Who do you want to be? Who do you think you are?

I'm active on several social networking sites and share my photos via flickr. I rely on them to keep in contact with friends. At work, they are constantly telling us to educate the kids about the dangers of the internet and social networking and how we should tell them not take to take everything they read or see for reality. People get brave behind a computer and it allows them to do things they'd never do in real life: be excessively nice, just be plain assholes, or be completely opinionated. Yet, I'm constantly seeing smart, intelligent adults getting sucked into somebody else's constructed reality. It's easy enough to do: I generally take people at face value. But the more I'm on these websites, the more I see how artificial our images are and how little we, as viewers, question it.

It's so very easy to create a persona on flickr or on any other social medium and to be honest, so very seductive. I posted a picture a while back, the picture above in fact and, up until last week, it was the most viewed picture in my stream. Some of my most viewed pictures are my self-portraits.

I'll be honest: at the best of times, I fight that "I'm ugly" feeling. So the attention is seducing and the admiration is addictive. I can choose exactly what I put up: i won't be putting up that unflattering pic of me with a double chin. Or the one where my pores look like caverns. Not only that, but I can photoshop myself to the nth degree: shave a cheek here; delete a wisp of hair there; smooth out my skin; and bring out the catch lights in my eyes. I'll pick the picture that is the most flattering --keeping  gappy teeth and gummy smile hidden-- and adjust it within an inch of it life.

The photo-shoppery? That's the subtle bit. I also choose what I write with it and that's what finishes off the persona. A couple of cool links and pop culture references and that's my image cemented. .It's nice to control how others see you and damn easy over the 'net. I can pick what i share about myself: i don't have to be insecure or boring.

There is something to be said to have an outlet where you can recreate yourself and escape, but at what cost? Posting self-portraits is never going to be a major past-time. I'm not that in-love with my mug and I mistrust adoration or people being over-complimentary. I'm constantly surprised at how many people get sucked into these things. I choose what I put up and hence I choose EXACTLY what you see. I control your image of me. That realisation frightens the hell out of me, but moreover, the realisation that i'm selling out a part of me frightens me more. That is what your young daughters' are doing on Bebo and Facebook. Testing out personas and ways of being..

Croick Church

Croick Church
Originally uploaded by Miss.Informed

Wicked Generation

Wicked Generation
Originally uploaded by Miss.Informed

So long 2008.

It wasn't the worst year I've ever had. Nor was it the best. In fact, for many people around it me it was downright awful. Unemployment, depression, loss. Forget the "Economy" (though that played a huge part in it), just living seemed to provide enough doom and gloom. There were however enough bright spots to rescue it from being the shittiest year ever.

I lost my Uncle Paul earlier in the year. He was a good man. He hadn't lived a perfect life and he'd be the first to admit it. A good chunk of his early adult life was spent being an asshole and drinking. But, he straightened up; joined A.A.. and never looked back. Some of the family had a hard time forgiving him; I wish that they knew that he never really forgave himself either and he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it. I get the sense that he supported a great many people through battling their own addictions. In the end, he was funny and played a mean game of crokinole. I miss him greatly.

I was unemployed for the first time in my life this year. That might be the most humbling experience ever. I went to interview after interview where I was told I wasn't good enough. Having always had the good fortune of landing jobs quickly, I was at a loss. I was stuck waiting around for supply work that never came through. I sat through a lot phone calls with grouchy interviewers getting feedback.

Little did I know that the job market was quickly drying up in Scotland. Money was very tight. I got a job waitressing and I taught dance classes at Citymoves. I even did some screenplay editing. The one good thing about that experience is that it taught me that I can still feed myself even if I can't teach. Six months later, I finally have a permanent job: English at Meldrum Academy.

Flickr provided me with lots of opportunity to travel around Scotland this year. I am so grateful for the people and friends in the Scottish Meet-ups groups. A life goal was ticked off the list when Kieran, Pam and I went to St. Kilda. It was quite possibly the best holiday ever. I got to travel to Turkey and I fell in love with that country.

