I Take Pictures With Short People

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Holli

I never turn down a photo opportunity particularly when it’s with a person shorter than me. Now I know that may sound a little odd (that’s me!) but let me explain. These photos ALWAYS turn out great. Even if you look horrible, the picture itself is usually priceless. For example, when I was in New Orleans for Tall Clubs International Convention this past June I took this picture with the bartender at Johnny White’s.

Lil' Lucy and me.

Johnny White’s became famous during Hurricane Katrina for being the only bar in New Orleans to remain open during the chaos of the Hurricane. Here’s another interesting tid-bit about this bar, well about the bartender. I attended a Mardi Gras back in 2001 or 2002 and a close friend of mine and I came to this bar during the day for something to wet our whistles. This particular bartender was working here! I remember her because of her crazy, sarcastic attitude. It was awesome. Just like our picture.

Fun with shorties in Ireland!

Here’s a picture from my trip to Ireland that I think is just hilarious. In order to understand the hilarity behind the photo, I must point out a few things that happened while taking this picture. The man in the back is standing on a crate. He brought it from the back because the other chaps in the pub were giving him a hard time for being ‘short’. The woman directly in front of me is a little person. She is also standing on a crate that she uses in the front because she works at this pub as a bartender. The other woman in the picture is my best friend from Iowa, Molli. She’s only 5’3” so when we are together it’s Mutt and Jeff. But seriously, isn’t this a fantastic photo!!

I’ve noticed that both of my photos have been taken behind a bar so in order for you not to get the wrong idea, let’s switch this up. I have another really geeky photo from Ireland that I’m going to include because it truly shows the difference in height between Molli and me. She barely comes up to my shoulders but again, the picture is awesome in its badness.

Horrible picture, but you get the joke.

My next picture is taken with a friend of a friend so I don’t recall his name but he was definitely the shortest guy in our birthday party group.  Now he wanted his picture taken with me so of course I took the picture, but I had a little fun with it too.  I’m standing behind him but I’m not standing on anything.  This is a true depiction of both our heights.  I think he enjoyed the picture. I know I did and I hope you are too.  See, isn’t this fun?  (Notice the Iowa Hawkeye sweatshirt in the background…Go HAWKS!)

Stranger Danger!

That’s probably enough for now.  I love taking pictures like this because there is a story behind every one.  I have many more and I’m sure that those of you who have experienced the tug on the shirt and the exclamation of: “Wow, you are so tall.  Can I have a picture with you?”You probably have some of these pictures as well.  Unless you aren’t like me and take your own pictures too.

Man…I LOVE being tall.  The things that we can get away with…

Posted in Uncategorized, awesome, blog, holli jennings, tall, tall club international, tall convention | 1 Comment

The Top 9

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Holli

Remember a couple of years ago before all of the popular social-networking sites detailed your every move, when one of the fun things to do was to send out mass e-mails to all of your friends with lists of questions? What are you wearing right now? What did you eat for breakfast? Who was your first boyfriend? What color of socks do you have on right now? Who was your first kiss? Weren’t these fun? I’ve got scores of these that I’ve saved because, well quite frankly, I think that my comments are really funny but what I’d like to do today is write about some of my Top Memories as a TALL Person. I’ll keep my list to 9 today. I have more than 9 but in the essence of space (and keeping you in suspense) I’ll save the rest for another time.
1.  Growing up in a family of TALL sisters. My sisters are my best friends and we are all blessed by being 6’0” or taller. You can’t help but notice us when we walk anywhere together. Throw in a couple of 5’11” first cousins (both female) and we are TALL group of walking estrogen.

I don't look so TALL next to 3 other 6-footers, do I?

2.  When I was attending the University of Northern IA, I once had a really short guy come up to me and ask, ‘How’s the weather up there?’ I’d had a couple of drinks and being 19 years old at the time, I had a pretty bad attitude as well…I turned around, spit on the guy, and said, ‘It’s raining’. He was not happy with me but boy did I have a story for my friends!

3) Making it to Nationals for Basketball in college in 1993. We placed 7th in the Nation (I won’t tell you out of how many) but the trip was amazing. It was my first time flying, I traveled with 13 of my good friends, and this was back when I was young enough to do stupid-crazy-fun things. Oh the stories….

That's me in the back, right in the middle. The hair!

4.  Lying. Okay, take this one with a grain of salt. Back when I was a little younger people inevitability asked me if I played basketball. I always said yes and I always said that I played at a big name school. For the record, I played at a very small school (see above) and only for 2 years. This was the most fun when my youngest sister was with me and we would tag-team because we’d make up stories about the practices, the coaches, the last close game and not one time was I questioned. You can do that. But only when you’re 6’4”. And especially when you are with your sister who is 6’2”.

