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.