(OK, maybe The Smiths’ tune didn’t go quite like that.)
As I was about to log in to my meetup.com account, I noticed the link on their homepage announcing “Transcriptionists, Hyderabad, India meeting now!” I guess everyone needs a meetup. There are 228 transcriptionists around the world who have signed up to meet through meetup.com. Hyderabad has the largest group with 50 members. I wonder what they talk about.
In my senior year of high school in 1991 (Scribner, Nebraska) I was in most every activity club, including FBLA — Future Business Leaders of America. Each Spring we attended the state convention and participated in various “competitions” including transcription. Somehow I managed to get signed up for that one. So, I took the test and placed number two. The winner of each competition advanced to the national convention/competition that was taking place in Anaheim, California that summer. Apparently the person who came in ahead of me had also won another competition and chose that one over transcription for the national competition. So, there I was with an opportunity to travel West for the first time. I don’t remember all the details but I think the FBLA group helped raise some money to send me. My advisor wasn’t able to go so another group adopted me. I basically spent the entire week hanging out by myself in Anaheim and Disneyworld except when I had to participate in group events and the test itself. I bought my first Smith’s CD, “Louder Than Bombs“, at a local used CD store. It was an amusing way to get to California.