Photo Shoot with Rodrigo in Ajusco

Once again, Rodrigo and I made the long, hot trek out of Mexico City to shoot in Ajusco. As was the case last time, we once again had a very successful shoot and got remarkable images. I love shooting this man! He has a natural affinity to the camera, understands what the photographer is looking for, has incredible concentration and patience, and is as interested in creating provocative images as I am. How can you go wrong with a model like that! I could do an entire exhibit on Rodrigo himself. Hopefully one day I will.

Photo Shoot with Rulo

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Finally finished the novel, We Need to Talk About KEVIN by Lionel Shriver. My good friend, Jennifer, loaned it to me ages ago and said it was a must read. Now, I'm not sure if I should thank her or hit her. It was a very disturbing account of a ficticious high-school mass-murder, much like that of Columbine, except the story is told entirely from the point of view of Kevin's mother, in an endless series of letters to her estranged ex-husband. Initally a slow read (I'd read a chapter/letter and put it down), once I actually got into it, I couldn't really put it down. And truthfully, the further I got along -- especially the last 50 pages, the more I couldn't wait for it to finally end. But I have to say the final chapter and the final page caught me completely off-guard. I love that! Anyway, I'd recommend it to anyone. Not a fun read but a profound literary experience.

Trust, my next book, by one of my all-time favourite authors, Augusten Burrough's POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS is much, much lighter fare.

Jackson needs ...

OK this is hilarious, my good and twisted pal Daryn, sent me a chain email that what you do is type in your name followed by the word "needs" into whatever search engine you use and see what the first thing to come up is.

For Daryn it read (not a word of a lie - google it yourself):
Daryn needs something new because "He never got Viagra when we were dating!"

For me, it read (and I'll list the top three)
Jackson needs new priorities.
Jackson needs God!
Jackson needs to become a muslim.

I so wouldn't look good in a burka - well at least I don't think I would.

Anyway ... try it for yourself. I'd love to hear some of your results, leave them in comments if you want.

Photo Shoot with Otto - Queretaro, Mexico

XTRA XTRA

I was very pleased to receive an email from Julia Garro, the Associate Editor of XTRA in Toronto:

I've seen your work in Outlooks magazine and I'm wondering if you'd be available to do a portrait shoot of an Edmonton woman for a feature article we're working on ...

The article is on asexual identity and the subject Cijay lives in Edmonton, so I'll be doing the shoot there - not in Toronto sadly. Fortunately, they are able to wait for the shots until I return from Mexico.

I'm hoping that this assignment is just the first of many from XTRA.

Me and Bill Gates

Just finished taking an IQ test, haven't done one in years (click on the link if you want to take it for yourself).

Here's what they had to say:

Your IQ score is: 138

You scored 138 on Tickle's IQ test. This means that based on your answers, your IQ score is between 128 and 138. Most people's IQs are between 70 and 130.

In fact, 95% of all people have IQs within that range. 68% of people score between 80 and 120. The following chart shows these percentages and where your IQ score is on that scale.

There's more to intelligence than a single number, a single score or a single label. Tickle uses four distinguishable Intelligence Scales in the Ultimate IQ Test. By analyzing your individual scores on those four scales, we are able to look beyond the raw IQ score into how you process information and thereby determine your Intellectual Type.

Your Intellectual Type Is:

FACTS CURATOR

Like a meticulous collector, you've fed your brain a unique set of facts and figures over the years. Words, numbers, you've got it all. That's what makes you a Facts Curator. Whether or not you intend to absorb every piece of information that comes your way, your mind has certain steel-trap qualities to it. You are a knowledge sponge. You have almost enough words in your head to fill a dictionary, and you're equally adept when it comes to manipulating numbers. You can also detect important patterns in number sequences, and probably remember the mnemonic devices you were taught in grade school.

You may feel comfortable in classroom settings where absorbing details is critical. You're also able to learn from example and piece together all the little facts in life to get to the big picture. That's why you never stop accumulating information as you walk through life. Your strengths lie in both the verbal and math realms — placing you in the same arena as someone like Bill Gates. Gates has the ability to not only store and retrieve an especially large amount of specialized data, but to translate and present that information to the population at large. His entire empire is based on this unique talent. And to think — your brain works in this same way! When it comes right down to it, you and other Facts Curators can ride a wave of information to live a truly enriched life.

Great Jobs For You
Because of the way you process information, these are just some of the many careers in which you could excel:
Tech writer
Astronomer
Computer engineer
Algebra teacher
Copy editor
Doctor

Some of Your Greatest Talents
You've got tons of strengths. It wouldn't surprise us if you:
Can process information quickly
Can articulate knowledge clearly
Are a thorough researcher; almost detective-like
Are the person friends want to call for their "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" lifeline

Your Intelligence Scales

Your 4 Intelligence Scales

Now let's look at the factors that contribute to you being a Facts Curator with a 138 IQ score. Based on the results of your test, Tickle divided your scores into four distinguishable dimensions — mathematical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, linguistic intelligence and logic intelligence. Here's how each of your intelligence scores break down:

Mathematical Intelligence
Your Mathematical Percentile

You scored in the 100th percentile on the mathematical intelligence scale.

