Gimme a Hand

So I have decided to try to become ambidextrous. No reason. I just think it'd be cool.

Today I practiced writing with my left hand, and even completed all my crosswords that way. It's hard, to say the least. The writing is legible, but looks like some of the handwritten letters we get from the older-than-dirt sector of our readership at work. Depending on how I hold the pen, the most difficult letters for me are: capital N, capital and lowercase S and W, lowercase d and lowercase r. (All the rounded letters are hard, but S is the devil!) The easiest letters: pretty much anything straight (such as I, L, T, X, H, F, etc.) and lowercase e, strangely enough.

Don't even talk about cursive. I was able to achieve printing "now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their people," but it took about 5 minutes.

Technically, I already know how to perform some ambidextrous tasks. Typing, for one. Playing the piano and guitar, as well. I discovered over the weekend that I had an easier time paddling with my left hand than my right (and, actually, the right-handed paddling is what ended up making my ribs sore). I can also punch with my left hand, and brush my hair (although it's instinctive to use my right most of the time).

Opposite-hand skills just take some practice. If I do it enough, I bet I can make my left-hand writing really legible. I do find it odd, though, that I favor holding the pen between my thumb and ring finger, not the middle finger like most people. I don't know why this is. I've been that way since I learned to write. I can write using my thumb and middle finger, but it feels weird and uncomfortable to me. So, it's odd that when I picked up the pen with my left hand today, I immediately used my thumb and ring finger. There must be some sort of significance to this. I just have no idea what it is. And it's Friday and almost time to go home, and I just don't have the proclivity to look it up.

One thing I reallllllly suck at is throwing with my left hand. It's like my arm suddenly becomes some atrophied part of my body that no motor skill recognizes. What would be a nice spiral throw with my right hand becomes an awkward lob with my left that just goes straight into the ground. I also look like a complete retard doing it, because my body isn't used to positioning itself for a left-handed throw. Also, I can't ever imagine being able to use chopsticks with my left. I'll just make a huge mess.

On an unrelated note, I edited the birth announcements today and there was a guy whose last name is Lady. That is the sweetest last name EVAR. What if he was in the Navy? "Hey! Lady! Get over here! Drop and gimme 20, Lady!" Or on shore leave: "Hey Lady, stop messing around with that chick!"

Ha. And I would love to be his wife. That would make me Mrs. Lady. Sweeeeet.

Well, a left-handed salute to you at the beginning of this Labor Day weekend. Ennnjoy.