Fall 2010
Transcription
Fall 2010
Spring Seminar & Annual Business Meeting ~ April 16, 2011! Save the Date! Autumn Landscape, Colorado Photograph by Haemin Rapp, submitted to My Shot What’s Inside RAMBLINGS? Advertising Rates 2 Amanda Maze & NCRA Realtime ~ M. Cominiello 13 Application for Membership 19 Back Pack Safety 15 Calendar of Events 18 CCRA on Facebook 8 Classified Ads 12 & 14 Deadlines to Submit to RAMBLINGS 2 Dear Nancy 9-10 Did You Know …? 18 Fall Seminar – In the Eyes of a Student ~ Y.Keith 8 Fall Seminar Supporters “Thank You” ~ S. Hunter 15-16 NCRA Names Pat Graves as Director 5 NCRA Testing ~ S. Noneff 6-7 New Member Applicants 14 Officers & Directors 2 President’s Message ~ K. Davis 3 Pro Bono Volunteer Opportunity ~ A. Maze 17 Spring Symposium Save-The-Date 11 Student Committee ~ M. Goodbee 12 CCRA RAMBLINGS P.O. Box 271327, Littleton, CO 80127-0023 ~ 303.933.0577 ~ fax 303.933.0588 ~ www.ccra.info RAMBLINGS 1 FALL 2010 RAMBLINGS NEWSLETTER PLEASE NOTE CHANGES: OFFICERS & DIRECTORS President EDITOR ~ Lisa Kelly 303/832-5966 [email protected] Vice President ASST. EDITOR ~ Erin Valenti 970/498-6235 [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ~ Judi Ericson P.O. Box 271327 Littleton, CO 80127 303/933-0577 ~ fax 303/933-0588 [email protected] WINTER 2010 SPRING 2011 SUMMER 2011 Tracy Masuga [email protected] Directors Amanda Maze [email protected] Gina Meyer [email protected] Kathy Myers [email protected] Kathy Scheer [email protected] Michelle Goodbee [email protected] Pat Graves [email protected] Alternate Director Past President Are you an author? Submit articles that you write and would like to have considered for publication in RAMBLINGS. For information regarding Articles, please contact Lisa Kelly, Editor, at 303/832-5966 or [email protected]. ADVERTISING RATES Next Issue ~ Copy / Ads Due: December 5, 2010 AD Size Full Page Half Page Half Page One-Third Page One-Fourth Page Business Card Classified Ads Members Classified Ads Non-Members For information regarding Advertising, please contact Judi Ericson at 303/933-0577 or [email protected]. Reprints granted to all NCRA-affiliated publications; all others by written permission of CCRA. RAMBLINGS and RAMBLINGS on the Web reserve the right to edit or reset material submitted for space or aesthetic considerations. Letters to Editor may be published anonymously; writer must so request. All articles express the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of CCRA. Dimensions 7 1/2" X 10" 7 1/2" X 5" 3 5/8" X 10 3 5/8" X 7 1/2" 3 5/8" X 5" 3 1/2 " X 3 15/16 9 Lines max Pre-pay 9 Lines max Pre-pay Rate $125.00 $75.00 $75.00 $60.00 $50.00 $40.00 $10.00 $20.00 Please Submit your Ad and Check payable to CCRA at: CCRA RAMBLINGS P.O. Box 271327 Littleton, Colorado 80127-0023 RAMBLINGS and RAMBLINGS on the Web does not verify the content of any ads or Web links, is not responsible for any representation made therein, and does not endorse any vendors, advertisers, etc. RAMBLINGS Erin Valenti 970/498-6246 [email protected] Secretary/ Treasurer DEADLINES FOR COPY/ADS FOR UPCOMING ISSUES: DECEMBER 5 ~ MARCH 5 ~ JUNE 5 ~ Kathy Davis 303/257-9778 [email protected] 2 FALL 2010 President’s Message by Kathy Davis, RMR, CRR, CMRS, RDR September, 2010 Hello fellow CCRA members: What happened to the summer? Here it is September again and time to buckle down for a new school year, hope the Rockies can catch up, and program our weekends to include college and Broncos football. Meanwhile, on the court reporter front, life is always interesting, isn’t it? With the latest threats in California and elsewhere across the country, we need to take that same old look at how best to send out the message of who court reporters are and why we’re so invaluable to the world. We’ve been fighting the fight against recording equipment for at least 40 years. We remain ahead in the fight because, among other reasons, we’re human beings, we’re professionals, and we have realtime capability. We must capitalize on these things that continue to raise the bar in the world of making a record. There’s just no way around the fact that realtime is the tangible thing that distinguishes us from recording equipment. As most of you know, the State Court Administrator’s Office has offered to help officials help themselves by mandating that all current officials holding their RPR certifications must, by July 2011 attain their realtime certification. The officials of Colorado, by the way, already have more reporters in their ranks who are realtime-certified