5.  Halloween always rocks! No matter what, my Halloween costumes are always

You can't ignore this Halloween costume.

awesome!  I’m so tall that it doesn’t matter what costume I wear, I’m going to get noticed. It can be a wonderful thing and a curse. Now occasionally it can work against me if I’m wearing something that hides my gender because the height can make it seem that I’m male, but that can actually be part of the fun too. Seriously, try to ignore the picture on the right…doesn’t work, does it?

6.  Being in a TALL club. That’s right, there are clubs out there intended for men over 6’2” and women over 5’10”. The club is a social club so the intent is that you meet friends however it also supports several charities as well. I’m in a club in Portland, OR and I’ve met some pretty amazing people. There are about 60 clubs all over the US with sister clubs all over Europe and Australia. I joined when I moved from Denver, CO to Portland, OR because I wanted to find a way to meet people. Bang! I met a great bunch of people. This social club is a wonderful network to get you started and makes you some wonderful friends for life. (www.Tall.org)

7.  Automatic shotgun. I always get the front seat wherever I go. Unless, I’m with someone taller than me, or my dad (who is 6’6”). Otherwise I’m riding shotgun and I like it.

8.  Wearing ‘real-people’ pants and passing them off as crop pants. True story. I had a roommate in college that was 5’3” and we wore the same size. One night I was unable to find anything that I felt was appropriate to wear to a party and I had a meltdown of sorts. In her sweet way she offered up anything in her closet. I jokingly put on a pair of her jeans and they fit me exactly as pair of the now popular crop pants. I liked the look, found a sweater of hers that I also liked and I wore the entire ensemble to the party. I was clearly way ahead of my time, but you can see how my height benefited me and I realized that I was no longer boxed in by my inseam. From that day on, I wore short jeans with pride. (I like to think I started the trend however I’m not completely delusional)

9.  Becoming Miss Tall International®. Being in a tall club has its perks and I was lucky

At the Portland Skyliner Christmas party.

enough to be chosen as Miss Tall Portland in March of 2009.  I then went on to represent my club at the annual Tall Clubs International Convention in Las Vegas in June 2009. I won the Miss Tall International crown which I kept for a year. This was so special to me because I was able to travel to many of the Tall Clubs all over the US and meet many wonderful people. What a great experience for me. And hey, how often do you get to wear a crown and sash in your mid-thirties….who doesn’t want that?

Posted in Uncategorized, holli jennings, tall, tall club international | 3 Comments

TALL = Dad is speaking to you

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Darcy

It’s Monday which means it must be Darcy’s turn to write!

An interesting conversation occurred between myself and my friend Brian and Chris recently. We were having a discussion about presentation and performance in how it pertains to our search for full time gainful employment. We are all currently “on the hunt” and have been meeting daily to join our collective energies in our search.

We got around to this discussion after we decided that it was important to offer each other feedback no just on things like resumes and cover letters, but we also on how people perceive in an interview setting. For Brian it was a question of an over abundance of energy. For Chris, it was at times almost too little energy. For me there is one example that stands out: apparently, I’m already at a disadvantage because I’m so tall that it makes people think they are speaking to their fathers.

That might seem like a bit of a stretch but the logic seems sound. The idea is that the very fact that most people have to look up at me when they talk all ready puts me in a very dominant position. In film, when a camera is pointed up at something it empowers whatever is being shot with that dominance. The same, as the guys purport, is true for me because of my height. And who is one of the most dominant figures that people had to speak/answer to as a child? Their fathers.

Take a look at this photo of my friend Brian (5′-8″). This is taken from my point of view standing up.

Me looking down at Brian

My view of Brian in our conversation.

Now, take a look at it from Brians perspective.

Brian looking up at me

Brian looking up at me

Do you feel like your Dad is talking to you when you see this? You do, don’t you?

Brian told me one of his friends who has the added issue of not only being very tall but also being built, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Like Godzilla in a nice suit. He’s gotta be super nice and humble so people realize he’s the Godzilla here to save Tokyo, not destroy it.”**

And that’s not to say that Holli and other tall ladies might not have the issue as being seen as a mother, but I’m not a woman so being “dad” is the mantle I’m stuck with.

Long story short…. what do you think?

Briand and me Master

Brian is 5'-8" (average) and I'm 6'-7" (average+)

**This line is fabricated, but the story is true.
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A TALL Scene in Banks, OR

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Holli

Not the most flattering photo, but this is a real tractor!

A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to attend the Oregon Steam-Up in Banks, OR.  It was quite a throw-back to small town life and it reminded of living at home in Hanlontown, IA.  I grew up on a farm outside of a town of less than 200 people so I’m quite familiar with the slower pace of living in a farming community.  I wanted to find a way to ‘fit in’ as much as possible so I rummaged through my closet and found my old bib-overalls.  I was ready.

