Monday, December 31, 2007

Day 7 - San Antonio

A day of rest - no driving! We slept in, watched a little TV, and caught a bus to downtown San Antonio around 10:30 a.m.

The Alamo was the first stop. Seven men from North Carolina were among the 200 that lost their lives at the battle, outnumbered 10:1, against Santa Anna's troops. I took several photos and we watched an informational movie about the battle. David Bowie and Davey Crockett both perished, along with almost all of the others that were garrisoned at the fort, in the fight against the "Napoleon of the West."

After a quick stop at the information kiosk, we took a stroll along the Riverwalk, had lunch at a nice Tex-Mex place, and were entertained by a mariachi band. Strawberry and Mango margaritas were delish!

The Villita, the old village, is decked out for the big party tonight and although it was tempting, we decided to stay in for the evening and watch all the festivities from the comfort of the RV.

Thanks, btw, to my friend Tina for suggesting I add photos. I uploaded to Picasa (Google's online albums) and now you see some of the pictures scrolling. Thanks, Tina!

Tomorrow we're off to Del Rio, TX, and Amistad National Recreational Area. Big Bend is questionable at this time...

Happy New Year, y'all!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

RV Road Trip - Day 5 & Day 6

The Agony and the Ecstasy...

The trip from Vidalia to Lake Charles, LA, was the "agony" part of the tag line. We got a nice start after taking a walk along the riverfront (2 miles total) and headed west. Alas, after about 2 hours on the road, the construction "began" for us. Of course, nothing was being constructed - but the barriers, barrels, and horrible roads were abundant. Miles on end - at one point, on a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere (as far as we could tell) was "under construction" for more than 60 miles. All the way to I-10. Then, I-10 itself had construction woes as well. Then there's the bridge across Lake Charles. WOW - remember, Mom and I both are afraid of heights - it was a nice challenge for Mom. RV park was just that, a park - tons of folks there. But we got there, had a lovely meal of ravioli with marinara and then settled down to watch a couple episodes of HBO's "Rome."

The "ecstasy" part was the drive from Lake Charles to San Antonio. Instead of driving the interstate the whole way - where's the fun in that? - we took state and US highways. Texas Hill Country is wonderful! Beautiful rolling hills, pecan trees, oaks, pines, varying types of cattle, and a beautiful sunny day (68 degrees!) made for a great drive. It was a long day in the RV - 360 miles - but all but the last 55 miles were local roads. We got settled in at the KOA, in a lovely spot amidst the pecan trees.

Tomorrow is a free day in San Antonio!

The Hill Country lived up to its reputation, for sure.

Friday, December 28, 2007

RV Trip - Days 2, 3, 4

I wasn't able to get online at all yesterday, the actual first day of the "official" road trip - service in our KOA in Mississippi was nonexistent. Here's the synopsis:

Day 2, Wednesday, 26 December
Marietta, GA, visiting with brother and fiancee' - we were able to see where the wedding will be and stroll around the historic downtown in Marietta.

Day 3, Thursday, 27 December
Travel from Marietta, GA, to Meridian, MS. We dropped off Al at the local Waffle House so that he could hitch a ride with Tyler to Nashville and then fly back... of course, his flight was affected by weather-related delays and he didn't make it back to RDU until almost midnight.

Our day was typical for RV travel - with all its challenges. Our dining room slide was not staying put (creeping up to 2 inches). Mom had taken the RV in for service (apparently bad solenoids) before she left, but they were not able to get the parts. So, instead, every two hours when we stop to use a restroom, we also bring in the slide.

And we have electronic issues too! Apparently there's a short in the wiring for the hydraulic levelers - even though they're up fully, they sometimes set off the beeping - for no reason, just because!

Day 4, Friday, 28 December
Meridian, MS, to Vidalia, LA. We woke up to warm weather (65 degrees) and damp - nice rain overnight - and were on the road by around 10:30 a.m. There was a little rain as we traversed Mississippi. We traveled I-20 and stopped in Vicksburg and visited the Civil War battle site (got a nice stamp!). We then took US 61 south and picked up the Natchez Trace (beautiful), and drove through Natchez. We crossed the Mighty Mississippi (didn't like the bridge) and then we settled in at an RV park on the Louisiana side. We have a lovely view out the front windscreen over into Natchez. The Riverboat we see (it's a casino) is sparkly on the water.

This is the good stuff.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Road Trip - Day 1

From Wake Forest to Atlanta, GA.

We left at 7 a.m. - really, and truly, on Christmas Day. The traffic was very light - thankfully - until about Greenville, SC. The rain held off until we were about an hour away, but that was when the fun began.

