i have the absolute worst handwriting in the entire cosmos

so i was quite pleased to come across this article. i've never heard of 'italic' writing. i think i just might pick up the self-study book

Rewriting handwriting
Some say italic is the answer to America's illegibility
By Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News March 13, 2006
Every young kid suffers through the loop-de-loop of cursive handwriting, a bumpy and sometimes traumatizing ride.
By adulthood, though, most people have abandoned the torturous exercise for a slapdash mishmash of printing and script that ranges from barely legible to completely incomprehensible.
"We have a national affliction, and it's called cacography - that means 'illegible handwriting,' " says Barbara Getty, handwriting expert, former elementary-school teacher and co-creator of a method she believes can solve the problem. "That's why we're a 'Please print' nation. Nobody says, 'Please write in your lovely cursive handwriting.' "
At a time when the computer is king and toddlers type, some educators believe it's even more imperative to teach a speedy handwriting technique that others can read.
Enter italic, a zippy hybrid of print and cursive that Getty and fellow Oregon calligrapher Inga Dubay consider a simple, elegant solution to the massive modern handwriting malaise. .......