I’m not sure about you all but, I know I could use a break from the drama of our move up North. If you’re wondering what I am talking about…you can get caught up on the moving saga here.
I got back from Spokane super late on Monday night and taught all day Tuesday. Today is the first day I’ve had a chance to slow down and catch my breath a bit. And by slow down and catch my breath, I mean…try and work my way through the 1000+ blog entries in my Google Reader. Obviously, that is my first priority.
It wasn’t long before I came across this post over at one of the blogs I read regularly- a request to share your handwriting. As long as I can remember, I’ve loved penmanship, typography, fonts, and stationery/all things paper so I decided it would be fun to join the party. Oh, and I have speeches/papers/assorted in-class assignments to grade. I’ll do anything to postpone actual work.
I would venture to guess that most people have a preferred writing implement, myself included. I can write with other pens, but it’s difficult for me, for reals. And because I am just *that* devoted to the pens I love, I have taken a picture to share with you.
I assure you these are, in fact, the Best Pens on Earth. In the very back of the photo, we have the Pentel R.S.V.P. (fine tip) in black. Fine tips are the only way to go, if you ask me. I feel inappropriately strong about that.
Next in the photo is a nondescript, generic pen I keep around in case someone needs to borrow a pen…’cause I won’t share the others. I always try to keep a cheap, generic pen around for lending purposes. I picked up this particular lending pen at one of the Border’s bookstores that’s closing for something like .50 cents. Turns out I like this pen a lot so I probably won’t let you borrow this pen either. I never have claimed to be generous.
In front of the generic lending (but don’t actually ask to borrow it because I probably won’t lend it to you) pen is my first pen love, the Pilot Precise V5 Rollerball pen (extra fine) in black. It was love at first sight write all the way back in 5th grade. I have been infatuated (although not exclusive) with the V5 ever since.
And the pen in the front is a newcomer to the group, the Parker Sonnet ocean blue ballpoint pen. This pen is refillable and you can pick almost any color/thickness you’d like for this pen but…of course, I have the extra fine, black refills.
And if you’re still reading at this point, I’ll show you my handwriting. That was the original point of this post, right?
When I’m at work, I have to write a lot. I usually have to write a lot quickly as students are shouting out ideas or I’m taking notes or something. Here is my work writing/scribbling.
In case your curiosity is tugging at you regarding what is actually written there…it’s a list of speeches my students chose to analyze for their midterm papers. They each had to pick a different speech because, well, I don’t want to read 3,435 papers on MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, thanks. Nothing against the speech…it’s famous for a reason. It’s just people tend to stick with what they know and I want my students to branch out.
This is my typical, everyday writing. My handwriting default, if you will. The text is Alexander Pope’s “Essay on Man,” one of my favorites.
I thought I would share some of the calligraphy I learned all the way back when I personally addressed all 200+ (outer and inner!) envelopes for our wedding. I’m a little rusty so don’t judge.
That is addressed to the Obamas. Did you know that if you send the president a wedding invitation, you will get a congratulatory response? Obama wasn’t the president when we got married but you get the idea. And we got the response. It was so exciting!
Finally, we have my famous writing. Yes, my writing has been featured on film.
I wish I could tell you what the list is about or why there is a lipstick/kiss mark on it. I don’t know. The director of this film was very secretive about the whole thing. He also made me write this list about 1,000 times. It was late into the night once I finally produced a version that satisfied him. He was a writing nazi. You might notice this writing looks a little different from my normal writing…that’s cause it is. I was so flattered at first when the director asked me to help out because of my nice penmanship. Then not as thrilled when he called my writing “cartoonish” and told me I wasn’t getting paid. To top it all off, this film hasn’t even come out yet so I haven’t gotten to enjoy the fruits of my labor. When is this movie coming out, Jake?!? And just for the record, Jake (the director) is a good friend from college and I don’t actually think he is a writing nazi. But, he was pretty particular with this list. I want residuals.
