Whatever happened to Binita?

April 9, 2008 – 5:06 pm

A year and six months have passed since I last wrote for this blog. That’s a long while. In that time I received some emails asking about updates, something new, et cetera, I’m going to answer your questions: Whatever happened to Binita?

After September 2006 (see the previous post), I returned home the following December. I had fallen behind in speed a bit, so I took a month to stay at home, practice, and get back to 225 WPM. And I succeeded.

I started working as a freelance court reporter in February 2007. And I worked hard. Those first weeks I managed two or three jobs per day. I scoped every single line I wrote myself. I wore the letters off my laptop keyboard. I was Binita on the Spot.

Then, things slowed and acquired a rather normal pace. I do a job, maybe two, per day most days. Some days I don’t work. There are busy weeks followed by slow weeks. Some nights I cook, my husband others, and occasionally we order out. Life is good.

So what happened to Binita is she pick up where she left, set her mind to accomplish something, and subsequently accomplished it. Binita became a court reporter.

I also opened up a new Web site, Binita Shrestha Reporting Services, which is what I’m calling me plus Elan Mira A3 over CaseCATalayst4. Hopefully you won’t be a stranger there either.

By Binita Shrestha | Posted in Career | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

And everything paused

September 16, 2006 – 9:31 am

On Tuesday, September 25, 2006, I had my first deposition in Brooklyn. I arrived early (too early, actually) and, although I was terribly nervous (What do I say to swear in the witness again?), things went smoothly and without incident. It was a short deposition, just 20 minutes, and I had returned home and scoped my work later that day.

Then on Thursday, September 29, 2006, I got a call from my father. My mother had passed away unexpectedly. My sister and I came together and just 15 hours later we (with our husbands) were on planes headed to India.

So I will be out of touch for a while longer. Don’t forget to check back. Things for now, sadly, are on pause.

By Binita Shrestha | Posted in Career, General | Tagged , , , | Comments (13)

Passed out

September 13, 2006 – 8:43 am

That’s it! I’ve finished. I’ve passed my final test. Done. Period. The end.

Or is it just the beginning?

I started studying court reporting at a place called Business Informatics in Long Island in 2005. I left that school, was off for a month, and then started studying at New York Career Institute. Eighteen months later, I’m a real court reporter.

So I’m off to start working. And though I did well in school and am totally finished, I still have a lot of questions about working.

By Binita Shrestha | Posted in Career, Studies | Tagged , , | Comments (8)

A real vermiform appendix

September 9, 2006 – 4:38 pm

In one of my online court reporting groups, I received an email today about a post written by a journalist in San Diego on his blog. So I had a look and this is what I read:

But I have a much more basic question: Why do we have court reporters at all? Aren’t audiotapes much better at catching nuance and inflection? Aren’t videotapes 10 times as revealing and comprehensive as audiotapes? Court reporters are the vermiform appendix of the legal system.

I would like to respond to an argument, but apparently there isn’t one. Unable to point to any of the research and/or findings on verbatim court reporters vs. voice recorders (vs. any of the other numerous alternatives out there), he instead leans on Wikipedia to solidify his stance by citing (?) a big, impressive word: vermiform appendix.

His inability to utilize a rhetorical mode made me ask myself, “Where’s your point?” In my opinion, his little local newspaper is a vermiform appendix. I am quite annoyed with this man, who was such a highly disproportionate amount of knowledge to opportunity to communicate it with the masses.

By Binita Shrestha | Posted in Career, Humor | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Required laughs

September 6, 2006 – 5:41 pm

So I’ve been collecting some funny court reporting-related things for a while now, and I thought I now would be a good time to post them. Why now? I passed a test last week and that means I have one test left.

One test. This should make me feel good, but I’m nervous, wondering if I the Mira was the best choice and hoping that the folks at the agency where I interned will make good on their promise of a job when I finish.

Anyhow, a little stress relief. Here we go:

Everything I learned is wrong

In school our teachers have always instructed us to feel the keys. Feel them, they say. So I developed my speed through something like a muscle memory, if that makes sense.

That’s why I was really surprised when I saw a court reporter with a prosthetic finger. I wonder, does she feel the key(s)? Obviously not. I mean, not the same way with a prostheses. So take that, teachers. The court reporter strives!

Humor in the court room!

A judge in Texas posts regular excerpts (his or those adapted from the court reporter, I don’t know) of incidents in the court room. I like the court reporter cameo in this anecdotes. I mean, come on defense. Can’t you coach your witness a little better next time?

By Binita Shrestha | Posted in Humor, Studies | Tagged , , | Comments (1)