negative seed along any of my fellow classmates' paths either. That wouldn't be right! So I'm hoping the next time I hear of another classmate who passes another test (yes, even when I haven't passed a test in a while!), that I wouldn't be jealous or envious anymore... or if I do (since I'm a fallible human being!), I hope I choose to not dwell there for long and brush that hate away, so I can sincerely smile and be happy for another person's success!!! That would be so ideal!!! ;) So yeah, I don't want to be jealous or envious... not like these (funny!) pics: P.S. Update on the flea situations at home (and thank you to those that asked!): We're gaining ground! Hehehe. I can say that we are about 90% rid of the fleas, but we must always stay on the offensive. These vermin multiply like crazy! At least now we're armed (all the insecticides), and we know exactly what to do! Also, no new bites! All my bites are healing and fading away slowly yet surely. HOORAY! THANK GOD! :D

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

UPDATE ON MY CARPAL TUNNEL SCARE

Just want to give a quick update since today is exactly one week from the time my left hand started to tingle and feel numb... from the time I had my CARPAL TUNNEL SCARE!!! dun-dun-dun! (See my original blog post here.)

UPDATE: MY LEFT HAND ISN'T TINGLING OR NUMB ANYMORE, THANK GOD!!!

What did I do?! Basically, I took a break from the computer as much as I could. I tried to not be on the computer (my favorite tech toy!) unless it was absolutely necessary, and when I would have to get on, I'd make sure my posture was correct -- elbows/wrists aligned to the keyboard, no wrist dipping onto the keyboard, straight back, and no straining of the neck to view the monitor. It helped a lot! I posted a blog question in the Main Page of my favorite court reporting website/social network, CSRnation.com. A really big THANK YOU to all 20 of the members who posted so generously to my question. It's GREAT to know that there are professional court reporters out there who have been reporting for 15-20+ years and that they too experience elbow/wrist pain from time-to-time BUT are able to remedy these health issues and CONTINUE TO WORK!!! To know this gave me so much hope. BIG THANK YOU TO CSRnation!!! To see my blog and the 20 comments from CSRnation regarding my carpal tunnel question, click here. So glad that my hands are feeling much better. I think I just needed some R&R, some reassurance from professionals who have "been there, done that" and that I too can beat this as they have, and lastly some knowledge on preventative measures so I will NOT aggravate any CTS syndrome, if any. WHEW!!! I'm relieved, thank GOD!!!