Sunday, August 26, 2012

Week 15: Preparing for a new semester

If you're wondering what The Impossible Goal is, you can read about it here. 

Not much happening this week; still practicing testimony at 425, but bumped literary down to 275 -- 25% over target speed, which is 220 for the Illinois state literary speed contest.  Shoveling briefs into my flashcard app.  425 testimony is definitely understandable now.

Almost time for the new semester to start, so we'll see how I need to adjust my practice schedule with my CART schedule.  I'll probably have a new practice routine developed by next week.

So kinda boring right now.  But that's fine.

ETA: Just tested myself on a Magnum Steno 200-word slowdown, which I'd sped up to 351 wpm, and by my calculations I got 80%! It's not passing, but it's definite progress!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Week 15: Bumping it up

If you're wondering what The Impossible Goal is, you can read about it here. 

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had a good tweet this morning:  "Remember, there's great value in achieving the goal. But the greater value is in the struggle & hard work it took to achieve it."

The Illinois realtime and speed contests are coming up in a few weeks.  After they're done, I'm going to focus almost totally on testimony practice until the Guinness attempt.  I'm still going to practice literary once a day since I CART and literary is what I do, but since the Guinness attempt will be testimony material, that's where my focus will be.

Going to increase the testimony speed to 425 this week.


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Week 14: Convention Postgame


If you're wondering what The Impossible Goal is, you can read about it here. 

"I gotta shorten my writing even more." 
       -- Me, immediately after the realtime contest.

Dance with the one that brung ya, which applies to the contests but NOT the Saturday night President's party.  When I wrote short, I wrote gold.  When I started needing to write stuff out, bleah.  That having been said, I got 95% on the speed testimony and the realtime literary, which were the two legs I most wanted to pass.

Shorten it up more, and I need to practice the trance.  Where I can zone out and not think about anything, but just let the words flow from my ears to my fingers.

But anyway.

Convention thoughts:  Plan what you're wanting to attend, but be flexible for the golden unplanned moments -- you run into someone in the lobby and have a nice long conversation.  Meet someone new in the hallway and you end up going to dinner with them and several other friends you just met. Chitchat with your CAT tech support guy, and the LIGHT COMES ON when you learn a new software trick that will save you so much time.  Learn something new.  See people you've only known through Facebook.  Have a great conversation with someone you've always admired.  Dance so hard Saturday night your legs and knees ache the next day.

The annual convention only comes once a year (hence the name "annual"), so enjoy it to the fullest.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Week 13: Preconvention


If you're wondering what The Impossible Goal is, you can read about it here. 

In a few days, you'll find me at the 2012 NCRA National Convention in Philadelphia.  Look me up!  So my next blog will probably be a convention recap, sometime later than next Monday.  I'm doing both Speed and Realtime contests, so results for those will be posted online sometime Saturday.  The announce the results during lunch on Saturday, so I'll TRY to tweet them in real-time at http://www.twitter.com/stenoray depending on my phone reception.  I've noticed hotel convention centers tend to not be cellphone-signal-friendly.  Don't know about this one in particular.

Also follow the Twitter hashtag #NCRA12 for ongoing conventionizing happenings from other attendees.

I made a blog entry a while back for convention and networking strategies, and it's here if you want to have a quick look.  Especially if you're a first-time convention-goer.

Other results this week:  Fingers still flailing, but not nearly as much as last week.  Getting a little more here 'n' there.  325 literary is starting to feel not crazy.  And.... WATER fell out of the SKY this week!  It's been so long!