Even though I'm starting out the year as sick as a dog and bed-ridden, I'm grateful for everything thats happened this year. I hope for some others that 2009 brings better things. I can only hope that I can have the balance of good and bad I had this year.

Roll on 2009.

Strangers #5: Kesia and Konrad

Strangers #5: Kesia and Konrad
Originally uploaded by Miss.Informed

Kasia and Konrad are architects from Poland. They were very kind and let me take their picture for my project 100strangers. They have been living in Edinburgh for a couple of years. They are both from Kracow. We had a lovely conversation about architecture and design and the importance of beautiful buildings in cities. I was attracted to Kasia’s green hat (which hides very striking black hair) and their air of love and relaxation. I’ve been committed to taking photos in black and white, but there was something about the green hat.

(I wrote this from memory, several days later, instead of the copious notes that I usually scribble. I hope that i haven't made any mistakes)

Uploaded by Miss.Informed on 10 Nov 08, 4.33PM GMT

Strangers #4

Strangers #4
Originally uploaded by Miss.Informed

Things must have been a bit slow at the recruitment office. They both waved as I walked past, peering into the window.

These two fine young men are Sammy and James. They agreed to be #4 for my
100 strangers project. They offered me a career in the army, which I had to decline. I made the mistake of telling them I was a teacher and they regaled me with stories of how they used to make their teachers' lives miserable. Holy terrors apparently. One of them removed the armrest on the teachers chair and glued thumbtacks along the base. Charming.

James is 18 and has been in the Army for eighteen months. He works in reconnaissance. He told me, "The army has been the making of me." He waiting to be deployed to Afghanistan. Sammy, in the infantry, has been on two tours of duty: Iraq and Afghanistan and is waiting to be redeployed in a couple of months.

They were a good laugh, the pair of them. I was brought back to the seriousness of their work at the end. Sammy, the guy on the left, referred to James as "just a baby"

I laughed and shot back, " At 22, you're a fine one to talk."

"Yeah, well at the end of the day I know I am doing a man's job."

Indeed. I may quibble with the politics that sends our troops over. But I have enormous respect for the folk that choose to serve their country. Stay safe boys.

Uploaded by Miss.Informed on 19 Oct 08, 5.34PM GMT.

100 Strangers: 3/100

100 Strangers: 3/100
Originally uploaded by Miss.Informed

went back to the market with my cousin and new flatmate. We sat behind the statue of King Edward the whoever and munched on a tasty brat sausage and we saw these two gentlemen.

I freely admit it; I eavesdropped. He was speaking with unusual intensity about international politics and globalisation. My curiosity was peaked and I asked him if he would be my next stranger for www.100strangers.com. We spent the next 25 minutes speaking with him and his more silent friend, Carlos (seated on the right).

This gentleman spoke with the evangelical zeal of a preacher. Except, he wasn't preaching hell-fire and redemption. He was passionately anti-capitalist, anti consumerism and socialist. His speech was punctuated by his friend, Carlos' nods of approval and agreement. He asked if I was American and I said no; i did tell him that my cousin had just lived in New York for a year. He told me that being in New York had depressed him, especially when he'd seen flats that had bars to keep people from stealing. "Americans," he said, "are living in spiritual poverty because of the American dream that makes them over consume."

His life has been one of roving: he had lived in New York, Toronto, Iran and on a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. He told us a story of hitch-hiking from Thunder Bay to New York in the middle of winter.

As I was taking this photo, he was telling a story to my cousin and flatmate. Apparently, he was in New York and about to pay for a room at the Waldorf Astoria. A security guard heard his accent and came up to him and asked him; " So Scotty, whaddya think of George Dubya Bush?"

At this point, he paused in his story and stood up to illustrate his point. Then he BOOMED out, in the middle of union street, right next to the international market: "I THINK GEORGE BUSH IS A MOTHER FUCKING WANKER" It was so loud that heads across the street swiveled towards us.

On cue, some young man walking down Union shouted back, "Fucking too right he's a wanker!"

I then realised I hadn't even asked his name. Everyone, please meet David.

Uploaded by Miss.Informed on 29 Sep 08, 11.40AM GMT.