"Batman and Robin Will Never Die"

I haven't posted in a while. I guess that's what happens when you aren't independently wealthy with billions of dollars to spend on becoming the Batman. But although I haven't posted I've been doing plenty of practicing. I'm not a pro but I am definitely getting better with the boomerang. I can make it return to me within a circle of radius say 5ish yards consistently now as long as there is very little wind. But man the ol' batarang is starting to look pretty beat up from all the fences, poles, bleachers, sidewalks and people I've hit ... ok so I haven't hit any people yet.

Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to write a post about how to throw a boomerang and what the science behind boomerangs is. I thought I'd write that last one because the other day when I was walking back from the football field carrying my boomerang, I overheard a couple of guys talking about how they "didn't believe in boomerangs". There's all kinds of people in the world. I wonder what they do believe in.

I've also been practicing writing and drawing with my left hand. Maybe I'll scan some practice sheets to show you.

And finally I met a girl today who fences! Hopefully I'll be able to convince her to give me some lessons because I'm a firm believer that Batman could duel Zorro to a stand still.

Batman on the Brain

When I was supposed to be marking this afternoon, I was actually reading some blogs that chronicle other people's attempts at becoming ambidextrous.

The Biomatrix.net is creepily similar in intent to Building Batman. They claim to be

a website that takes self-improvement to the next helping you to become stronger, faster, better and smarter

Strange that these self-improved and smarter people forgot a word in their intro. sentence, isn't it? ("...to the next [level,] helping...").

Anyway, in the article Become Ambidextrous, the author notes that his head "feels sort of tense" and suggests that it may be a placebo or a coincidence. Strangely enough, I've had the same sensation since I started using my left-hand and thought it was a coincidence myself. I also had the same amazing improvement in the first days of practice. Personally, I thought that this would be much harder than just breaking the habit of using my right-hand but now I already feel that that is all it is - being right-handed is just a sloppy habit. Here's a notable blog about someone else who's decided to kick the "right-handed habit".

Is Batman Right-Handed

I found the the answer to my own question. I asked "Was Bruce born ambidextrous?" According to one episode of the Batman (TV series), the villain Egghead used the fact that Batman was RIGHT-HANDED to deduce his secret identity. But even so, I'm sticking to my convictions that Batman is ambidextrous because if that happened once, I wouldn't let it happen a second time.

Further evidence: carefully watch his hands:

BatSkill #1: The Left Side of the BatBelt

Batskill #1
Becoming Ambidextrous.

And my readers (of which I have none yet, I'm sure) cry: "I've never seen that listed as one of Batman's abilities."

But you'd better believe it, old chum! There is no doubt in my mind that Batman is ambidextrous. You think that a ninja from the League of Assassins is attacking Batman by throwing daggers at him, and the dark knight is catching the ones that are on his right but dodging the ones on his left? (that's right, I pick the a League ninja as the first enemy I note in this blog). Or maybe Catwoman is tossing invaluable loot from the top of a building, are you going to tell me that the Caped Crusader couldn't catch it with his leftpaw? (supposing he's right handed.)

So it's as good a place as any to start and I'm serious about learning these things. So I'm not going to rush into the hardest things first. I'm starting easy.

Question: was Bruce born ambidextrous? I couldn't determine a solid answer for whether people are actually born ambidextrous or not (from the very little bit of reading that I've done). But one thing seems clear: anyone can learn if they are determined enough. Referencing these three sources (not exactly irrefutable sources - I'll agree), I have begun using my left hand for simple tasks.

1. When I write, I use my left hand for all titles, headings, dates, etc and my right (which by the way is my dominant hand) for all the rest.
2. I'm trying to remember to pour and drink with my left.
3. I keep a coin at my desk and flip it with my left hand whenever I'm thinking.
4. When I type I'm trying to hit the space bar with my left thumb as often as with my right.
5. I try to remember to use my left hand to open doors and use keys
6. And starting today I've begun using my computer mouse with my left hand.

What have I learned so far from this? I didn't really realize how much we handicap ourselves by primarily relying on only one hand. And Batman would never allow himself to have such an obvious handicap.