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Author Topic: Southpaw, anyone?
autumnmuse
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I was inspired to post this by the Night Owl topic. How many of us are lefties? They say that the right brain is the creative side. Also, are you more disorganized or more structured in your approach to life?

I am a bona fide lefty. Can't even claim ambidextrous, though living in a righties world has made me learn a lot about using my right hand.

I am a total scatterbrain. Hard time getting organized with anything, can't stick to schedules, can't form habits. Very creative, though.


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djvdakota
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Righty. But my left hand is stronger. Gross motor dominant in left hand, fine motor dominant in right. Piano has helped me even those odds quite a lot, but I still can't write left-handed.

I have everyone fooled into believing that I'm some kind of organization FREAK! I don't get it. All they'd have to do is spend ten minutes in my house and they'd see that quite the opposite is true.

I guess it's because I'm a take-charge, get-things-done kinda gal. *shrug*

[This message has been edited by djvdakota (edited April 16, 2005).]


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MCameron
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I can write just as well with my left hand as my right...the caveat is that this is only true if I write mirror-image reverse with the left hand...

I throw equally poorly with either hand

My left eye is dominant, so I do archery and shooting (gun and slingshot) with my left hand. Granted, I'm not any good at those activities, but I would be even worse if I used my right hand.

I'm horribly disorganized and compulsively neat at the same time. It makes for an interesting life.

Note: my husband is left-handed. It will be interesting to see what our daughter ends up being.

--Mel

[EDITED for grammar...]

[This message has been edited by MCameron (edited April 16, 2005).]


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Beth
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I'm a righty.


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Jeraliey
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I'm a righty...

Left-foot and left-eye dominant, though. Wonder if I'm a lefty in denial...


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Lanius
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I'm a righty who always wished he was a lefty. Like MCameron, I shoot lefty, 'cause I'm a natural lefty winker.
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mikemunsil
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quote:
My left eye is dominant, so I do archery and shooting (gun and slingshot) with my left hand.

Me too. Left-eye dominant for shooting, right-hand dominant for strength and fine work, complicated by an intermittent loss of control of my left hand due to an earlier injury. And that's also my excuse for my poor typing!


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Minister
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Ambidextrous, but not in the classic sense. Some things I do right-handed (write, play table tennis), while others I do left-handed (eat, play baseball, basketball, and soccer). I am almost incapable of switching hands for any of these things. Most fine motor skills I perform with the right hand; but like a true lefty, my right arm is slightly stronger, I think. I'm just weird. And although I like things organized, you'd never know it from my office.
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bladeofwords
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I'm a lefty, even though I play most sports right handed (as does my dad). I write with my left hand (which gives my cursive a distinctive slant) and play sports with my right hand (although I'm not terribly talented at any of them). I don't know how much of this is related to the difficulties of living in a right-hand dominant world. For instance, one time I was shooting with some friends and they told me to try shooting with my left eye, and while it felt awkward I did shoot better. Who knows. I'm also very free-form (my word for disorganized and spontaneous) but it almost never bothers me. I'm just a lot less stressed than all of my friends.

I have a friend who is a hardcore lefty, he does everything left-handed, except for writing. This is because when they taught him how to write he copied the teacher and picked up the pencil in his right hand (he wasn't forced to). He does everything else, fine and gross motorskills with his left hand. Weird. That's my input.

Jon


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Ergoface
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Lefty, though I do much right out of self-defense. I'm left-eyed and write left handed. My right has always been stronger, so anything that needs power but not so much finesse has been right. I throw with my right for baseball, and can never make up my mind in raquette sports (if I did them more often I'd probably settle more). I'm ambi-mousetreous because I work on other people's computers so much it wasn't worth the hassle of switching mice sides. Same goes for scissors.

My handwriting is horrible, which is why I love keyboards, even if my typing isn't nearly as fast and accurate as it should be considering the number of years and hours I've spent typing.
Dave


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TaShaJaRo
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I'm right-handed but also left eye dominant. I think my left arm is stronger but I'm not real strong either way so it's hard to tell. All I know is I use my left hand to open jars. I also cut meat with my left hand, not my right. This is because I had a British babysitter and, as kids do, I mimicked her and picked up that habit and now can't do it any other way.

I'm a mixture of obssessively organized and disgustingly cluttered. My desk is always perfectly arranged but just beside it are stacks of papers to be filed. Someday. Before I die. Or maybe someone else will do it after I die.


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MCameron
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This is interesting. Everyone who has mentioned a dominant eye, has a dominant left eye. I count seven so far. I wonder if this has a stronger correlation to creativity than handedness?

Sounds like it could be a good project for a graduate psychology student

--Mel


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limo
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Righty
though I can use either if I have to but it will get messy.

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Jeraliey
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I also shoot pool ambidexterously. Drives my friends nuts.

"You can't get that shot from there!"

I switch hands.

"Aww, no fair!"

I miss anyway.


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goatboy
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Ambi. I generally write with my right hand, but I can do it with my left. (Much slower since I have less practice). Some fine work I do with the right hand and some with the left. Depends on which feels best at the time. I drive nails with whichever hand is necessary to hit the nail properly. Left arm is slightly stronger and if I get injured it is more likely to be my left side.
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rickfisher
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Right-handed, right-eyed. Although my left eye is better (i.e., less near-sighted), my right eye is dominant.

I'm totally disorganized. I like computers because whenever I get too many files. I just make up a new file and put them all in. I wish that worked as well for real paper, but for that I need space that I haven't got. So my wife throws it away. It's really sad.


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ChrisOwens
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I'm left handed and proud of it.

My organization comes and goes, mostly goes. But when I organize, I do so with a vengence. Some days I wonder if it is due to a possible attention deficit problem...


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ChrisOwens
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<Ambidextrous, but not in the classic sense. Some things I do right-handed (write, play table tennis), while others I do left-handed (eat, play baseball, basketball, and soccer).>

Minister,

That's not really ambidextrous, that just a classic case of mixed handedness.


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J
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Lefty (for everything except golf and cutting with scissors), left-eye dominant, right leg dominant. I don't even try to write, shoot, box, or throw a ball righty.

I am very well organized . . . because I have a secretary. When she goes on vacation, my office rapidly becomes a disaster area. Left to my own devices, I also engage in the patten of long periods of terrible mess followed by cleaning that almost rises to the level of violence.

[This message has been edited by J (edited April 17, 2005).]


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Elan
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I'm strongly right handed. If I lost the use of my right hand, I'd probably starve to death trying to hit my mouth with a fork held in the left hand. I'm a creative sort, not only a writer but have worked as a professional graphic designer since 1977. I'm someone who WANTS to be more organized, but can't seem to manage it, but I always thought that was a result of being a Virgo (perfectionist) who is mere hours away from being a Libra (off-balance).
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Shendülféa
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quote:
My left eye is dominant, so I do archery and shooting (gun and slingshot) with my left hand. Granted, I'm not any good at those activities, but I would be even worse if I used my right hand.

You do archery, too, MCameron? So do I, but I'm right eye dominant, so I draw with the right hand and hold the bow with the left.

Anyway, I am ambidextrous, but I usually write and draw with my right hand. I can't write as quickly with my left, though.


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Survivor
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I'm pretty right-handed, and don't have a particularly dominant eye. For a while I carried a single contact lens that I would use in my left eye if I were going to be watching a movie or something like that since the correction was wrong for my right eye. I also sometimes use my left eye for very close work. But my right eye usually gets better color saturation. My handwriting is terrible with either hand, but my right hand is noticibly stronger, particularly for handling weapons (it's also my draw hand for archery).
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Jaina
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I'm a rightie, though I always thought it would be cool to be ambidexterous. Ah, well, can't have it all.
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MCameron
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quote:
You do archery, too, MCameron? So do I, but I'm right eye dominant, so I draw with the right hand and hold the bow with the left.

Erm, I should have said "have done" for that one. It's been several years, and I only got to try it with a silly little play bow I got when I was 11. It's something I would like to learn, though. It would be cool to be good enough to be able to hunt that way. But, there are just too many things on my "want to learn" list.

--Mel


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J
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Get a compound bow with a peep, front posts, and a release aid, and it's not hard at all.

With the right set up, you could probably get good enough to hunt (good enough to hit a dinner plate at 25 yards 99% of the time) in few weeks, max.


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Jaina
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That would take all the fun out of it.

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MCameron
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LOL, yeah I might have to go that route. I tend to be really bad at aiming. I had to put a scope on the air rifle, now I can actually hit the rabbits that I aim at . Heck, I put that scope on and I was able to hit a rabbit that was hiding behind a cactus, and all I could see was its ears. Best shot I've ever done. But I won't be learning archery any time soon...it requires more time and money than I have right now. Someday, though...

And, um...when I do it will be with my left hand (back on topic...sorry for hunting digression)

--Mel


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Shendülféa
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MCameron: You should definitely learn archery when you get the chance. It's a fun sport, let me tell you. Actually, it's the only sport I enjoy. I even have my own bow (a recurve--I hate compound bows because to me, using a compound is like cheating) and a quiver full of arrows. I've never been bowhunting, but it's something I'm planning on doing someday.

[This message has been edited by Shendülféa (edited April 18, 2005).]


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Robyn_Hood
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Compound vs Recurve...Hmmm, tough choice. IMO, It's only cheating when you start using sights. Personally, I've never Robin Hooded an arrow, but I've come close. I figured it wouldn't really count if you used sights...I mean, Robin Hood shot instinctively, so why shouldn't I?

Anyways, haven't been on a range in almost ten years, but I'd love to do it again.

-----

Oh that's not what this topic's about. Well, officially I'm a righty, but I'm close to being ambi. When I practice, I can write like a second grader with my left. Most things I can do with either hand (racquet sports, pool, mousing, eating, handling money...I actually had an employer ask if I was a lefty because I kept switching between hands while helping customers.) I've tried shooting left-handed and I do all right -- no pun -- at least with archery except that I don't have as much power. I haven't tried with a riffle, basically because if I go too far off target, I could do a lot more damage .


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Phanto
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I am a righty in general. But when it comes to opening locks, to riding a bike, and to playing hockey, I am an utter lefty. Odd.
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Pyre Dynasty
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I write with my right, but I lift with my left.
Okay so perhaps it just sounds good.

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Stormlight Shadows
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Are we talking about the use of right hand and left hand. Because I would say I am a righty but In the brain sense I am both sided. I am well organized, very creative and scatterbrain but with organiztion. With the hand I use my right, in playing basketball I jump off the right but when coming to the mind I am both. They both take time and I can tell when i don't take time in what i do!
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