Hannukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas...

What a wonderfully hectic time of year.  For us court reporters, it usually means a mad rush to get transcripts out - and usually they're expedited - before we can get our houses decorated, our shopping started, and our baking done.  The four/five weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with all kinds of wonderful parties, musical events, pageants, and the like.

Our normal hustle and bustle gets "hustlier and bustlier" and we type A personalities thrive on this.  Your court reporter friends are running full tilt and getting EVERYTHING done (and you probably cannot believe how we do it).  And we're exhausted.  But loving every minute of it.  You see, we thrive on the challenge and the fast pace of life.

During the run-up to Christmas (or Hannukah or Solstice, whichever you celebrate) we're getting all our ducks in a row so that we can actually STOP.  For a couple of days.  Or even a week, if we're really lucky.

We know how important our time with family is and we relish it.  After spending hours listening to domestic cases, criminal cases that break our hearts, and sometimes civil cases that numb our brains, we relish the time to just be.  It recharges us.  It gives us the incentive to work hard; we know that when we do stop work for a little while, we can PLAY hard.

So come Saturday evening, I know I'll be singing Christmas carols.  Sunday morning we'll have a fabulous Christmas breakfast and a lovely time opening presents, and later on we'll attend a potluck with the other snowbirds at Mom's RV park.  But mostly, we'll all enjoy the chance to just stop and BE.

I wish you all a lovely holiday, whichever you celebrate, and I hope that you enjoy all of your down time with family.  Truly, this season affords us the opportunity to slow down and be with the people who mean the most to us.  Joy to the World.

Giving thanks

I've so much to be thankful for.  First and foremost is my health.  I recently celebrated my 13th "rebirthday" - my annual tribute to another year away from cancer.  I have a very strong marriage that is in its 23rd year.  My mother is healthy and my brother and his wife are too.  My in-laws live nearby and my husband is able to spend time with them.  My husband has a job and career that he loves.  And I found my niche in my career.

This year, our Thanksgiving feast happened twice; the first was a traditional one with my mother, who was en route to her Florida "snowbird" locale, and the second was nontraditional with my in-laws.  They were both great meals and great days.  The first involved a full bird, homemade cranberries, and all the usual trimmings.  What was fun about the second one, though, was the lack of truly huge amounts of effort in the cooking stage.  Nobody slaved for hours in the kitchen.  We were able to really just spend some prep time and a little baking time, and then we were sitting at the table and talking, enjoying each other's company.

A third feast happened this past weekend at a friend's house.  You know, the urban family thing.  About a dozen folks got together on Sunday afternoon and sat together, catching up.  For some of us, we only see each other this one time, or maybe one other, during the year; so aside from Facebook, this is where we catch up.  Fabulous food, excellent conversation, and a time to reflect on all that is good in our lives.

In this time of uncertainty in our world - be it financial, martial, health, etc - a time for reflecting on what's good in our lives is so important.  We can be brought down so easily.  But really, if you sit down for a quiet moment, you realize that life really IS good and we have much to be thankful for.

As we near Christmas, I offer all my friends my sincere thanks for their friendship, and I send best wishes for a safe, happy, healthy, prosperous season.

Reaffirmation... compliments on a job well done

So today is Monday.  We know how most folks feel about Monday.  Add to that that I'm NOT a morning person, and you can understand where I come from.

As I sat this morning sipping my second cuppa joe, I heard my email ping.  I pulled up my iPad and looked at the email.  It was from an attorney for whom I did a portion of a three-week trial, including some rough-draft days.  The attorney was getting ready to argue before the Court of Appeals.  He took the time to thank me for the quality of work that I had produced to him, the accuracy of the transcripts, the ease of use of the files I sent to him.  He acknowledged that he's not the easiest attorney to take down (he's a speed-talker!) and thanked me for all the hard work that he knew I put into the transcript.

Unsolicited thanks for a job well done.  We don't often get that in our business.  In the court setting, of course, the attorneys are not sure who they're going to get as a reporter; they have to live with whomever is assigned on a particular week.  I'd like to think that all the reporters in the courthouse provide the same level of service, but I don't know.  All I know is that this attorney didn't have to say a word, but he did.

Every day, no matter where I am reporting, I strive to do my very best; it's really nice to know that people out there notice.  Everybody loves to get an "attaboy/attagirl" once in a while.  I know my day sure looks brighter today.

I think the next time I get good service at a retail outlet, I'm going to let the manager know.  It's so easy to complain; it's much more unexpected when you get a compliment. 

Sitting... and not.

I've never been a fan of exercise.  nope.  not ever.  Growing up, the most exercise I got was walking to/from school (downhill on the way to, uphill on the way home) about a mile each way.  I might have ridden my bike to the McDonald's where I worked across the river (2 miles each way, maybe?).  But that's it.  I walked and biked around campus in college.