Better photo, and those are really lawn mowers...if you didn't already notice.

What I wasn’t ready for and really should have been better prepared for was the amount of stares I received throughout the entire day.  A couple of things you should know:  1) I LOVE being tall.  2) I will slow my walk so that I can listen to the comments and giggle to myself as I walk by a group of people, particularly younger men. 3) I stand up straighter when I realize that I’m causing a scene.  4) Little kids have no qualms about coming right up to me and asking me any question they want “Lady, can you touch the ceiling?”  5) I will never turn down a picture with a short person.

My day was thoroughly enjoyable.  The comments were wonderful although half of them I can’t publish here (people in small towns really need to watch their language!).  I was asked the usual repertoire of questions:  “How tall are you?”, How tall are your parents?”, “Do you play basketball?” however my favorite story happened when I was in the bathroom.

Bathroom stalls, especially those made in the 1950’s are not made for a 6’4” women.  When I stand in a stall you can see my head and shoulders over the top.  I’m used to it but for someone who is entering the bathroom or coming out of a stall, it can be a ‘surprise’.  A mother and son were coming out of the handicapped stall just as I was entering and locking my stall.  The little boy looked up at me with his eyes wide open in wonder and said, “Mom!  Why is that lady standing on the toilet?”

His mom ignored him which only made him ask the question several more times, point his finger at me and as he walked past he continued to stare.  Without even stopping to wash their hands, his mom dragged him out of the bathroom.  I was laughing of course and so were the other 4 ladies line.  It was quite funny.

I look TALL!

I spent a lot of time in the craft/antique areas perusing for good deals.  I enjoy getting a good deal particularly on something that has a little history.  You can see how tall I am compared to the rest of the people around me.  One elderly gentlemen that was running one of the antique booths that I would guess to be in his seventies complimented me on my bib overalls.  He said he’d been trying to get his wife to dress like that for 30 years but he hadn’t been able to persuade her yet.  I told him to keep trying for another 30 years.  She’d come around eventually.

It's so tiny!

The rest of my day was spent enjoying the logging demonstration (log-rolling, axe-throwing, 2-person sawing, and an obstacle course), enduring the 4 hour parade, watching the steam powered saw-mill, and reviewing the threshing engines and tractors scattered all over.  As we walked all over the grounds this little teeny car caught my eye.  It was painted green and had John Deere logos all over it.  My dad bleeds yellow and green so I immediately went over to check it out.  Once I got close I realized that this was someone’s actual car!  This wasn’t an exhibit.  Amazing.  I wish he could’ve been standing there because I bet I could’ve cajoled him into giving me a ride or at minimum at picture with him and his wonderful car….oh well, next time.

A couple of things that I learned while at the Oregon Steam-Up: 1) The bib overalls were the perfect choice of clothing.  They not only fit in with what others wearing, but they made me appear taller and stand out even more than usual.  2)  A 4 hour parade is too long.  Period.  3)  $5 for a home-cooked BBQ meal is a great deal particularly when it’s made by someone who resembles my dad.  4)  Hot dogs DO taste better at a small-town event.  5)  Stand tall and get noticed, it gets you free lemonade!

Posted in blog, funny, holli jennings, tall | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tall Stride

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Darcy

I’ve come to a realization: my stride is insane.

people walking

That may sound obvious coming from someone that is 6’7″ tall, but honestly I think I can speak for most tall people when I say that we don’t really think about our height till it presents itself in some way. For most people it stems from looking around and saying, “Wow! I never really thought I was this short/ethnicity/fay/a puma till!”

Darcy's foot on a table

Standard table height is 29". That's right, my legs are that long.

Most of the time for us, it’s either someone telling us something that relates to our height or some other outside force causing us to think about it. This could be anything from trying on clothes, avoiding knocking ourselves unconscious on door ways or little old Chinese women yelling at us.

But there was something new I noticed while recently about my stride that I really hadn’t thought about much in the past: I tend to walk behind people so I don’t “out run them”.

You're doing it wrongIt’s pretty funny actually. If I’m in a large enough group I position myself towards the back to use them as a kind of breaking system so that I don’t end up a quarter mile ahead, looking over people to see if I can find my group.

Anyone else have this problem?

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Minister of Tall

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Darcy

I’ve recently started to attend the Golden Gate Toast Masters meetings in San Francisco as a way of keeping up on my public speaking chops. I’ve done quite a bit of it in the MBA program, but much like an NBA player that can stay pretty good even after they leave the sport, I felt I should do something that will keep me on that treadmill of being able to present. Plus, it affords me a wonderful opportunity to network with other business professionals.

Last Wednesday was exceptionally cool and very tall related. Each meeting of the Toast Masters involves a section called Table Topics. It’s a section where members, and sometimes guests, are called upon to speak for 2 minutes about a random topic decided on by the Table Topics Master/Guru/Ninja.

