Lucky I need groceries today - some retail therapy is just what's called for after Meg's announcement. It's hard to believe what a huge part of my life it had become - I was on the forum morning and night, and if quiet enough during my lunchbreak I did a quick lurk then too! Good on you Meg, for making the decision based on what's right for you and your beautiful family.

Now on an entirley selfish note, where do we move to next AFTER the shop and forum has closed? I want to be somewhere where we continue to have the kindness and humour that's always on show at SE...any ideas? Anyway onwards and upwards, you can't live in the past - at least I can keep in touch with a bunch of you thanks to blogs!

Talking of the fourm, last week there was a post on being left or right handed. Thanks to Vaune who is just the best teacher aid in the world (soon, to be teacher, she finishes her training in six weeks...) I have a book sitting in front of me called "The Dominance Factor - How knowing your dominant eye, ear, brain, hand and foot, can improve your learning." There are 32 Dominance profiles and each one tells you how you learn best (eg do you need to move while you learn, what happens to your thinking under stress etc...) So here, is how to tell dominance for yourself...

Hand - Whichever hand you currently write with. You can assist other people in determining their dominant hand by offering them a pen or pencil at their body's midpoint (at waist level in the middle part of their torso). Whichever hand they reach out with is their current dominant hand.

Eye - Hold your thumb out at arms length, lining it up with a vertical structure (like a door or window frame). You are likely to see a double image - that is normal. Without moving your thumb or head, close one eye, then open it and close the other eye. Whichever eye holds the image of the vertical object lined up with your thumb is your dominant eye.

Ear - Pretend there are people taling on the other side of the wall - which ear did you put up to the wall to listen? That is your dominant ear.

Foot - Step up onto a step or a chair, which foot did you use first? That is your dominant foot.

Brain Hemisphere ...

Logic dominante - when under stress your first response is to analyse the situation, write or talk about it and look for specific reasons behind it. Your focus will be on the details, with a strong need to understand the situation.

Gestalt dominant - when under stress your first response is to see the whole situation and feel the emotion. You will have difficutly in breaking th whole situation down into the pieces of language to express it. Language is not an initial response. Often you feel a strong need to physically move or express emotions.

So if you do this and want to know how you learn best then leave me a comment with
your results eg eye - left, foot - right...etc

If not, just have fun trying it out!

Have a great weekend my friends...and a big happy birthday to my sister, Donna and to my Dad!