A blog by Jorge Garcia.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Signing my life away

At some point in my career, this was my signature. And whenever I sign my name I'm an still essentially "aiming" for this.

But the more and more I sign stuff, my signature can't help but start evolving. It's the law of entropy. Things naturally move from a state of order to disorder.
Today at work I had to sign a countless number of LOST posters and cover sheets for the pilot script. And my signature started getting more and more distorted.

Now by this point the signature is basically a BIG J, little g and a BIG G that extends to a line with a dot for the i in Garcia. Gone are the "or" and the "arcia" for the most part.

If I'm signing really fast I don't even seperate my first and last name with a space. It becomes one big word. This one still has a the remnants of the "e" in Jorge just because there is a hiccup in the line that joins my first and last name.

This one's great. Just J-g-G-(period). The line doesn't even make it to the dot anymore.At this point the little g starts getting bigger. And bigger. Till my signature becomes different letters entirely.

H-S?
What is that? P-F? Is the F chewing tobacco?

This one was just sloppy. Sorry to whoever gets this one. It's not a signature, it's a chromosome.

81 comments:

New Yorker wannabes said...

hey Jorge! greetings from Greece. Mine was ok when you send me your auto. You can almost read your whole name (thank you for that) lol

Well I guess that is what happens when you have to sign a lot. I know what you mean (almost :-) I am a teacher and always have to grade and sign and...my signature is like that too, now lol

Take care
peace
xoxo

New Yorker wannabes said...

Oh and Jorge. I asked this before but it is natural not to get a response with the load of the comments you get.

I noticed that the contact info you gave at first (the postal code) was different than the one we all know. I think I send a letter to the old PC. Will it get lost? Answer if you can.

Thank you
Sorry for the double comment :-)
xoxo

Jodi said...

I think it is that they expect you guys to sign SO many items. It is normal for your hand and arm to get tired.

Plus, I know that my own handwriting suffers so much because I'm must faster typing on the computer. It is sad that so many personal handwritten notes nowadays is taken over by emails. I have to put so much effort when I handwrite a greeting card. All the typing I do it is like I slowed up on my handwriting. If I had to sign all the items you had to, I can't even imagine what my signature would look like after a couple hundred.

The way you can look at it is this...no matter how 'tired' your signature gets as you sign Jorge, always know that when someone receives it, that it will make someone's day! :)

*~Dani~* said...

I have the same problem although not with autographs. At work I have to sign a lot of documents sometimes and I find that my signature gets worse with every signing. Who knows what it would look like if I had to sign as much as you do.

~Karen~ said...

If you sign your name again(neat)under the last signature you posted here, it would look like you signed a Jorge Garcia priceless work of art. lol

FETTS said...

I know how it is, this is supposed to say 'Robert Paine' FETTS.

Mrs. Z said...

Take a cue from 30Seconds to Mars - dude, they use symbols instead of signatures. And their fans think it's terribly clever and unique.

Line said...

lol your signature really changed!

Pam said...

LOL! "it's not a signature, it's a chromosome".

Thanks for the laugh this morning! HOnestly, I think that's probably pretty normal for that to happen when you sign so many things. I'm sure you hand in general just gets tired.

Happy 1st day of Spring!

Movie Star Wife said...

That was neat to see the "evolution" of your signature. I bet a lot of people don't realize why some people have interesting autographs, right?

Please Type Legibly said...

You should go to a graphology site online and have each one of those handwriting samples analyzed....LOL....I wouldn't have gone to the chromosome thing, but now that you mention it, I can see it. Mine winds up looking like it came off the Richter scale if I go too long. ;o)

Petra said...

*Chromosome* funny. The evolution of your signature boils down to a chromosome. I love it! LOL.

Thanks, as always, for the early morning chuckle.

: ) P

Das Mutter said...

Heh heh...made me laugh onthe chromosome comment! That's how I feel about my signature when filling out insurance paperwork for my kids. 18 signatures to get their ears checked? Seriously?

elainemarieg said...

Thanks for the laugh! After so many years, my signature looks like a squiggle-line-dot, squiggle-line and dots for the i's.

Jodi said...

LOL But the important thing is, how did your hand feel by the end? Do they have a hand massager for you when signing a ton of stuff? ;)

On the rare occasion I sign anything, usually a check for groceries, my last name becomes Pl---. When I got married, my last name went from 10 letters to 5, and now I have "shortened" it to 2. hehe

Stephanie said...

Now we can all forge your signature 10 different ways! yippee! *haha*

Jen said...

I say, just get a stamp with your signature. Then all you'd have to do is pick out the ink color. LOL.

Hesionka said...

it seems that variations will end up with a plain "J" soon :)

Kara said...

LOL - it happens to the best of us when having to sign your life away. When I started working for local government I had to sign so many forms that by the end my name was illegible. Just think - the shorter the signature the easier for your kids to forge it on their report cards lol

Kelly Deneen Raymond said...

hehe. The P-F is my favorite. :)

Tammy said...

How about going with a JG type symbol thing, kind of like a logo. that would be easier and faster. Just a thought, have a good one :)

Alice said...

The chromosome one is wonderful, whoever gets it is lucky :)

Also I noticed that the i has the accent over it on the original, í instead of a dot. I think that's terrific, way to go keeping the original spelling intact.

On the other hand it might just be a hurried dot :S

Olivia said...

HAhahaha! So funny. Thanks for the laugh.

Louise said...

Thank you for always making me laugh!

Stimey said...

I love that you had time to take all the photos though.

:)

Iberostar said...

When I went to school in the Stone Age, Mother Dolores had a ruler - in penmanship class. Yes, we had a whole class everyday to learn to write. If you didn't write like the book showed you, you were whacked with that ruler. Somehow, when I sign my name, I always feel a little apprehensive and some fear creeps in if the capital J is a least bit off. But if I had to sign all of those posters - it'd reduce to JL. Loved your progression into exhaustion.

Tasha Who? said...

For some strange reason, that last signature makes me think of Tolkien-Elvish script.

Deborah Godin said...

Yeah, they say entropy gets everything in the end. I read somewhere that the most-printed phrase in the English language is "close cover before striking" Not sure if those two thoughts are related.

kastrato said...

What should i say...Lets hope to the future for the recovery of your signature.

lady vengeance said...

hi jorge. you are not alone in your signature decompensation! i was with a group of family members the other day and we were all signing a piece of paper and comparing our signatures and how they've changed so drastically over the years.

interesting correlation among my group: those aged 30-60 have barely recognizable signatures, whereas the older folk (80+) had very clear, legible writing.

perhaps you and i both can aspire to neater writing when we are of that ripe old age.

keep up the good work!

Paul Spooner said...

I practiced my signature for ages when I was a teenager until I got one that I thought was cool...

Sadly, as I have failed to become a world famous rock star, which was my intention as a teenager, I have never been asked for it!

OurWanderingAdventures said...

WOW! That must have given you quite the cramp, I think it's understandable :) But I did get a good laugh out the chromosome comment!

whiterabbita said...

If I had the last one, I'd be happy! It's "exclusive"!

JJ Sobey said...

Ah - so glad it's not just me, LOL! I sign a lot of documents at work - the same thing happened to my own signature. At least you have a cooler reason. :)

sixfoottallrabbit said...

Hi, Jorge. I was just wondering if you reply to letters from and send signatures to the UK? I really really really hope so.

If you can't reply, does anybody else know the answer to this?

Thanks!
-Joe

Julie said...

This story reminds me of the day I was signing all my mortgage papers at the lawyers office. From start to finish was a totally different signature. Lol

Vee said...

yEAH. Mine has definately turned into a series of loops and a V and a H squished in there.

Have you considered a symbol before? I think your audience would be pleased with a J:)G

Kathi said...

Hysterical! "Whoa, look I got Jorge Garcia's autograph! No, I swear it's his...see you can tell that's a J and you can see the G kind of, and that little dot is the rest of it. I swear!"

