I was always told I was "extremely smart," often as a prelude to saying
something negative about me. I am still kept up at night remembering a
professional (by which I mean amateurish) encounter, where I was told that
"your intelligence is your greatest curse."

What else could I do but stare back blankly, and keep on being myself?

For years, I had graduate school to keep me occupied. From that pool of
people, I found friends whom I still value highly; friends who, even in the
environs of Hyde Park or the country's leading music school, stood out for
sheer intelligence and original thought.

I've addressed the issue of IQ on my blog, in a post titled (what else?)
IQ.

Finally, done with school and bored to tears, I took the Mensa Admission
Test---a reputable test, administered by a certified Proctor---in September
2008. The results were consistent with all past test results of my life. The
Mensa cutoff is two percent; in my case, widely unmissable.

There are smaller groups out there, with stricter admission requirements.
Some of these, also, employ questionable examinations, or lack a consistent
track record of fellowship or productivity. At the moment, I'm staying put.

God makes you as smart as you are; as He makes you gay or straight, male
or female. You have no say in the matter, and there's no use getting upset
about your results or someone else's. Be who you are. And a club is never a
total solution.

If you're curious to know more---if you can relate to anything I've said---click
the Mensa logo below and have a look around. It might not be as intense as
the University of Chicago, but it'll certainly beat doodling during Sister Janet's
math class!
Since joining Mensa, I've appreciated the
opportunity to publish in the national
newsletter and in the newsletter of my Local
Group. I look forward to further participation.

No organization is perfect; and so far,
honestly, no organization has ever offered
me so much collective (and
productive) IQ
as the C-Shop (in Hutch Commons at the U.
of Chicago--a kind of mental Mecca in my
mind's
mappemunde).

But I'm staying in the game, as I tend to do!
Click me!