than any other state across the country. I’ve learned the reason for that as I’ve met with officials across the state during Realtime Task Force trainings offered by CCRA. The dedication, professionalism, and teamwork exhibited by our officials is impressive and truly inspiring. Kudos to the officials who are working so hard to better themselves and retain their positions in the courts! Obviously, in the worlds of CART and captioning, realtime writing skills are a necessity. Reporters in the freelance world, if you’re not there already, hop on board the realtime train! Looking at the facts above, if this segment of the profession is the only one not comprised 100 percent of realtime writers, jobs of freelancers not holding a CRR become at risk. Soon, anyone leaving the official, CART, or captioning fields to enter the world of freelancing will be realtime-certified. Over this year, I have been working closely with Erin Valenti, CCRA’s Vice President, and Tracy Masuga, CCRA’s Secretary/Treasurer to formulate a three-year cohesive plan to move the court reporting profession in Colorado forward. My passion, as you may have gleaned from reading this message, is realtime and professionalism; hence, the appointment of Julie Matt Rocha as the chair of CCRA’s Realtime Task Force. Erin is driven to educate attorneys, judges, legislators, and the general public about the court reporting profession and is chair of CCRA’s new Public Relations committee. Tracy feels strongly about certification and heads CCRA’s Certification committee. Volunteers of NCRA and CCRA working in their many committees work harder than you would believe to promote the court reporting profession. However, it will take the full effort of each individual court reporter to keep our profession alive against the obstacles facing us every day. Each day of work in any of the segments of our profession leaves the recipients of our services with an impression. Let’s leave lasting good impressions, and let’s continue to strive to make ourselves irreplaceable! Have a great fall! Kathy Davis, President Colorado Court Reporters Association RAMBLINGS 3 FALL 2010 . RAMBLINGS 4 FALL 2010 For Immediate Release: National Court Reporters Association Contact: Jim Cudahy Colorado Court Reporter Patricia Graves is Elected as a Director of the National Court Reporters Association Vienna, Virginia, August 25, 2010 – Patricia K. Graves has been elected to the office of Director of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), a 20,000-member association representing court reporters and providers of captioning and realtime transcription services for the legal, broadcasting, business, government, and educational communities throughout the United States (www.ncraonline.org). Ms. Graves is president of Caption First, Inc. in Monument, Colo., where she likewise works as lead realtime captioner. Ms. Graves previously has served on the Boards of the Colorado Court Reporters Association, the Speech to Text Network, NCRA’s Realtime Certification Committee, and on NCRA’s CART Community of Interest Committee. A frequent speaker on CART (Communications Access Realtime Translation), Ms. Graves is renowned as an expert in the field and as an advocate for providing stenographic realtime services to those with hearing and visual impairments, bringing international attention to related issues through articles through the International Telecommunication Union’s publication, Telecom World, and through interviews in various other industry publications. In 2009, she won the Robert H. Weitbrecht Telecommunications Access Award for her outstanding contribution to improving the accessibility of telecommunications, media and information technology for people in the United States who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-deafened, or deaf-blind. Ms. Graves is a periodic contributor to publications such as Colorado’s Ramblings and the JCR. Prior to moving to Colorado and becoming a realtime captioner, she worked as a freelance stenographic court reporter in New York, South Carolina, and Illinois. She holds the Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR), Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), and Certified CART Provider (CCP) credentials. RAMBLINGS 5 FALL 2010 NCRA Testing by Sylvia Noneff, RPR SUMMERTIME VOLUNTEERS Front: Sherri Meadors, Andrea McDowd, Erin Valenti, Kathy Scheer Back: Jason Meadors, Stephanie Preston, Staci Roberts, Carli Butcher, Sylvia Noneff CCRA was delighted to sponsor our first-ever summertime NCRA