I actually have alot of compassion for stars who have to sign their names over and over because I pretty much hate signing my name even once.

Oh well, I guess you should just thank your lucky stars that your name isn't Evangeline Lilly, Dominick Monaghan, Michelle Rodriguez, Harold Perrineau Jr., or, worst of all, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Now that would be hell. I bet he just writes three big "A"s...the cheater.

marlamuppets said...

ahhhh!
chromosome!!!
that's the best.

revolutionaire. said...

LMAO @ "is the F chewing tobacco?"

Your blog cracks me up. I'll stop lurking.

maybe some day I'll write you for an autograph . . . when I'm less meek.

peace Jorge.

Grace said...

We're having a benefit dinner/auction and we'd LOVE to have one of your chromosome signatures to auction off!!! If you'd be interested - just email me...

It's a benefit to raise money to bring home a little girl from Ethiopia... Very cool stuff.

Christall

Erin {pughs' news} said...

But people are no doubt still very pleased to get it! Of course they have to try to convince people, "Yes, this really is Jorge Garcia's signature"... but in their heart, they know it is and that's what counts!

PS: You looked good in the Dharma jumpsuit!

Sarah said...

Sorry but this post just made me laugh!

Thanks for sharing your blog with us : )

Sarah

Michelle said...

my signature has changed considerably too. just roll with it right?

redelf said...

It is funny that you posted this because I was just telling my husband the other day how bad my signature has become since I finished my Master of Art degree. At one time my name was nice and clear but the more education I have gotten the worse and worse until now the only things you can tell for sure is that there are L's an R and an S. My husband is getting ready to work on his doctorate...I told him his signature will be only scribbles!

See, it just shows how educated you are...the worse your signature the more education...just look at doctors!

Smitha said...

It's not a signature, it's a chromosome.

This is by far the funniest thing I've read all week. *dies laughing*

Brian said...

The P-F looks like the dish ran away with the spoon.

ArtforLife42 said...

Hey, so I finished my LOST gift, which includes around 26 sketches of cast members, including you of course. It'd be awesome if you'd take a look and tell me if I really got the likeness of most of them. Here's the link, i don't know how to uplink anything, so just paste this into your search bar.

http://asimpleloveforart.blogspot.com/2009/03/long-awaited-surprise.html

I'm anxious to hear your critique....:)

Shohom67 said...

I used to be third bookkeeper (out of 17) at a now defunct property management firm. I signed my name so many times a day that it evoloved into a D'l N W. Now understand that my middle name starts with an M, not an N and I just skipped over all the other letters in my first name.

... and I'm sure I signed way less than you do Jorge.

I love that your character is a cook in the Dharma Inititive! That's what I'd need to be. But hold off feeding ham sandwiches to the wildlife --- aka Sawyer.

Jules said...

I would do anything for your autograph. No matter what it looks like.

Julie Phillips said...

Dustin Watchman told me he had issues when he signed for the LOST trading cards. He signed over 900 of them. So I hear ya when it comes to signing many things. Have a nice weekend!

Jewel

Unknown said...

how can i get one of those signed posters??????????????????
I live for LOST!!!!! I dream about it!!!!!!! (I'm not right. lol)

La Pixie said...

that totally looks like you are a doctor. doctors always just scribble stuff and call it a signature.

The Leonard's said...

I hear you on the signature.... i am not famous but I work retail and we sign our names as managers at least 50 times a day. My signture is now basically a D and a Swooshy L.....
Soon It will just be a D.

Debbie

Sue Wacvet said...

Doesn't someone tell celebrities not to sign autographs the same way you would sign an official document?

It doesn't matter HOW you sign it, just that it's you!!

Colleen @AMadisonMom said...

That's hysterical.

If you'd like a little laugh I'd be thrilled if you'd stop by my blog to see my Ultimate Blog Party 2009 post.

April said...

here is a LOST funny :-)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RrObyQ3XzcY/ScPUTOYwgHI/AAAAAAAAuDU/xgTshHKZ-dE/s400/2009-03-19.jpg

Derek Brink said...