This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually. Your mathematical intelligence score represents your combined ability to reason and calculate. You scored relatively high, which means you're probably the one your friends look to when splitting the lunch bill or calculating your waitresses' tip. You may or may not be known as a math whiz, but number crunching might come a little easier to you than it does others.

Flexing Your Math Muscles
Like anything, keeping or improving your math talents requires practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that could be particularly helpful to you:
Balancing your checkbook
Figuring out your monthly budget
Predicting what the change will be the next time you buy something
Calculating your waitperson's tip in your head

Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Your Visual-Spatial Percentile

You scored in the 70th percentile on the visual-spatial intelligence scale.

This means that you scored higher than 60% - 70% of people who took the test and that 30% - 40% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually. The visual-spatial component of intelligence measures your ability to extract a visual pattern and from that envision what should come next in a sequence. Your score was relatively high, which could mean that you're the one navigating the map when you're on an outing with friends. You have, in some capacity, an ability to think in pictures. Maybe this strength comes out in subtle ways, like how you play chess or form metaphors.

Vision Quest
Like anything, keeping or improving visual-spatial talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Playing chess, or video games like Tetris
Studying maps and become the navigator on your next trip
Sculpting or photography

Linguistic Intelligence
Your Linguistic Percentile

You scored in the 100th percentile on the linguistic intelligence scale.

This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually. Linguistic abilities include reading, writing and communicating with words. Tickle's test measures knowledge of vocabulary, ease in completing word analogies and the ability to think critically about a statement based on its semantic structure. Your score was relatively high, which could mean you know your way around a bookstore and maybe like to bandy about the occasional 25-cent word to impress friends.

Word Power
Like anything, keeping or improving linguistic talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Doing crossword puzzles
Start reading just for fun
Befriending your dictionary
The next time something breaks, try reading the instruction book first

Logical Intelligence
Your Logical Percentile

You scored in the 100th percentile on the logical intelligence scale.

This means that you scored higher than 90% - 100% of people who took the test and that 0% - 10% scored higher than you did. The scale above illustrates this visually. Tickle's logical intelligence questions assess your ability to think things through. The questions determine the extent to which you use reasoning and logic to determine the best solution to a problem. Your logic score was relatively high, which could mean that when the car breaks down, your friends look to you to help figure out not only what's wrong, but how to fix it and how you're going to get to the next gas station.

Logic Lessons
Like anything, keeping or improving logical talents requires some practice. Here are some everyday mental exercises that will be particularly helpful to you:
Trying some brain teasers
Throwing away the instructions and relying on instinct to fix something
Playing chess

What do all these percentiles mean?

For each scale, Tickle determined how many people received scores above and below yours. Your "percentile" represents what percentage of people scored lower than you. In other words, 90th percentile means you scored higher than 80 to 90% of people did. How are the percentiles determined? These percentiles were determined based on the one million users who have already taken our test. We then adjusted these percentiles based on a nationally representative IQ distribution to make sure that no level of intelligence was over- or underrepresented in the analysis. Thus, the percentiles we present reflect your score compared with people in the United States in general. What factors helped determine my score? If your score isn't as high as you thought it would be, remember that there are plenty of external factors that can affect your performance on the test. If you were tired, hungry or distracted, you might have scored lower than you expected because you were less able to concentrate. Your level of formal education and your familiarity with taking these kinds of tests also influence how well you do. That's part of the reason IQ tests aren't a perfect measure of your intelligence. Your score would probably be quite different if the IQ test was designed to take into account your musical, artistic, emotional and social skills. On their own, IQ scores can't predict someone's ultimate success or definitive potential for success. Many of the qualities that lead to great achievements are learned through culture, experience and schooling - not solely from doing well on an IQ test. What your IQ test can help explain, however, is how your brain works best. By looking at the kinds of questions you answered correctly and the kinds of questions you answered incorrectly, we can tell you more about your intelligence type — the type that explains the kind of information that makes sense to your brain.

Eternal Embrace

Was very moved by this image that I came across on the internet this morning. It's possible that it resonated so strongly with me because I am missing Dustin like crazy, which is usually the case when I travel, but also becasue it shows the power of the photograph -- described in the written word it would not have had nearly the impact this visual does. (If you want to know more about this neolithic couple, click on the photo, it's fascinating.)

My View of the World

Just a shot of the beautiful golden sunset I saw at Los Muertos playa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico tonight. For all my friends freezing up in Canada and the US, I know this is going to hurt. Sorry.