I print now because even *I* can't read my own cursive anymore. It is completely scribble these days. Writing a check is a serious thing; I have almost everything on autopay. But the water bill has to have a check (or a $5 surcharge for online paying). You should see me write that one every 3 months. It is an exercise in "careful art"...
My signature is nearly useless. It goes every whichway these days.
3 successive tries...
Yeah, it is THAT bad. The basic elements of the signature are still there. The M, the looped S, the 2nd letter.
Damn those DDT sprayer trucks in my youth! It was supposed to be safe for humans. Several of us kids rode our bikes behind the fogger truck because it was fun going in and out of the fog.
A year later, I discovered I was having trouble assembling simple model kits. A couple years later, my teachers were saying I needed to practice my handwriting (cursive) more. I hadn't had a problem before that.
When I was forced to try to learn to play a musical instrument, I failed completely. My fingers and brain did not communicate well. I couldn't learn to type. By college, I could only write (legibly) slowly. I would always get a "B" on essays because I didn't provide enough information". Well, yeah, I had to deliberately form every word on paper but there was not enough time.
Seminars were great. I was always A+ in those. Speaking was easy. I learned to hunt&peck on the typewriter well enough but I had to look at the keyboard all the time. I think I got to 40 wpm doing that.
Same in computerworld. I can type a paragraph easily. But then I have to look at the screen and see the couple typos and go fix them. And it is getting worse. Typing looking at the keys is bad enough, but gradually getting older doesn't help. I have some bad finger habits.
If I start a sentence with a capital T, I get a capital H right after. Guaranteed. And the newest annoyance id the Caps Lock key. If I go for the A, I add the Cap lock. And I tend to think ahead of my typing. So "wouldn't" get shortened to "would", and the same with many contractions. You can imagine the problems that creates for me on discussion boards. :(
I spend half my time fixing errors...
I'm "healthy as a horse' generally. I matured slowly, and I seem to be aging slowly. I'll probably live into my late 90s. But it is going to be awkward and difficult. My typing will get worse and I will be more misunderstood as time goes by.
As Mom said "Getting old isn't for sissies". She had Parkinson's, Dad had dementia, I have DDT tremors and vertigo.
Life is good until the end.
6 comments:
Always unsettling to see evidence of your body in decline, isn't it? The handwriting wouldn't be noticed by anyone other than you because it's probably still outstanding compared to the handwriting of anyone under the age of 25. My 14-year-old grandson's handwriting looks like that of a 6 year old's to my eye. It's simply not a focus in school and he spends virtually all of his life on a keyboard.
But the thing about your post that is most peculiar to me is the notion that there's anyone left on the planet writing cheques. Good grief! I received a cheque payment in the snail mail the other day - the first one in a decade I'm sure. And I was appalled to discover that I had to go to a branch of the bank to deposit it. Virtually no one in Australia uses cheques anymore - it's all credit/debit cards and electronic funds transfer: so much faster (and cheaper - and you don't have to find a branch of the bank!)
Megan
Sydney, Australia
Maybe the issue with the computer keyboard isn't you so much as the sensitivity and compactness of it. Why do I say that? Because I have the same issues with the cap lock, the h after the T, etc.
You don't want to know how many typos I fixed in this little note alone! LOL! (I have less trouble when I use the computers at my work...they are not Macs, and the keyboards need harder strokes and they are larger.)
But yes, tremors are an awful thing to have to endure...brother in law had those...and vertigo is horrible. I have had that on occasion.
Yup, one needs to be brave to be senior! I know all about it...though I am a wee bit younger than you...about 3 or 4 years, I think...
Hang in there!!
I’m sure doctors have always had the same problem.
At least in the past when everyone wrote checks. There are days I can’t write well at all then others when my cursive is beautiful. It’s very frustrating. I often forget a letter, as if my brain is working too fast and wow what a crazy mess! ( I wouldn’t put my signature on line Mark. )
Susie
Been thinking I'm the only one with keyboard trouble. I keep hitting "Enter" when I am reaching for "Backspace" so I put up half-finished sentences in a chat room I inhabit.
Getting old isn't for wusses, but better than the alternative.
I thought I was the only one. I keep hitting "Enter" when I'm reaching for "Backspace" (I touch type). I keep putting up half-finished sentences in a chat room I inhabit.
Getting old isn't for wusses, but it beats the alternative.
My writing is getting worse too because I type most things online. I am a lefty so it was not great to start. :)
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