Handwriting

[Luke]

When I was in grade school we were taught a class called "penmanship". Un fortunately I was never good at penmanship. It was cool using a fountain pen, but I just was always in a too much of a hurry to have perfect penmanship.,

While doing some research on county history I mailed some information to a former neighbor. She was a former professor at the local college and we became good friends.

What amazed me was the Handwritten thank you note she sent me in return. It was written in what I can only describe as perfect calligraphy. You know the kind of handwriting like on the Declaration of Independence?

I later found out that cursive writing isn't taught in schools anymore. I recently sent a letter to my young nephew only to find out not only how bad my cursive has become over the years, but that my nephew's school uses a "hybrid" of cursive and printing.

Maybe it is part of the "dumbing down" of America but it sure seems like penmanship has become a lost art. Maybe that is why I taught my kids how to tell time with a watch with hands before I got them digital watches.

So am I becoming that grouchy old guy, one step away from yelling Get Off My Lawn, or does anyone here think penmanship is an art form?

[American Patriot]

You do not want to try to read my writing, and usually neither do I. I was taught "penmanship" as well, and got very, very lazy from High School on when it came to writing.

I started typing everything, correspondence, papers, you name it on a mechanical, and later electric typewriter. I usually type at least 60 wpm, but make a lot of mistakes and then go back and correct them with spell check or whatever.

In the military I started printing - copying messages with military block letters, which later I started using and still use today, doing morse code copy, or writing messages down.

I have a "log book" I started keeping about learning to sail and related material, and it's all handwritten, and about as sloppy as one can get.

I'm about to be 'tested' in October.

I'll be staying aboard someone else's vessel and I'm going to keep a handwritten log of things I do on the boat for him. I'll probably print a lot. lol

[American Patriot]

You do not want to try to read my writing, and usually neither do I. I was taught "penmanship" as well, and got very, very lazy from High School on when it came to writing.

I started typing everything, correspondence, papers, you name it on a mechanical, and later electric typewriter. I usually type at least 60 wpm, but make a lot of mistakes and then go back and correct them with spell check or whatever.

In the military I started printing - copying messages with military block letters, which later I started using and still use today, doing morse code copy, or writing messages down.

I have a "log book" I started keeping about learning to sail and related material, and it's all handwritten, and about as sloppy as one can get.

I'm about to be 'tested' in October.

I'll be staying aboard someone else's vessel and I'm going to keep a handwritten log of things I do on the boat for him. I'll probably print a lot. lol

[Backstop]

In the military I started printing - copying messages with military block letters, which later I started using and still use today...

Same same.

Although I never copied messages.

I still write in block letters; I believe that's much less prone to reading error than writing normal.

Plus these days I make field drawings, and all the notations are written in all caps. Field drawings are "almost" blueprint quality, and are used to show a client how you might install something, plans for ordering material, used to show how you'd like to change an existing installation, etc.

I was taught writing in school. Frankly, my penmanship has always been fairly good. I've always thought, "If I'm gonna write something, it probably needs to be read later. So it's kinda dumb to write it so poorly that no one can read it."

[Luke]

Are "block letters" the printing I was taught in mechanical drawing class? So many strokes for certain letters and numbers?

Ms. Luke worked in an office setting for over 30 years so she can out type the hell over me. I do not however use the hunt and peck technique when I type. I use the fingers I was taught in typing class in high school. I average around 50-60 wpm with practice. Uncle Arthur definitely fucks with my right hand these days.

[Backstop]

Are "block letters" the printing I was taught in mechanical drawing class? So many strokes for certain letters and numbers?

In my case the answer is yes, but I don't get all concerned with perfection - my main goal is it being legible.

If that makes sense.

I can tell you though that many of my field drawings are good enough to bypass the CAD folks, and get forwarded to the Army Corps of Eng.

If they only knew I used my level as a straight edge and a piece of sheetrock as a table.

[Luke]

Perhaps schools should teach "legibility?'

[American Patriot]

Well, my writing WAS legible long, long ago. It came from MANY years of not writing any more.

[Phil Fiord]

Penmanship was taught while I was in grade school, but by 7th grade it was optional to write and printing was allowed. I chose to print and later adapted block cap printing which I still do today.

I wish I had the umph to actually have learned to do penmanship well, but frankly I saw printing as a better means for my writing to be read as my cursive was horrid.

We have my moms baby book. Her father hand wrote everything in it. He wrote in a stylized calligraphic manner with swooping swirls at letter tails and such. Simply beautiful actually. He is long dead now and I never knew him, but I bet if I had known him I would have his skill and use it. The way he wrote that makes me think it took hours for a sentence. I doubt it did though.

[Luke]

The folks I have seen write in that manner are very fluid. They make it look easy. Truly an art form. 26 letters should not be that complicated.

[Phil Fiord]

One of these days I will scan some of his writing and post it. It is amazing.

[Backstop]

One of these days I will scan some of his writing and post it. It is amazing.

Looking forward to that.