Jude Messineo had just dropped off her daughter at college. She thought her planned trip to the Gulf Shores, Alabama, for a three-month sabbatical in a rented ocean-front house would be a time to think about the next phase of her life. Instead, one week after arriving in Alabama, Hurricane Ivan and a forced evacuation to Birmingham consumed her time and rerouted her sabbatical.
     Having sold her house in Illinois before heading to Alabama, returning "home" after Hurricane Ivan was not an option. Camping was, however, since she had purchased and packed camping equipment "just in case" before leaving Illinois. "I had my tent and camping supplies, but I had never camped by myself," says Jude. Unable to go south from Birmingham because of the devastation and closed roads, Jude headed north to the Appalachian Mountains.
     With all she owned in her car and travel books in hand, Jude spent the next three months living a dream she had always had - the adventure of the road. Crisscrossing the country she covered over 10,000 miles during those three months, planning as she journeyed. Jude often headed to the local bookstore to pick up books on the area and look for local things to do whenever she stopped somewhere.
     Many great moments and sights filled Jude's journey, a lot of them unexpected. One of those moments came in Monument Valley, Utah. Driving around a curve in the road, she saw it. "I had never heard of it before, but there it  was and it was the most incredible sight I ever saw.  It was just this huge natural formation of rocks. It was a moment when I got a sense of the universe and how grand it was and how we walk through life not always seeing what's around us. I felt incredibly lucky at that moment, to be where I was and doing what I was doing."
     Jude also experienced personal victories on her three-month sabbatical. "I really had to face a lot of fear on that trip. It's one thing to say you're going to go out there and have an adventure; it's another thing when you're out there by yourself," she says.         
     Jude's book, Walk on Water, was published in 2007. It journals her three-month sabbatical and how she pursued her dream, conquered her fears, and stepped out of her comfort zone. Published by Trafford Publishing, Walk on Water can be purchased through Amazon.com.
     Since that three-month journey in 2004, Jude has continued to travel. Now based in Rockford, Illinois, Jude says "I've been on the road 22 months out of the last 4 years. I've hit every state now except North Dakota." Currently planning a trip to Oregon, Jude says, "I get bored with routine. I like to have something new and interesting to spark my imagination. I like to explore the world."


Jude Messineo worked for TTE for six years. Starting as a typist, she quickly moved her way up in the company to Operations Manager.  As the Operations Manager she developed many of the company's job descriptions and a company manual that is still being used today. Currently living in Rockford, Illinois, Jude travels and takes on writing projects.

Soft or muffled voices, words mumbled or spoken quickly, people speaking at the same time, background noises. Things that occur over and over again in everyday conversation. Many times when we aren't even aware of it. Yet, in everyday face-to-face conversations and meetings, the essence of what is being said can often be understood by the accompanying body language or written materials. Understanding can come in spite of challenges from voice projection, speech articulation, or background noises because of contextual clues.
     With audio recordings, however, the opposite is true. The more difficulty with voice projection and articulation the speakers have, the faster someone talks, the more often people speak at the same time, the noisier the environment, the farther away someone is from the microphone - the less understandable the audio is since there are no contextual clues.
      To help ensure a successful dictation and transcription project and to achieve optimal audio recordings, TTE's CEO Terry Thompson offers the following six tips:  

1. Pick a quiet area to record your meeting or conversation and minimize background noise.
   
2. Give all speakers individual microphones or have them use their phone handsets. Speakerphones should not be used, since they only clearly pick up the voices closest to the microphone.
   
3. Speak clearly and slowly.
4. Have only one speaker at a time. If several people are on the line at the same time, do not talk over each other.
5. If you are using a cell phone, you will get the best results speaking in a quiet room and not using the speaker function of your phone. Driving in a car while being recorded is not recommended; it is not only hazardous, but does not pick up well.
6. Send any industry specific terminology that might be used with your transcription request.