testing at DACR on Saturday, August 14, 2010. We had a Hawaiian motif to celebrate! DACR Campus Director Sue Kuhl also graciously offered use of the school for the two Saturdays before the test for candidates to come and practice. In addition, CCRA Board members, both past and current, have been conducting Practice With Your Peers sessions throughout Colorado all year. The feedback has been so wonderful that we will definitely be continuing this great practice program! Registrar Sherri Meadors Staci Roberts & Stephanie Preston DACR Student Volunteers Candidates were greeted by Registrars Jason & Sherri Meadors, and then left their equipment in the capable hands of Staci Roberts & Stephanie Preston. Kathy Scheer & Andrea McDowd did a wonderful job as transcription proctors. And Carli Butcher was the runner and hall monitor, so she logged many miles up and down the hall, always with a smile. All the volunteers also helped out as realtime proctors. Thank you all so much for your hard work and dedication! RAMBLINGS 6 FALL 2010 Assistant Chief Examiner Kathy Scheer Special thanks to an online DACR student Tamara Rittner for the wonderful goodies she sent us from Hawaii, including beautiful handmade leis, Hawaiian coffee, chocolatecovered Macadamia nuts, and coconut M&Ms. They added the perfect touch to our day! Several test candidates who tried to register were erroneously informed that our testing site was full, due to a computer glitch at NCRA. That was fixed, and most of those candidates were still able to register. If you ever try to register for a test and are told that our site is full, PLEASE contact me at 303-751-5688 or [email protected], and I will fix it. There is no such thing as out of room in Colorado for testing day - we can always add another section. The next test will be on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at DACR. Listed below is the testing schedule: TEST RPR Section 1 RPR Section 2 RMR CRR Section 1 CRR Section 2 REPORT TIME 7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. TEST TIME 8:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. I will be conducting practice sessions at DACR the two Saturdays before the test, October 23rd and 30th. Listed below are the practice schedules for both days: RPR: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. RAMBLINGS CRR: 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. 7 RMR: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. FALL 2010 Colorado Court Reporters Association Fall Seminar by Yvonne Keith, Student at DACR In the Eyes of a Student It is Friday afternoon, and I am getting ready to make the drive up to Black Hawk. I have been packed for two days now. To say I am excited about this seminar is a bit of an understatement. Check-in time for the hotel is 4:00 p.m., I am there at 4:10. When it is time for the social, I am not alone. I have other students around me, which helps my nerves when talking to strangers. Yet once I start talking to these court reporters, I am amazed and inspired by them all. One after another, all weekend long, these court reporters came up to us students and introduced themselves. They asked about what speed we are in now and what our experiences in school have been, both good and bad. Then I was told some of their experiences from when they were in school and then working, both good and bad. I was told there will be times you see this as impossible, but keep at it. You will get there and it is worth the struggle. I was told that everyone feels stuck and frustrated at times; that is normal. One reporter even told me she quit school three times but went back, finished up, and has had this wonderful career. I was given phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I was told to call or e-mail at any time for any reason. So many people offered to answer any question I might come up with, to encourage me when I am full of doubt, and to cheer for me when I pass a test and move on to that next level. The court reporters that I met and talked with at the seminar showed respect and enthusiasm for the profession that I am working so hard to get into. They would tell me what a wonderful career choice that I have made. So while I found the speakers and their presentations helpful and informative - who knew grammar could be so fun and interesting? - that did not turn out to be the most important lesson I learned during my time at the convention. I have learned an even greater respect for not only the profession of court reporting, but for the people within this profession. And for that I am truly grateful. Thank you all for welcoming us students with open arms and hearts, for sharing with us your own experiences, letting us know we are not in this alone, for making us feel like we are a part of the community of court reporters. CCRA is Now on FACEBOOK by Amanda Maze, RPR, CRR, CCP Please “friend” us. You will receive updates to what are the happenings with CCRA – current and future. There are lots of your fellow reporters and students on there, so it’s a wonderful networking site! We are working on having more discussions, so please come join us. To “Friend” CCRA, log in to Facebook. In the center top search window, type Colorado Court Reporters Association and hit Enter. You’ll be at our site. RAMBLINGS 8 FALL 2010 Submitted by Lisa Kelly, RPR, CRR Dear Nancy: After being away from court reporting for seven years to raise my family, I have decided to come back to work, but I am really nervous and scared. I'm not sure how to navigate back into the freelance field again after so many years, and the poor economy doesn't give me any confidence. I still hold the RPR, but I'm worried about new technology and can't just jump back in. What would you recommend? Signed, Scared-o'-CAT. Dear Scared-o'-CAT: Clever play on words, scaredy-cat! Wow, I don't think I've ever met anyone who is more nervous about working than about raising children. Becoming a mom scared the heck out of me. CAT software came with a manual, my kids didn't. But I got lucky, as my husband says, my kids are great. Why is it he doesn't credit me with a fine parenting job, and says I just got lucky? Well, let's not go there. The best way to jump back in is to sit back out. Pretend you're a 225 student and head to court or to a deposition. If it's writing you're worried about, it will come back, kinda like riding a bike. But that reminds me of the patient who asked the doc if he'd be able to play the piano after surgery. The doc assured him he would. The patient thought that was great, since he couldn't play before surgery. (bada-boom.) How was your writing seven years ago? If it wasn't clean, spend time with a mentor or other professional who can assist you in coming clean. I mean in your writing! If you need to upgrade or purchase new software, call your software vendor and ask for a demo. They're always willing to help. And then invest the time in a training session with one of their trainers. I know the economy is sluggish and agencies aren't quick to hire, but if you sit out with an agency and assure them you're striving to be a great writer, they will notice. Call often and let them know you're available for jobs. Sooner or later there will be that day you'll be there just when they need you, and they'll probably keep you around if you do a good job! Good luck jumping back in, and wishing you even more good luck as you approach the teen years. Yikes! ==================================================== Dear Nancy: I HATE doctor's depositions. How do I overcome that fear? Signed, Debbie Doesn't Do Doctors Dear Debbie Doesn't Do Doctors: The first thing to remember is that a doctor is just like anyone else -- she puts her shirt on one arm at a time -- except sometimes she forgets to take off her stethoscope and it becomes more difficult. But that's her problem, not yours. That said, being a true professional requires commitment to learning the terminology that will come up during a deposition. Will you be able to understand retinoblastoma when the doctor mumbles it from across the room? Do you know the difference between dysphagia and dysphasia? If not, you may not be able to swallow the testimony whole - or even talk about it. RAMBLINGS 9 FALL 2010 Are you an RPR, RMR, or RDR? All of those tests include a vocabulary section. Having great credentials helps build confidence, and so much of writing great notes is all about your confidence. So if you don't have three awesome letters after your name, get on it. It will boost your confidence. Doctors can be tough. But it's also true, the more you do 'em, the easier they are. It's like practicing. The more you do it, the faster (better) you get. I have found the most confident reporters try to specialize in an area, taking the same expert's testimony numerous times, and often getting requested by the doctor! Those reporters work to build their dictionaries bigger and better than anyone else. (They're the really cool ones who can write ferruginous bodies in one stroke.) If you work with doctors sporadically, it may not be feasible