ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230092
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: fridaysomething
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER
I'm in a class with Caesar, Einstein, da Vinci, Michelangelo and half of the Beatles - Paul and Ringo.
We're all lefties.
I use rulers backwards, scrape vegetables toward, not away from, myself and curse manual can openers. I spent years with the impression of the wire from a spiral notebook on the side of my palm.
I smear words I've just written as my left hand moves across a page, continuing to write - make that continuing to the right.
I would have failed "Beginning Scissors" in kindergarten if it had been a class. I was grateful the teacher never asked me to sharpen her pencils - the pencil sharpener, along with scissors, must have been designed by someone with a grudge against lefties.
It's a wonder any southpaws go on to higher education. School desks are torture. In order to not have our elbows flailing in mid-air, we have to twist our bodies toward the right side of the room so our elbows can finally find a corner of desktop to rest on. By then, we're not facing where the action is. Our necks must twist in the opposite direction from our bodies to face front.
A chiropractor's dream.
Cameras (with shutters on the right), guitars, ice cream scoops, irons, even automobiles all favor righties.
My greatest sinistral find was a left-handed mustache cup for my dad. Talk about specialization.
Being ``out in left field'' or having two left feet are never meant as compliments. Being left out never felt good to anybody.
At least, according to the right-brain, left-side body phenomenon, I'm in my right mind!
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB