lost in transcription

The reason posts have been so sporadic here this spring is because I've been pecking away at a series of medical lectures for Access Service. The work began April 10, the day after university classes ended for the Winter term (i.e., Jan to Apr), and with the exception of a few weeks in-between, it's been a steady pace. Each half-day block of recordings took approximately 2 days to type. Normally, 1 hour of audio would take me about 2 hours to transcribe; due to the specialized terminology (chorioamnionitis, nulliparous, pessary, dystocia), the often rapid-fire clip of presenters' speech (although some paced themselves moderately), and technical difficulties (an incorrect format, a corrupt file, misplacement of a lapel mic), it took about 4 times as long. I'd begin between 8:30 and 9:00am, and work until midnight or 1:00am. Of course, I took an hour for lunch, the whole getting groceries/preparing & eating supper/clean-up thing took 2 or 3 hours, and I had to take short breaks after every hour or two as a precuation against RSI. I enjoyed working from home, but I'd rather not repeat the experience right away, at least not under such tight deadlines. I need some time to recuperate: my hands are still exhausted just thinking about it. Anyway, this is just to warn you all that since I finished the last transcription yesterday, you may be seeing a little more action around these parts. After all, I have stuff to share, like "things to see & do in Ottawa," "veggie tales," "urban chick lit," and possibly other items of interest. Stay tuned, my pretties.