to specialize. But take a moment the night before, Google the doctor's name and find out what her specialty is. Then search out terminology in that specialty, and spend some time creating briefs for some of the words and adding them to your dictionary. If you do that, even if the doctor doesn't say those particular words, I guarantee you will go into the deposition more confident than you've ever been. And if that doesn't work, take two aspirin and call me in the morning. ==================================================== Dear Nancy: Two defense attorneys objected to the introduction of a document. The judge says to plaintiff’s attorney, “You have [counsels’/counsel’s] objections.” I’m not sure whether to transcribe it as a singular possessive or plural possessive. I am inclined to go with plural possessive, You would have counsels' objections, but counsel is already plural, like children, so I'm thinking I need to transcribe it as counsel's. I can’t decide and I need your opinion. Signed, In Conflict with Myself Dear In Conflict with Myself: Counsel is both a singular and plural noun (unlike children which is always plural.) More like sheep. You can have a sheep or many sheep. So a wolf in sheep’s clothing is the same construction as many wolves in [many] sheep’s clothing. Therefore, your first choice, counsel’s objections, would be grammatically correct. But since this is an advice column, remember, if counsel (singular) is a wolf, his objections will have some teeth. And if counsel are sheep (plural), the objections probably make for a baaaaad argument. BUT, if counsel’s a fox and he’s single … well, you get the point!! Nancy Varallo RDR/CRR/FAPR, owner of Court Reporting Management Services, LLC, offers customized business and office management services to court reporters and reporting agencies. Nancy has been a court reporter since 1979, and has trained hundreds of court reporters, and fielded thousands of questions from reporters. Please ask your question at www.dearnancy.com. Eclipse Scopist: 31‐year Court Reporter, 19 years as Freelancer, 12 years in Federal Court [email protected] (303) 623‐3080 RAMBLINGS 10 FALL 2010 SAVE-THE-DATE 2011 SPRING SEMINAR & CCRA Annual Business Meeting April 16, 2011 RAMBLINGS 11 FALL 2010 CCRA Student Committee by Michelle Goodbee, RMR, CRR, FCRR The CCRA Student Committee was able to award student scholarships for the 2010 Fall Seminar to Andrea McDowd, Yvonne Keith, and Kimberly Fenter. The requirements to win this scholarship were that you must be a CCRA student member and agree to write an article for RAMBLINGS about the seminar. Michelle Goodbee FISHER CONNECTING YOU WORLDWIDE COURT REPORTER WANTED: Billings, Montana FISHER Video Conferencing, Court ReporEng, & Videography, Montana’s premiere Court Repor1ng and legal support firm, is in search of a quality shorthand reporter to join our team in our Billings loca1on. In becoming a part of Fisher, you will experience ample work and flexibility, as well as the benefits of being a valued member of a great team and a company that provides a complete spectrum of products, services and technologies. We take pride in the impeccable service and work product we provide, and we are hoping to find someone who is looking for a suppor1ve business infrastructure that allows them to focus on their profession. Could this be you? Experience is op1mal, however, we are willing to train an eager and talented new professional. Real1me capabili1es and industry technology savvy would be beneficial. High income poten1al for that mo1vated individual. Billings is a beau1ful and vibrant community that supports a wonderful quality of life. We are con1nually growing and have 7 loca1ons across the state of Montana. There are opportuni1es for work in each of our regions. Please send inquiries to carisa@fishervideoconferencing.com. Visit us at www.fishervideoconferencing.com for more informa1on. We're Calling For Mentors! CCRA is often asked to help find Mentors for Students. It only takes a few minutes of your time a month to help a future reporter. Please contact Michelle at [email protected] to be added to our list of potential Mentors. Thank You! RAMBLINGS 12 FALL 2010 Amanda Maze Competed in NCRA’s Realtime & Speed Contests by Mindy Cominiello Amanda Maze competed in NCRA’s Realtime and Speed Contests at the national convention in Chicago this year. She is an outstanding writer, and her placement in these competitions only confirms that! In the Realtime Contest, 40 people participated. You must have your CRR to compete. In the Literary, 200 words per minute, 25 people qualified (meaning 50 or fewer errors), and Amanda placed 14th with a score of 97.1%, which is 29 errors. In the Testimony, 225 words per minute, 8 people qualified (meaning 57 or fewer errors), and Amanda placed 7th with a score of 94.933%, which is 57 errors. For the two segments combined, the Overall Score, 7 people qualified, and Amanda placed 7th with an overall Realtime rate of 96.017%, which is 86 overall errors. In the Speed Contest, Amanda transcribed the Literary portion, which was at 220 words per minute, allowed 55 or fewer errors. 