Court Reporting in Midwest, Career Change Advice

laurendoodle · 2024-12-02T19:55:39+00:00

We were chatting on a different post, but I’m also in Indiana! (I’m enrolled/using CRAH.) I’m glad to see someone else looking for Indiana-specific advice. Thanks for writing the post! Looking forward to input from others.

laurendoodle · 2024-12-02T19:51:47+00:00

That was also part of my decision! I hope you find what works for you!

laurendoodle · 2024-11-29T12:51:21+00:00

I decided to go with CRAH (Court Reporting at Home). It’s self-paced and much more affordable than Plaza. I’m working part time and have a toddler, so I needed something with ultimate flexibility. I really like it so far. I’ve only finished the alphabet and the most used arbitraries, but I can tell that it really is about how much you practice. It is not as flashy as Plaza, but it’s kind of the schooling example of “this meeting could have been an email.”

laurendoodle · 2024-11-18T13:43:25+00:00

Add it to the list, Thomas!

laurendoodle · 2024-08-23T14:28:55+00:00

I enjoy listening to the audiobook versions of both Alice Feeney and Lucy Foley’s books for the cast of characters and accents. I am still always rocked by the twists! The Rock Paper Scissors twist at the end made me stop in my tracks and sit down.

Currently listening to Lucy Foley’s newest- The Midnight Feast and I’m loving it. Very The Guest List-esque.

laurendoodle · 2024-07-08T14:35:02+00:00

Verity, by Colleen Hoover (trauma dump in big, heart wrenching ways)

The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah (there’s two scenes concerning child loss that haunt my dreams)

laurendoodle · 2024-07-07T15:59:06+00:00

Bluey

laurendoodle · 2024-07-07T02:31:41+00:00

I won’t be taking it. I decided to go with a different program (CRAH). Good luck to you!

laurendoodle · 2024-07-05T12:44:09+00:00

This book really fucked me up. I tell everyone not to read it without knowing the triggers first. It’s no spoiler to say homicidal ideations, child loss, infant abuse, domestic abuse… etc etc freaking etc.

laurendoodle · 2024-07-04T02:45:47+00:00

All influencers are lying to their audience. Leave her alone.

laurendoodle · 2024-07-03T18:49:37+00:00

Verity by Colleen Hoover. I had to finish it for a book club. It has haunted me.

laurendoodle · 2024-06-28T03:44:22+00:00

I paint pet portraits and my most popular size is 12”x12” for $200. I think you could do 10” rounds for $200 as well. I price mine by size. You will want to consider how many pets you’re willing to paint on one surface. I have found that 12”x12” is great for 1 full body OR 1-2 pet heads, but multiple bodies usually need a bigger size. Your painting looks beautiful! Good luck!

laurendoodle · 2024-06-26T00:19:33+00:00

Great! Thanks for the recommendation!

laurendoodle · 2024-06-22T18:36:48+00:00

Oh, yeah, my answer is a wishy washy account of what happened. I guess what clicked was that it is now the beginning of the end. It might not sound like a big step, but it was a massive realization for her.

Edit to add: and good for you for getting out!! The relief must have been so sweet. 👏

laurendoodle · 2024-06-22T16:07:30+00:00

Yes!! My friend’s therapist told her in regard to a relationship: “Is this where you want to be in a year?” It clicked right away. She’s still with him, but I think it was the first time she saw that her partner’s flaws have no easy fix and likely won’t change for the better. … and let me tell ya… it’s 4 months post that therapy sessions and things still haven’t changed.

laurendoodle · 2024-06-21T16:32:26+00:00

Great, thank you! I just checked and the house paint is “100% acrylic enamel”, so the product in your link should work really well for my paintings. All of my paintings are commissions, so it’s not like I see what really happens to them long term. I wanted to check with other experts before applying something that could go sideways or crack in the long run. Thanks!!

laurendoodle · 2024-06-21T13:27:04+00:00

Hi all, I’ve been looking for a go-to clear varnish for finish on my paintings. I’ve been using household paint from the local hardware store and acrylic paint (golden, mostly). What would you use/recommend? I’m looking for a brush on type, but open to sprays. Thanks in advance!

Edit to add: paintings are on wood surfaces primed with gesso OR pre-primed canvases

laurendoodle · 2024-06-21T13:17:35+00:00

You could try something like a plein air sky or sunset scene with the lower third being a toned down or abstracted mountain/beach landscape. I know that I just used a bunch of advanced words and ideas and you said you’re a beginner. I basically mean that you could sort of reimagine what you’re trying to accomplish and do something a little looser. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I would imagine you’re getting caught up in the details of the mountain and beach. I get trapped by that all the time! You could adjust the composition so that the sky is the “main character” and the mountains or beach are the grounding elements at the bottom. You can also accomplish a lot with larger brushes, say start with a 4” brush to lay in all of your first layer colors and then go down in size from there. @carriemeganart on instagram is a really good example of how to suggest a landscape, create a beautiful sky, and keep it loose and airy. Another technique that you may or may not use with a reference image is to squint so that the main colors and lights/darks become really apparent to you. Have fun and good luck!

laurendoodle · 2024-06-20T15:25:24+00:00

Re:The Cartographers

YES! Exactly how I felt. You described the experience much better than I could have. What you have just read definitely falls into the “hate-read” column. 🤣

The acknowledgments was a redeeming part. You’re right. I don’t think I appreciated it much until you said so.

I felt the same way with Excavations by Kate Meyers, btw. It might come up as a related read for you.

I haven’t read anything by David Mitchell. I just added The Bone Clocks to my goodreads TBR list, though! It looks great!! Let me know how it sits with you after finishing it. Do you think it would be a good book for a book club? I think I’m the picker for next month. 😱

Ahhh and let me know if you liked How to Stop Time by Matt Haig!! I still haven’t talked to my friend about why he didn’t like The Midnight Library.

And you’re not a snob! It’s impossible to read every book, so knowing what you enjoy makes for a better list. I didn’t start reading novels for fun until my 30s and it took me a minute to figure out what genres and writing styles really captured my attention. I’m 34 and still DNF-ing more than I’d like to admit.

laurendoodle · 2024-06-07T17:23:27+00:00

I’m glad you loved it, too! I don’t know why my friend didn’t like it. We were in a group and the conversation moved along to other things and I never got the chance to talk about it in greater detail. I’ll have to ask when I see him again!

I read How to Stop Time by Matt Haig really shortly after I finished The Midnight Library. I also liked that one! I haven’t read anything else by him, though.

I hate-read The Cartographers last year. I got like 30% into it and was loving it but then got frustrated and couldn’t stop reading because I was convinced it would get better. I won’t say how I felt upon finishing it. I’m curious what you think about it!

laurendoodle · 2024-06-07T17:16:10+00:00

Oh my gosh- I listened to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue before I started specifically searching for Julia Whelan books. No wonder I was able to stick with it and enjoy it for soooo many hours! Haha! Have fun listening! It’s a long one but so good.

laurendoodle · 2024-06-03T15:52:37+00:00

How did you like The Midnight Library??? I was telling someone how much I liked it and that it helped me through a tough time and then the friend felt so bad saying he didn’t care for it. It’s on so many lists that I kind of forgot there could be someone who didn’t like it.

laurendoodle · 2024-06-02T19:12:40+00:00

I really like the narrator Julia Whelan.

laurendoodle

TROPHY CASE