We got off 85 and switched to GA Rte 20, because our KOA was north of the city - but it was NOT interstate and certainly tough to do after being in the saddle all day. We made landfall at the KOA at 4:15 p.m. and were set up (but no water or heat - the heat, well, furnace blew a fuse! - and the water, well, it was too dark to really see) by 5:00. Our family met the soon-to-be in-laws for a night of festivities, gift giving, gorging, and general getting to know each other.

The thing about RV'ing - the other folks that do it are so friendly. When Mom and Al were out there trying to figure out what was wrong with the furnace, two neighbors came by to assist. One was a tech from Camping World, another a traveler from Victoria, BC, with a bunch of different fuses in a case. We now have a mission - buy extra fuses.

Today is a rest day - we're off to the Marietta Marketplace to do a little shopping and chatting with Ty and his fiancee.

Happy Boxing Day!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It's exciting to be here, celebrating the night... and being really jazzed about leaving for the adventure.

All transcripts are completed and boxed, billed, and ready to be delivered. All luggage is safely packed. The last of the details are being finished right now - the Christmas letters are being stuffed in the cards, and they will go out on Wednesday,but at least they're not Ground Hog Day cards!

The presents have been opened - we got some great stuff; the family had a very nice dinner this evening, with the in-laws visiting. Photos were taken...

And now, the adventure begins!! We're off at 7 a.m. to head to Atlanta. We'll be backing the RV out of the driveway and moving on out to I-85. We're packing sandwiches and sodas so we don't have a lot of "down time" on the way. Because there are three of us, though, one will have to sit on the couch on the way down. Doesn't seem like a real hardship to me!

I'm off to bed now. Merry Christmas to all.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Prepping the RV

Mom is here and so is the RV. We've got it parked in the driveway - man, it's BIG!!

We've opened all three slides to make sure that they're functioning smoothly. Packed all of Mom's stuff in the appropriate cupboards (I will live out of my duffel bag). We have put the sheets/blankets on the couch in the "living room" that I will be sleeping on.

I still haven't packed yet. My laundry is done, though. Almost all the presents are wrapped and in our Christmas area (no tree this year since we're not going to be home) in the bar.

Transcripts are diligently being scoped, proofed, printed, etc. Stuff is starting to come together.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

On Good Business Practices

CYA.
In this business, as in pretty much every other, a little self-protection goes a long way to helping one sleep at night.

Get a signed subcontract agreement. CART, freelance, do it. Today was the day to renew our CART provision agreement with a local school. It took all of 15 minutes to go over the contract (hey, it was pretty much the same as last semester), but now we all know where we stand. How much the rates are, how we get paid, etc.

If there's a question of how to pay for an after-hours assignment, it's in the contract. Prep work? In the contract. How to handle billing for an agency from out of state? COD in the contract.

It's much easier to have the information UP FRONT than to try to collect later.

Make a New Year's resolution: Get a subcontract agreement for each of the agencies you work with that at least lists out your fees, payment terms, and delivery terms.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

On Time Management - Vacation Prep

It's taken me a long time to learn this (hey, I've been reporting since 1999) but I've finally figured it out.

If I want to take a vacation, I must take myself off the books for EVERYONE the week before. Meaning, if I plan to leave on Christmas Day (for example), I need to be off the calendar starting the week before. Fortunately, I was able to do this.

Now, that doesn't mean I'm not working. On the contrary, all my transcripts need to be scoped, proofed, produced, billed, bound, and shipped on Christmas Eve Day so that I will have NOTHING in my queue while I'm gone.

I've got two proofers right now - and two scopists waiting in the wings starting in the new year - and I'm really happy that I've got this week to get my work done. But, with over a thousand pages to get done in a week, it will not be a cakewalk.

There's still the presents to wrap, the bags to pack, the letters to go out, the food to prepare, the house to clean... and the SPIRIT to be be refreshed.

If you want to have a happy vacation, when you're a working reporter, make sure to plan ahead and get all your transcripts out before you leave. Your vacation partner will thank you - and you'll really be able to enjoy the vacation. Not to mention, you'll have a clean slate when you get home again.

Time management. A powerful court reporting tool.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

RV Prep - One Week Out

It's amazing how we can procrastinate. Here it is, one week before Christmas. The Christmas letter is drafted, but not printed; cards are addressed, but not stuffed (letter isn't done); presents aren't wrapped, nor are the ones that need to be shipped OUT yet; and I haven't packed a thing for the RV trip.

This doesn't mean I've not been thinking about it. I have. With DREAD! How in the world do I survive three weeks with what amounts to two pieces of small luggage AND my computer? We'll be running the gamut of temperatures, from lows in the 20s and 30s, all the way up to the mid 60s. I have to be able to manage the luggage by myself on the end run, too, so the luggage can't be too unwieldy for the airport. Not to mention that an RV has little to no free space to store that kind of stuff.