My signature's pretty much just a D now, ever since the carpal tunnel caught up with me.

I feel your pain.

Nikki said...

I used to have a nice signature too. Then I had to sign dozens of things daily. I only have a first initial and some connected squiggles now.
I am loving the new season by the way!

Michelle said...

What an interesting post! I'm actually a Forensic Scientist and I'm studying things like this.

Also, chromosome = awesome.

James Hernandez said...

Jorge,

I can't believe how different a signature becomes over time. I'm glad signature recognition software isn't used, I can't even recognize my signature from two years ago.

Nick said...

Two words: identity theft, dude.

lostinphilly said...

Chromosome, that's so funny; you really crack me up! Thanks so much for the one you sent me, it's somewhere in the middle of the evolution of your signature!! We appreciate you taking the time to do this for us.

Unknown said...

My last name starts with G. Like your later signatures, it ends up looking like an S.

Maya99 said...

When I got married I found myself stuck with a 10-letter last name so my signature now is just my first name, my last initial, and a line.

grace said...

no, i don't think the "f" in that signature is chewing tobacco--there's no used coke bottle full of brown spittle to be seen. :)

Loca xq sí said...

jajajaja, jajajaja, great post!

Christina Bauer said...

I love that you've analyzed the evolution of your signature! Pretty soon, yours will look like that of a doctor's! Thanks for always making me chuckle, Jorge! or should I say Jg G?

Justin B. said...

So what exactly are these posters/scripts being used for? Or should I just get to the point and ask... HOW DO I GET ONE?

ValMo said...

I think your evolving signature is cool and we definitely forgive you. I can't imagine signing that many things in one day.

Paperbak Writer said...

So THAT'S how celebs have such crappy signatures (no offense Jorge). It's all about signing as fast as possible. Got it!

Toby Rush said...

As a college professor, I actually need to sign stuff fairly often (probably not as much as you, Jorge), and my signature has evolved into a couple of real sloppy-looking Ms or Ws or something. So I can understand this... if we have a real careful signature, how much of our life do we spend writing our name?

Anyway, this post reminds me of John Hargrave's experiments in credit card signing...

GasbarNut said...

You are hilarious!!! You are the MOST down to earth celebrity type ever, and I LOVE reading your blog.

I wish only super wonderful things for you, your whole life through. Like, COMPLETE OPPOSITE of Hurley!

CherokeeLikeMe said...

As a nurse my handwriting has gotten more cryptic(worse)over the years...with so much to chart, sign and initial I think it's a natural evolution! :)

Noel Green said...

It's actually not a good idea to post your signature on public places. In fact I know an author (Latayne.com) who has started only signing her books "Latayne".

Just a thought. :)

Unknown said...

i read a paper years ago on the evolution of a person's signature. it used the example of politicians and proposed that when they started out you could read their signature quite easily because they were open and honest in their business dealings. over the years, the signature became less and less legible because they became less and less honest!

i don't recall that it mentioned anything about the frequency of signing having anything to do with deterioration .. but one would think that was a logical answer!

!!

in a previous job i held, i had to sign quite a bit so i developed one signature to use in that kind of instance and one i use in my own personal business :)

masonexcell said...

Hey I completely understand. When I went to sign up for the Marines in January 2001. They had us sign so much paperwork that the only thing I could recognize in my signature was the J T R everything else was just a squiggly in between the J-T-R.

Amanda said...

Mine, after years of working at a restaurant where we had to sign our receipt slips at the end of each shift, had gone from kinda legible cursive to a bit A and a squiggle and then kind of a G with a couple bumps and dots after (and it's gotten down to 2 dots, even though I have 3 I's in my last name).

EJ Garcia said...

We have the same last name and our signatures are very identical. Maybe I'll help you sign some fan mail.

-Emi

Erin said...

LOL! When I started working for Borders, my signature started to deteriorate rapidly from overuse. These days it's pretty much E squiggle, MC squiggle...

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