Can you write?
 

Recently I bought a bottle of Arabian ink as a souvenir of a Middle Eastern Souk, and also to get me inspired me to start using some lovely fountain pens that have been languishing in the desk drawer.

To my horror - I have found that I can no longer write.

So-


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1545273861.jpg

Barely

Illegibly

4+ years of college class note taking as fast as humanly possible ruined what pathetic writing skills I did have when I started. I can't read my own writing any more.

I adopted a upper case print style to keep up with note taking in college. Cursive was too slow. My writing is now horrible. Like worse than a doctor's - lol. Quick, write a cursive capital "Z". ;)

Exactly- Uni exams of 3 and 4 hours, some of them solid hand writing the whole duration. A long time ago. Now, Ive found Ive degenerated from being exhausted and illegible after one page, then to a para- and now to being barely able to write more than a sentence or two without error.

Handwriting has gone the way of the manual transmission....an arcane, forgotten and apparently useless skill.

Been doing that since HS.

I dropped most punctuation as well.

ltst mssn, drp vwls alltgthr

Vowels are overrated.

I like the question mark. Whimsical, like a hot air balloon.

Today’s society is all about quantity, not quality. Too much “engineering” and practicality and pure efficiency used as the barometer of value and not enough expression, beauty, style or elegance.

For one, I don’t mind if something takes longer if it adds what I call “soul capital” - in other words it’s something that gets noticed and appreciated or sparks interest or conversation. Those things matter - it’s not only about what can be quantified or subjected to metrics.

I remember hand-lettering drawings but don’t often get the chance to do it. Occasionally on field sketches, etc. (and yes, I still sketch by hand too even though most people today would use some app or widget). I find it communicative and reasonably fast / efficient too - it’s not about being a Luddite, it’s about having a way to communicate ideas in more than one way.

I wish mine looked that good.

Gave up cursive ages ago as I couldn’t read what I wrote. Looked like a third graders as well.

Yes, I can. Cursive, block letters, backwards, left-handed.

No problèmo...

Still? My handwriting was always rubbish.

Never. I should have been a Dr. I went to a private school for grades 5, 6, 7 and the first half of 8. We were graded on penmanship. There were several instances where I had all A's or all A's and B's but I wasn't on the honor roll because I had C's in Penmanship. You had to write in cursive. Printing wasn't allowed. Now I spend 99.9% of the time typing. Hell, these days I can barely print.

Yea, my name!
I guess that is a signature. ;)

I had to fill in some forms recently and realized how bad my handwriting has become. Glad I don’t have to pass a 2nd grade test I passed easily back in 2nd grade.

They don’t even teach it in schools anymore, kids almost can’t make a signature anymore

My handwriting is acceptable if I write with a wooden pencil. I don’t get it.

Any pen and it looks like I used my feet

I was a failure at handwriting from the get go in elementary school and never able to elevate myself. We used to have to make those loopy circles, and mine never resembled circles. I can seldom read anything I've written a couple of weeks before.

Very nicely said!
The thoughts of a gentleman for certain.
+1