Hooray For Me!

I am proud to say I not only finished my 180s, but I also passed my 200 jury charge! I'm on a roll! Let's hope I can keep this up.

As corny as it sounds, I think the thing that has helped me more than anything is confidence. Lately, I have been feeling so much better about the tests. I have always practiced constantly, but I had convinced myself I could not do it, so therefore, I couldn't. Now, I feel like I have the skills and they're coming together and it's resulting in my writing.

Another thing I'm trying is "writing" books. I like to read novels and I always feel guilty about it because it takes time away from my practice. So, I've been setting up my Nook next to my computer and writing the novel while hooked up to realtime. It's a much slower read but I have added so many words to my dictionary that I never wrote before. Also, I feel like hard copy practice improves accuracy, which has never been my strong suit.

The Pay Off!

So, I passed a test! I passed my 180 congressional. That means I only have one, 180 test left, my 4-voice. I have turned in a few that have been really close. So, I hope that means it will be any day now. Then, I'll be done with my 180s forever! I've been practicing more than ever, and working harder than ever, so I know it will pay off soon. I've been going over my briefs and I think it's been helping.

I wish that I had known there were so many awesome briefs when I started school. It's difficult to learn them now, after I've already learned how to write all those things the long way, now I'm trying to go back and break the habit. I hate working harder than I need to, with no additional pay off. Finding out that I'm writing something in four strokes that most people write in one, really irks me. I've been focusing on my accuracy and my briefs and I feel like it's working, slowly but surely. Now, I just need to ride the wave.

So Far, So Good

I'm about a week into the new semester and it's been going pretty well. I've been focusing on my accuracy and I'm watching my untranslated percentage, slowly falling. It's a good feeling. I have also been working on my stamina. I can't tell you how many times (HOUPLTS) I've blown a test at the last second, because I was convinced it had been 5 minutes already. I'm trying to get 15 minutes at a time. It takes a lot of concentration, which is not my strong suit, but I'm really trying.

The best thing about this new semester is that I found another student who lives near me and we're working out a carpool! Her schedule isn't exactly the same as mine, but even if we only carpool a couple days a week, it still helps. Not to sound cliche, but gas prices are crazy.

I'm looking for some practice tips that have worked for other "sloppers" (someone who never drops, but has unreadable nonsense in their notes) I would love any advice people have to offer.

Fresh Year, Fresh Start

Here I am back at school, for a fresh new semester (or trimester as my school does it) I had an amazing Christmas and New Year's with my family and friends back in Massachusetts. I also made significant strides with networking on the east coast for a job when I finish school.

I met with Nancy Varallo of the Varallo group who owns an agency in Worcester Massachusetts. She was AWESOME! I went to her business and met the staff and her husband, the famous Ed Varallo. He was the speed champion for a very long time. Nancy set me up with a borrowed machine and had me sit out at a deposition. Well, the deposition didn't really go forward. The witness didn't show up. Oh well, It was still a great experience. I am so glad I did it.

My goal for this trimester is to finish my 180s completely, and to try to relax more. I really need to stop getting so upset when I miss a test by just a tiny number. I am going to try to think of that as a learning experience for next time and pay careful attention to what I missed. Then, I will practice all the misstrokes I made and get them right on the next test, hopefully.