Borrowed from goldengatetoastmasters.org

That particular week was all about fictitious government agencies. The Table Topics Master went through agencies such as the Ministry of Seldom Used Kitchen Appliances, Minister of Offense (as opposed to Defense) and the one my friend Chris had to speak on as Minister of the End of Days. Twenty Twelve IS fast approaching.

I was given the topic that pertains to this post as the Minister of Tall. I had said, as I introduced myself at the beginning of the meeting like all the other guests with the fun fact that I write this blog. And then, I proceeded to entertain the masses.

For a solid minute and a half I spoke on how furniture would be adjusted by our ministry to fit tall people. Vehicle specifications would be changed to allow for tall people’s knees to not hit the dashboard no matter how much leg room is supposedly available. And the piece-de-resistance was where I said I would form a tall army, which would require a midget army, so that people could see that we are a very tall, for-to-be-reckoned-with army.

This apparently entertained everyone so much I won the coveted “Best Table Topics” ribbon you see below. Oh it’s good to be king…. for a week.

Thanks guys! See you tonight!

For more information on Toast Master International, check out this link and find one in your area!

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Sometimes… I walk into traffic

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Darcy

My mother won’t be happy with this one. Sorry Mom.

In the state of California, there is a law that requires cars to stop for people about to enter or are in the crosswalk. The problem is that no one actually obeys the law. This leads to lord knows how many car accidents and I have personally seen the cops place traps to catch people who do not obey.

An office stations himself at a corner, stands there long enough to signal that he want to cross the street, then proceeds into the street. If people do not stop, a squad car or bike cop chases down the person that did not stop. I watched it all unfold at a corner near my house and saw an officer nearly get nailed. Twice.

Now, most people would take this under advisement and simply not try to cross the street if it looked like cars were not going to slow down. That’s most people. I take the other approach.

I’m of the opinion that I am so tall that when I enter traffic, it will simply stop. How could they not see me? If they don’t see me, then they must be blind. And if they hit me, I use the logic that in the civil suit that I will bring against them my lawyer will ask them, “How do you not see a man that ranks in the 99th percentile in height on the planet as he is making his way across the street?”

When I used to cross the street to go to school, people who were standing on the corner waiting for an open window of no traffic would follow behind me as a I made a hole.

This has led me to believe I’m actually doing a public service by walking into traffic. When a driver shakes his head at me, sometimes yelling that I’m crazy, I yell back, “You’re required by law to stop, asshole!”

I’m not advocating by any means that tall people everywhere should vault themselves in crosswalks to teacher drivers a lesson. I’m just saying I do it. And I kind of like it.

I’m squinting because it’s so far away…

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I might be the tallest person in Canada

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Holli

I also may be exaggerating just a tad, although up until about 9:30 pm on Saturday, July 17 I was beginning to wonder if I was the tallest person in at least British Columbia. I’d been in Vancouver, BC since Friday morning and I had yet to see someone, anyone, taller than my stature of 6’4”. I finally found ‘him’ in a Save On Food’s store where I had gone to purchase some candy (late night, sweet tooth craving).

Now, I’m usually pretty suave about the whole rubber-necking thing but I’m here to tell you that I stared. I may have even done the open-mouth stare. I was so darn excited to see someone taller than me. In the United States I see tall people all the time. In fact, I’m starting to consider it common so it was quite the shock to go sight-seeing and literally, feel like Paul Bunyan. Or Andre’ the Giant. Or whomever you equate a large person. I was stared at, commented upon, and had I been somewhat open to it with my non-verbal body communication I probably would’ve been approached but I was keeping a tight lid on this adventure. I have a history of allowing people to talk to me and then I can’t get away. Perhaps at some later point I’ll share some more of my adventures.

Anyway, the point of my entire story is really to find out where all of the Tall People of Canada are hiding? I’m confused because I know you are out there. Show yourself!!

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Moved to a hosted domain

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Darcy

Hey Everyone!

I just moved the blog over to a hosted domain so that I can hopefully have a little more fun and build up the site better than the current blogger interface lets me. That means, in the mean time, you’ll be seeing a fair amount of changes as I build stuff up in plain view since I don’t have a web site guy on my staff outside of me and I’m refreshing directory skills that I long ago put in a box never to be opened again.

Please bear with me but look forward to new things/fun times/blog posts.

Darcy

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Virgin America Provocateur

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Darcy

I don’t usually pimp stuff other than tall stuff, but last week I went out and shot some video for my friend Jonathan Kakacek who wanted to compete in the Virgin America Provocateur Contest. I’d really like him to win,  so please accept that my rational for this is that I am tall, I shot the video, therefore I share it with you now…. :) Visit this link to watch/vote.  bit.ly/azDip4

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