So after some convincing, I have decided to start a little chatterbox of my own. What I can promise you is that I will read every post. Every single one of them. I have been bored lately especially since I have moved to a new state, so I would love some online company since it has been difficult to build a group where I am now located. I love listening to people and just chatting in general.

First thing off the bat In my backyard, we found a cat Who can never be still and just lay flat His favorite thing is to jump at everyone and any moving thing the brat And now his sister is a scaredy cat Afraid to eat without being swiped at He'll be there at the drop of a hat Cause pepper may be little but is a tough cat But enough about him so that is that

All it takes is the right push. I used to be a self imposed outcast here just reading, never responding. the last eight months have yielded some grains of understanding. But a community like this has more varied contacts than local real life. Yet that alone won't get me out of my negativity.

I find this difficult, as I tended to isolate myself from people. I often act and react like a machine. I only have two friends one here, and one IRL. In both cases they took the first step.

I'll wait for a response until 8/31.

I am here! I am sorry for the lack of reply as I just decided to check this board in case of missing pings. Although you were a self-imposed outcast, I find myself doing that all the time in the forums. Local real life for me has been very lack luster for meeting people around my age. Honestly feels like one of those old outlaw scenes with the tumbleweeds.

I never left, This site is the closest I have to interacting with people. Out here the kind I find are only interested in cheap (expensive) thrills. It doesn't help I'm proudly southpaw'd. Not many of us out there, all the ones I know are blood related.

My self imposed ostracizing is fueled mostly from schizophrenia, which I've been diagnosed with since 1998. The usual, lackluster expressiveness, absence of common interests, and some physical symptoms. Even though I'm in my 30's, I still cling to less mature attitudes.

But also I have geographic isolation, I live out far in a rural area. Far out enough that we've had running water only five years.

But I'm rambling, your turn.

I have never heard of the term southpaw so if you don't mind will you explain that? In terms of the schizophrenia, while I myself have not been diagnosed with that, it does run in my family. So I am used to it from experience of spending time with family during my childhood. In terms of being a rural area, I have thought about having a temporary geographic isolation. I find it refreshing when I was used to being sardined essentially.

Southpaw is a term referring to being left dominant. It came out of a baseball field in Chicago. The field was oriented to keep batters out of late day glare. The pitcher faces west. If he was left handed, they'd call him "southpaw".

The only good thing about being out here are the clear nights. Oh, no I could never handle being cooped up inside. Except for the noon time fury of the sun, I have a hard time staying inside, or sitting still.

Well, I learned something new! I am ambidextrous so I can use both my hands for writing, my left is super neat and my right is sloppy but quicker. Also when I play sports or instruments I tend to use my left more often. I usually for ease say my right is dominant since I use it the most for writing when I go to the doctors and they give me IV's on my left which sometimes numbs it out and affects me at work. I bet the sky is nicer out there will less obstruction from pollution. I was the same way in terms of being cooped up, but now that I am not feeling good I am the opposite. I see you changed your pet leash!

All I know is if you write with the left, YOU ARE LEFT HANDED. My sister is that way. There is no way around it, Peter Benchly and Gerald Ford were two oddballs.

I rotate all 13 of my pets on their leashes. I like being able to put quotes there. All of them are obscure, I think.

I like these open areas, my abject restlessness is a reason to have big open spaces to run and play. I tend to have excessive amounts of energy.

sorry added an extra letter in your in by mistake I don't use my left for writing most of the time. Like honestly just for essays. But I definitely use my left for instruments like the guitar. I wanted a lefty violin but haven't found one in person. Give me some of your energy. It has almost 2 months now but my liver has been failing. So I am always tired now. Hoping my appointment with the specialist Sept 15 comes with a diagnosis

👋 Hi, Perm! It's always nice to see you in the Shoutbox, so it's nice to see you have a thread, too. I might be moving soon. I'm hopefully moving soon, so I might be in the same boat of being somewhere new and not knowing people. Not that I'm especially socially active where I'm at right now, heh. How've you been? I

Well it sounds like you are in favor of moving which is good! I've been good. Still working and dealing with health issues. Still trying to make friend so I can have a social life in the new area but that hasn't gone anywhere either. I have an easier time with people online than I guess I do in person. I am just not really sure how to meet people outside of work.

Left handed instruments can be a hassle to find. I had to suffice with a restrung bass for about a decade. I go about it like Hendrix. Restrung, backwards, or us-side down. I would love to give some, I can go for hours in labor and not show much except sweaty clothes. I've been asked to stop sometimes...

About the only thing I do with my right is shift a car.

I tired to learn it like Hendrix but I was failing. I caved in and just bought a lefty guitar. Still on the lookout for that violin though. Nashville definitely has a bunch of instrument shops that carry lefty equipment but still no violin. I sold my guitar 2 years ago to a friend who restrung it to be a right. He still plays it and it is nice to see it as like opposite. People scoff at him for it but we think it is cooler now.

I have a left haded bass now, though I blew out my amp several years ago. I use a headphone amp, but getting good headphones to use can be pricey.

Yeah good headphones can run you for a pretty penny. I only had a cheapo amp probably cost me like less than 50. Gave that to another friend. Have you tried apps like let go? Or like good old eBay/ Craigslist?

I may have to. The music joints here are both beyond my budget and too far away.

There was a time I fancied mirror writing. But as it turned out, my already illegible writing was more so backwards. If I ever try again, I'll be content with my signature.

I have never tried mirror writing myself. It does sound like an interesting concept and one to help hide what you are writing to someone. I thought about making up a code for short hand to have for private things but it is really time-consuming to come up with a method.

It beats adjusting to right handed notebooks. And few would be able to read it. Just look how DaVinci fared with it.

I did not know lefty notebooks were a thing. Found an online store dedicated to left-handed people. Stuff you can buy I get the scissors thing though. I hated cutting with my left so I switched to right.

Yeah, I would definitely enjoy a change. My area doesn't have a lot going on for it... I agree that meeting people IRL is a lot harder than in person! It's difficult to meet people as an adult. Like, how do you initiate conversations/friendships without it being weird? lol.