36 people participated. In the Literary, 31 people qualified. Amanda placed 4th with a score of 99.354%, which is an astonishing 7 errors. We are so proud of you, Amanda! Congratulations! 4 IInstructors Needed at Denver Academy of Court Reporting (DACR) Job Responsibilities: Working collaboratively with a team of long-term Instructors, an Instructor for DACR will serve the student needs for instruction, education, mentoring, coaching and guidance as needed to assist them to graduate from this skill-based program. Instructors support both the didactic and skill-based training in the program of Court Reporting. There will occasionally be other duties as assigned to assist the team to the highest level of success for our students. Both on-ground and online teachers are needed. Required Education/Experience/Skills (Minimum Qualifications): 1) Candidates must possess a Court Reporting degree or certificate. CSR (any state) and/or RPR preferred. CRI highly desirable. 2) Candidate must also have a minimum of two years’ full-time (or the part-time equivalent = 4000 hours) experience in any of the fields of Reporting. Desired qualifications: The successful candidate will possess: 1. A solid understanding and appreciation of the reporting field and of the skill-based nature of this career. 2. Experience in leading or supervising skill-oriented groups. 3. Experience working with CART, captioning, realtime reporting, transcription, or other career path in the reporting field. 4. Skill at assisting, teaching, training, or educating people. 5. We especially need teachers who know Phoenix Theory! If interested, please contact: Sue Kuhl, MA, Acting Campus Director, Denver Academy of Court Reporting 9051 Harlan Street, Suite 20, Westminster, CO 80031 or [email protected] RAMBLINGS 13 FALL 2010 Welcome New Member Applicants LAURA ARROYO, ARVADA STUDENT WENDY BUSTOS, WHEAT RIDGE FREELANCE KAREN CAROLLO, BROOMFIELD STUDENT KIMBERLY FENTER, DENVER STUDENT MELLISA GOURDIN, AURORA STUDENT DIANE HUMPHREY, CONIFER CART PROVIDER/CAPTIONER YVONNE KEITH, BROOMFIELD STUDENT ANGELA LANE, AURORA STUDENT ALEXANDRA MAHAN, LITTLETON STUDENT JUNE MONROE, AURORA STUDENT IKUKO PAJOR, ARVADA STUDENT Aarrow Document Navigation Distributorship Looking for a new business in 2010? Tired of working for someone else? Need to make more money? Protected Document Retrieval is a growing, valuable niche with little competition. It’s a New Business for the New Economy. We have a proven, successful Distributorship system in place to help you become part of this industry. It includes a world class Training and Support system, an exclusive territory and there are a growing number of Distributors in the Aarrow system. This can add incremental income and it will become an asset that you own, can leave to your children or sell for retirement. We will only be offering 1 Distributorship in the Denver area. Visit www.aarrowonline.com for more details, or reply to this post with your information and we will contact you shortly. Aarrow Document Navigation, LLC Bill Wright (919) 221-0033 www.aarrowonline.com RAMBLINGS 14 FALL 2010 Now that it’s time to go back‐to school, it’s also time for kids to pull out those really cool backpacks. While backpacks are great for carrying books and materials, their use, or misuse, has contributed to increasing complaints of back pain from children. Kids often overcompensate for a heavy load by leaning forward at their hips or arching their backs. These postures can cause an unnatural compression in their spine, leading to shoulder, neck, and even back pain. The following tips may help your “Back to School” child: 1) Lighten up. A backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of your student’s body weight. 2) Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back/backpack. 3) Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. 4) See that your child uses both shoulder straps to avoid straining muscles and possibly contributing to spinal issues. Thank you, Silent Auction Contributors, for making the Colorado Court Reporters Association Silent Auction a success! * * * * * * * * * * * Penny Selleck and Tammy Stoneberger (Official Court Reporters) Starbucks Gift Certificate Javernick & Stenstrom LLC Woodhouse Day Spa Gift Certificate Bruno & Booton Reporting Company Two Gift Certificates to Coldwater Creek Two Gift Certificates to PF Chang’s Hunter + Geist, Inc. Dog Lover Wine Basket Richardson Reporting Service “Doctors from Hell” book authored by our very own Vivien Spitz Joyce Martin (Official Court Reporter) Red Beijo Purse with Accessories RAMBLINGS 15 FALL 2010 Thank You Sponsors! Sponsors for the Colorado Court Reporters Association 2010 Fall Conference Agren Blando Reporting and Video, Inc. (Hospitality Suite) Coffman Reporting & Litigation Support, Inc. (Continental Breakfast) Hunter + Geist, Inc. (Continental Breakfast) Resling Reporting Services (Drinks and Snacks) Richardson Reporting Service (Drinks and Snacks) * * * * Make Sure You Get Away On Your Getaways Time away from the job shouldn't be time worrying about the work piling up while you're gone. A few simple tips can help you keep your mind calm while taking time for yourself. Plan for it: Let your boss, co-workers, and clients know you will be out a few weeks before and that you won't be checking messages or e-mail. Make sure everyone knows who to contact in your absence. Write it Up: Make a list of deadlines that exist while you are gone and in the few days after your return so you can schedule accordingly. Delegate: Where you can, have co-workers or team members pitch hit for you. Ease Back In: Try to return home at least a day before you start work to go through calls, inbox messages, or service requests before work starts in earnest. Make sure you let everyone know you are back and on-the-job. Workplace Options. 2010. RAMBLINGS 16 FALL 2010 “Thank You” to all of our 2010 CCRA Fall Conference Vendors The Colorado Court Reporters Association greatly appreciates your Support! Beijo Bags - Denver (Michelle Whittet and Rose Patti) Cheetah International (Don Miller and Meredith Boyles) Premier Designs Jewelry (Debbie Caperton and Ron Caperton) ProCAT (Deby Sebastian) Stenograph, LLC (Lana Messinger) The Neutrino Group (Jason Pardikes) Thomson Reuters (RealLegal) (Sunny Hann) How About You? Would You Consider Volunteering for Pro Bono Projects! If this is something you would consider, please contact CCRA’s 2010 Pro Bono Chairperson, Amanda Maze at 720/244-4986 or [email protected] Amanda would like you to contact her with your willingness to help out when CCRA receives requests for a deposition to be reported, scoped, and proofread on a pro bono basis. The depo time is limited, as is the travel time, so the burden will not be heavy on one person. Thank you for your continued support of this valuable program! RAMBLINGS 17 FALL 2010 Oct. 23 Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Dec. 5 Jan. 10 Apr. 16 May 7 Practice with Your Peers at DACR – 9-11:00 RPR & Merit and 11-1:00 CRR Practice with Your Peers at DACR – 9-11:00 RPR & Merit and 11-1:00 CRR NCRA ~ RPR, CRR & Merit Testing Day at Denver Academy of Court Reporting, Westminster, CO RAMBLINGS Deadline to submit Articles & Ads CCRA Board Meeting CCRA Spring Seminar & Annual Business Meeting NCRA ~ Testing Day at Denver Academy of Court Reporting, Westminster, CO CCRA WEB SITE CALENDAR OF EVENTS LINK: http://ccra.info/index.cfm/ID/3/Events/ Did You Know …? ¾ … that CCRA’s Past President Pat Graves was elected as Director of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)? See page 5 for details! ¾ … CCRA’s Spring Seminar & Annual Business Meeting are scheduled for April 16th? Watch the CCRA Web site, RAMBLINGS and your e-mail In-Box for more details! The location is TBD but you’ll be the first to know! Now’s the time to mark your calendars and Save-The-Date!! ¾ … that CCRA is on Facebook? Check it Out!!! ¾ … that NCRA 2010 Test Days at Denver Academy of Court Reporting (DACR) are listed above in the Calendar of Events? For the times of each test, contact Sylvia Noneff, NCRA Chief Examiner in Colorado. Sylvia is also looking for volunteers to help with the NCRA Skills test at DACR. To Schedule Your Test or to ASSIST in the Testing, please contact Sylvia [email protected] or (303) 751-5688. ¾ … that CCRA needs your current e-mail address to keep you informed? You have already experienced e-mail mass mailers to CCRA members, providing important and immediate messages! Now in 2010 RAMBLINGS! Please see that the CCRA office has your most current e-mail address to make CCRA’s efforts to communicate with you successful! Update your e-mail address by e-mailing [email protected] – mark the SUBJECT line: UPDATE e-mail ADDRESS. ¾ …CCRA’s Web site address is www.ccra.info AND on that site there’s a NEW TAB to Classified Ads – here’s the link: http://ccra.info/index.cfm/ID/73/Classifieds/ Now’s the time to get familiar and start using the site – if you haven’t already! ¾ … that YOU, or your colleagues, can run an ad in RAMBLINGS? You can run a one-time ad or take advantage of the annual rate discount. Go to page 2 of this issue for advertising rates and contact information! ¾ … that Joyce Martin is the CCRA Web Master? Joyce has added a link that will take you to archived pdf files of past issues of RAMBLINGS: http://ccra.info/index.cfm/ID/5/Ramblings/ ¾ … that CCRA had a Great turnout at the 2010 Fall Seminar? YOU are all appreciated And we hope You had FuN!! RAMBLINGS 18 FALL 2010 CCRA NEW MEMBER APPLICATION Form Goes Here – PORTRAIT APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP 2010-2011 format. I, _____________________________________________________________ (I just couldn’t get the original to fit the page – thank you) hereby apply for membership in the Colorado Court Reporters Association. ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________________________ CITY: ______________________________________________ STATE: ____________ ZIP: _________________ Business Phone: ___________________________________ Fax: ______________________________________ Home Phone: _____________________________________ e-mail: ______________________________________ Home phone will be printed in the CCRA Membership Directory. If you do not want your home phone listed, leave space blank. A CCRA Membership Directory will be provided to all Members. Names & phone numbers will be published on CCRA's web site. _____CHECK HERE if you do NOT want your information to appear on CCRA’s web site. CATEGORY: Professional Shorthand Reporter/ Participating Member-- $100.00 _____ Official _____ Freelancer _____ CART Provider _____ Captioner Associate Member -- $75.00 _____ Teacher/Instructor _____ Scopist/Proofreader _____ Vendor _____ Videographer _____ Stenomasker _____ Voice Writer Student Member -- $25.00 Retired Member -- $25.00 _____ Student - Current Speed: _______ _____ Retired _____ Other CERTIFICATIONS HELD CSR: RMR: CRR: ____ ____ ____ ____ State ______ Date _____________ Date__________________________ Date __________________________ RPR: Date ____________________ RDR: Date ____________________ Other: _______________________ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I would like to volunteer for pro bono projects. I would like to serve on a committee. I am available for substitution in court. I would like to be a mentor (or would like to be assigned one if a student). METHOD OF PAYMENT: ____ Check enclosed ____ Charge my Visa or MasterCard Card # ______________________________________________ Expiration Date: _____________________ Signature of Cardholder: ___________________________________________________________________ In submitting this application, and if I am accepted for membership, I hereby swear or affirm that I will uphold all of the provisions of the Constitutions and Bylaws of the Colorado Court Reporters Association and the Code of Professional Responsibility. My application includes my check payable to CCRA or my Visa/MasterCard authorization for the appropriate dues and is endorsed by a current CCRA member. Signature of Applicant: _______________________________________________ Date: ________________ ENDORSED By: _____________________________________________________ Date: ________________ PLEASE RETURN YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION AND PAYMENT TO: Colorado Court Reporters Association, P.O. Box 271327, Littleton, Colorado 80127-0023 Dues payments to CCRA are NOT deductible as charity deductions for federal tax purposes; amounts may be deductible as a necessary business expense. RAMBLINGS 19 FALL 2010 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BROOMFIELD, CO PERMIT NO. 139 CCRA RAMBLINGS P.O. Box RA271327 MBLINGS CCRA Littleton, CO 80127-0023 P.O. Box 271327 Littleton, CO 80127-0023 P.O. Box 271327 Littleton, CO 80127-0023 CCRA RAMBLINGS RAMBLINGS has RA MBLIGREEN NGS has GONE in 2010! GONE GREEN R AMBL INGS in has2010! GONE GREEN in 2010! RAMBLINGS RAMBLINGS 20 20 FALL 2010 FALL 2010