Jezebel 
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New York, 7:10 AM
Sun Nov 8
22 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/31/08
12/31/08
I may be the last person on earth who still handwrites class notes, but that's because I'm often taking distance ed classes and don't want to hide my lecture and slides under a Word document. I took typed notes in film classes, and that was just fine.
As for the speed, it took me my whole life to realize that faster =/= better, so I'm really not willing to accept that. In grade school, I was the one who always wanted to be the first to finish a test or hand in a paper, and speed is still the excuse my students give me for their atrocious papers. It's quickly becoming the excuse for everything. So even though there are exceptions, the idea that faster is better is always going to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
12/31/08
12/31/08
These days, like most people, my handwriting is a hodgepodge of different styles. I'd be a graphologist's field day, what with my swooping, baroque F and G and Y. You can tell I'm completely fucking unstable just by reading my grocery list.
12/31/08
What will happen to signatures if children stop learning cursive? Will they just print?
12/31/08
I was gonna say:
I am a soulless child of the information age. I can write, neatly, in all caps, but I hate reading it later. It embarrasses me. Unless I can conveniently edit, move, or delete great swaths of text, it's impossible for me to compose my thoughts and make them clear and concise.
I draw cartoons pretty well with watercolors, pens and inks, or digital media. I just hate writing. And I especially hated learning cursive in elementary school. It was so utterly pointless.
12/31/08
Children these days! I loved learning cursive, and I had my own fancypants calligraphy set, natch.
12/31/08
...which might be why it took my friend Liz so long to realize that I wasn't calling her "47" - at least not intentionally.
12/31/08
12/31/08
It's the prettiest writing ever.
The fact that grammar and penmanship are becoming anachronisms hurts my soul. There is no substitute for a hand-penned thank you note, people.
12/31/08
12/31/08
Oh yeah, I can also write in cursive backwards. Suck it!
12/31/08
12/31/08
And yet, I can do wonderful calligraphy, and have taught myself the Arabic script, which is really beautiful. Perhaps because I am paying attention when writing fancy shmancy, therefore I write more floridly, but the difference is remarkable.
And, oh do I love pens, all kinds, rolling ball, uniball, calligraphy pens, I get all tingly just thinking about them...
12/31/08
12/31/08
but especially:
3) way back in the day, circa 1930's, if you didn't get any formal education (my dad) your handwriting looked like crap compared to everybody else's (my dad's). It had serious social implications.
12/31/08
12/31/08
12/31/08
But I truly envy those who can and do use pretty handwriting. I made my younger sister learn calligraphy to address all my wedding invitations, because I am a) cheap and b)a pushy bitch.