The good news is that the iPod is working well and I have a charge block for it. Still need up upload some of my CDs to iTunes, but that's a project I can do this weekend while wrapping up the work details. (Of course, all the gadgetry takes up space, what with the cords and the power blocks... note to self: leave room in the computer case for all the electronic stuff.)

I'm sure by Christmas Eve I will be all packed and ready to go. I have to remember to pack the US National Parks Pass to get my passport stamps. I'll even make sure to pack the extra AA batteries for my digital camera. I just joined Walgreens' site, so I can upload photos for printing - anywhere in the U.S.

Happy Christmas prep, y'all.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

On Participating in History

Generally, a court reporter (scribe, amanuensis, etc) is called upon to witness history and not be a part of it.

Sometimes, however, just by participating in making the record, we become part of history. This happened to me last week. I was the official reporter for the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission's FIRST hearing! This state agency is the first of its kind - publicly funded, and NOT part of a not-for-profit group - in the entire country.

Its charge is to review cases when new evidence is brought forward and to deliberate on whether the evidence is sufficient to send a case back for judicial review. So last week, when the record was made, HISTORY was made.

How exciting. It was an honor and a privilege to work with these dedicated individuals who serve on the Commission to review cases and who spot-check to see that justice was indeed done.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Countdown to RV Road Trip (2 weeks out)

The RV road trip effectively starts on Christmas Day.

Mom is driving down from New York state the weekend before Christmas, and then we head off to Atlanta to visit family on Christmas Day... and then the trip begins in earnest on the 27th, when Al heads back home to NC and Mom and I start our cross-country trek to Tucson, AZ.

I haven't even begun to pack.
My Christmas shopping isn't quite finished yet, either.

How do two women over 40 pack lightly so that they may live together in an RV for three weeks? (Mom's staying in Arizona for three MONTHS - so I can't hog too much space)

And what MUST I take with me??
Not looking forward to the weekend before Christmas, when all these decisions must be made.

Suggestions?

Extreme Proofreading - the Dangers of a Good Vocabulary

One of the pitfalls of being a court reporter is we read and listen to EVERYTHING - newspapers, magazines, books, emails, television programs, etc. - with a critical eye and ear.

We're wordmasters, or should be, and are hyperaware of vocabulary. And, trust me, since we CAN'T SAY ANYTHING AT WORK about improper word usage - we'll do it at home and in our transcripts. I've even written a letter to a publishing house about improper word usage.

It can be so frustrating. And we're not TRYING to be "smart" and show off - it's just that it's our JOB RESPONSIBILITY to know the difference between two words that sound similar.

Here's my pet peeve of the day:

Do you know the difference between "loath" and "loathe" well enough to use it correctly?

The editor/author of the book I read yesterday did NOT.

Really, it drives us nuts.

So, if you don't know, here's the skinny: If you DESPISE someone, you "loathe" them, actively, with the "E" on the end. If you're not really interested in doing something - meaning desperately don't want to - you're "loath" to do it, no "E" active on the end.

It's really frustrating for us. Imagine a witness saying "various and unsundry" when they mean "various and sundry" things. Well, you can BET the court reporter is going to put the editor's mark of "[sic]" in there - because we CANNOT change the verbatim record and we want the reader to know we know it was a misspeak (hey, it's NOT that the reporter is stupid there!).

Bottom line: Congratulate your court reporter friends for NOT correcting people in public. It's hard for us. Really.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Depo Prep - Assignment out of Town

Reporting prep for a job out of your local area doesn't start when you get to the job and work on setting up and entering brief forms... oh, no. It starts the night before the job. And how!

It's Print the map. Get the phone number for the location. See if the map is the way you really would go. Figure out how long that REALLY is going to take. What time do you have to LEAVE the house to be there so you're a half-hour early (gotta be all set up and ready to go at the time of the dep)? What's the weather going to be like? What are you going to wear? Is your Bluetooth charged up? Do you pack a lunch? Pack your equipment case (don't forget the translation key!). Pack your job folder - which agency am I working for? Egads, do I have their forms?!

And - OMG, it's TIME TO GO TO BED! My deposition is in Fayetteville, NC, Tuesday and it's starting at 8:30 a.m. Man, I do NOT want to leave the house at 6:30 in the morning. Probably ought to set up the coffee pot for it to have my caffeine ready when I stumble bleary-eyed through the kitchen.

Why is it that people start these depositions so early anyway? Most people aren't really ready to start anything SERIOUS until 10:00 a.m. anyway - right?

Note to attorneys: Please do NOT schedule any depositions before 10:00 a.m.

Welcome!

Hi!

I'm a freelance machine shorthand court reporter in the southeast and I love to travel.

I'd like to share not only my random thoughts about what it is we do in court reporting, how we see the language being transformed, and general life observations, but I'd also love to share my travel experiences with you too.

Thanks for checking in.

StenoTraveler