Handwriting Gone Astray

I was just reading Dan Neil's piece on "Scribbling Rivalry". I can certainly identify with him in saying my handwriting has really changed over the years. Does it really have to do with our use of the computer, rather than our continued use of handwriting as a means of communication?

I can remember when I had a beautiful handwriting. Even now, my 89 year old Mother's handwriting is still beautiful. Hers puts mine to shame! But, then, she's never used a typewriter or a computer. She has always written out everything, whereas we computer users tend to email, pay bills on line, etc, rather than using our hands to write letters.

I have written notes in church and wondered if I would ever be able to decipher my own handwriting when it got cold! When I go to sign my name when using a credit card, it never comes out the same. I wonder when the time will come that the credit card company in question will spit out a 'not accepted' reply. And, I certainly know that, when I sign a check, it is not the same signature that the bank has on my files. But, I once processed checks for payment in a bank. And, we were taught, as long as the person was paying their utility bills, we could rest assured it wasn't a bad check. I can just see all the signatures we turned down, and had to check out, that never looked one bit like their signature on file. But, when investigated, nearly all checks passed!

I have the tendency to get nervous. And, it sometimes shows up when I'm trying to write. At other times, you would think I'm the mastery of handwriting, but those are few and far between. I suppose Dan has hit on a very good truth - computers and Word Processing have almost ruined us computer folks! But, although I would love to write legibly all the time, I wouldn't exchange my laptop and PC for it. I will continue to do the best I can, when I have the occasion to write. But, I do not think I will be writing a letter in longhand any time soon!

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Technorati : Computers, Handwriting, Longhand, Scribbling, Typewriters