Then, when I grew up and entered the workforce, well, I started sitting.  and spreading.  Now as a court reporter and editor for same, I spend my entire waking life seated.  Even with the massage every three weeks, something had to give.  I'm always tight.  sore.  completely inflexible (meaning not flexible body-wise; I'm pretty easygoing mostly).  I have GOT to find something.

So I've been trying yoga.  I have done it in the past as an every-now-and-then, one-class thing.  And then I give up.  it's just too much.  That's my fault for not doing my research.  I've started researching now.  I have a one-month Groupon to use up at a Vinyasa studio where a friend teaches - Vinyasa being a pretty intense, high-energy workout.  I don't know how many classes I'll take after my Groupon is used up, but I've learned some things.

The feeling after yoga - even if you don't eat for two hours before, which they recommend - is great.  I wasn't hungry.  I wasn't tired.  I was all warm.  Even if a bit sore.  A yoga workout really can make you sweat (well, Vinyasa can, anyway).  And I have no balance.  Yet.

I think that my body needs to ease into yoga.  I found a Hatha style (more gentle) locally in Wake Forest, and also a private teacher in Raleigh; may try them.  Found some books at Amazon.  And an interesting exercise DVD called Callanetics (from the '80s).

After only two classes, I can feel the difference - my breathing is deeper; my muscles, while achy, are happy; and I actually am looking forward to learning more.

Everybody needs to get off their chair once in a while.  Hopefully learning the asanas will teach me more more balance, calmness, and get me to focus more on what I'm doing when I am seated in front of the computer.

namaste.

Plover, the Open Source Steno Program: Introducing the Ploverpad!

Plover, the Open Source Steno Program: Introducing the Ploverpad!

I was blown away by the passion and excitement that Mirabai has for this idea. And I think it's brilliant! If we can get the concept of steno in the hands of our small people - at a very early age - then by the time they're ready to pick a career path to follow, they'll know about court reporting.

THIS solution - and THIS passion - is what will reinvigorate our profession.

Amazing. Just amazing.

The Power of One

This weekend I participated in what had to be one of the best court reporting conferences ever.  And I know of what I speak; I've either attended, planned, or spoken at at least two dozen conferences (or more) in the past decade. What I saw this weekend in Alexandria, VA, at the Greater Washington Shorthand Reporters Association (GWSRA) conference was mind blowing.

First, the location was pretty darn centralized; pretty easy to get to by car, train, or plane.  And many people did get there from far away - like California, Oregon, Texas, Florida.  And others from less far away - New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Carolina.

Second, the food was amazing.  You all know what to expect from convention food; right?  Rubber chicken, boring salad, and dry/overcooked appetizers.  Not so.  From the opening reception's wine and cheese (with upscale cheese, wine, and excellent extra munchies like candied walnuts and dates) to the incredible breakfast spread (asiago cheese bagel?) and the catered lunch, it was OUTSTANDING!  There wasn't a thing I put in my mouth that wasn't scrumptious.

The vendors were there, and were very well represented.  CAT vendors, agency representatives, local reporters with personal sales items (Silpada jewelry, anyone?!).  There was a silent auction and a raffle, which I hope raised a good bit of funding for the organization.  (I for one am happy to walk away with a raffle item!)

But best of all was the presentations.  High energy, every one.  Positive.  All about saving the profession.  About using technology.  About upping your game just that little bit extra.

The most amazing thing was that this whole convention was the brainchild of one person whose initials are MAP, and who had incredible help from her organization of volunteers.  To effectuate an event like this takes time, effort, love, blood, sweat, tears, and passion.  I believe that every single person who attended the session came away rejuvenated and refreshed and ready to take positive steps to improve not only themselves, but their chosen profession as well.

Kudos to you, my friend.  Job well done.  I'll see you next year.

Time to be Inspiring!

I was invited to speak at the Greater Washington Shorthand Reporters Association for their fall meeting.  To be included on the speaker list was humbling - the list of luminaries of the profession is daunting!  I'll try.

There was no real set topic for a good long while; eventually, it became "Staying Relevant" geared toward officials, but I think it is a good topic for all of us.

I don't profess to be any sort of expert; I can just share my experiences both from the courthouse and the freelance arena.  I've worked with realtime reporters and reporters who don't do realtime.  I can share observations of perceptions of reporters that I've gleaned from attorneys, judges, clerks, etc.  It's a scary thing out there, folks, when our destinies are not controlled by us.  The good news is that we CAN have a direct influence on the people who DO have control over our destinies.  We can educate them.  We can SHOW them the untapped potential that they have in their cases (discovery, impeachment, trial prep) if they utilize us to our full potential.

Of course, that means that WE have to be living up to our true potential and skill.  So I hope that I can inspire one or two folks to up their game or help their colleagues move to the next level.

See you in Alexandria!