Making Headlines

As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I wrote a letter to the editors of Boston Magazine regarding an article in their May issue. A quick refresher: they did a survey asking men in Boston what they were looking for in a date. Regarding height, the results were pretty much not in my favor:

Survey says: The ideal Boston woman is about average height (5'4"–5'8"). But fewer than one in six Bostonians found women of 5'8" to 6'—a.k.a. the supermodel median—compellingly attractive.

Not in my favor NOT because our Patriot-lovin, accent-toting male Boston residents aren't looking for a gal like me but rather not in my favor bc my height didn't even rank as part of the survey! So as a funny, hey-its-another-rainy-weekend-

day-in-Boston lark, I wrote a letter to the editors of Boston Magazine declaring their survey to be missing out on a key element of the Boston scene and admonishing the results. They called to confirm when they received it but said it was highly unlikely it would get published bc it would have to wait until the NEXT issue. Fortunately for me it must have been a slow news month because in the issue on stands now, on the bottom of page 12, is a response from the editors to my sweet little note.

Boston Magazine doesn't publish full LTE but rather snippets of them in commentary. For mine, they mentioned how I was appalled that my fellow tall females and I were left out of the survey entirely. Well....here's the kicker. The good folks at Boston Mag actually added an editorial note to the bottom of my paragraph stating:

The survey did include the option "Taller than 6'"; however it garnered far less than towering support with a mere 1 percent of the votes

Well done, Laura. You've forced the magazine to print that 99% of eligible Boston bachelors are not interested in dating someone of your height. Smooth move. A huge boost to the ego if there ever was one. They were trying to save you the pain that comes with knowledge, yet you called them out and forced their hand.

However, I know I speak for all my fellow long-legged friends when I say we take this in stride (a long stride, yes, but still in stride). We know that most guys are driven by ego and it takes a very special kind of gentleman to be with a woman who is taller than they are. And these special gentleman DO exist, I have faith. There may only be 1% of them in Boston (or at least those willing to admit it) and they may be in hiding 99% of the time, but occasionally they do stick their heads out of the ground long enough for us to snag them. And when we do, we won't be letting go any time soon. Hypothetically speaking...of course.

Die Hard With A (Furry) Vengeance

(Yes, yes, I have been a delinquent blogger. Lets just exchange a silent apology, an embarrassed smile and pretend it never happened. Catch up? June was a big event in NYC, a week at home in Jersey with the fam and lots....and lots...of rain. Feel better? Ok, good.)

Email has become a tedious fellow, trapping us for hours at work and bogging us down in our free time as we rummage through offers for free HDTVs from Bernie & Phyl's. However, I received a lovely surprise the other day from my friend E, a fellow tall lass, alerting me to an ongoing Boston Casting Call:

Boston Casting is Seeking tall women (6'1 and above) for extra work on the upcoming Brendan Fraser film "Furry Vengeance." They are looking specifically for tall women that could play construction workers.

A quick check of IMDB reveals the following about the project:

In the Oregon wilderness, a real estate developer's new housing subdivision faces a unique group of protesters, local woodland creatures who don't want their homes disturbed.

Uhhhhh, can we say AMAZING? This inspires so many questions: Would my tall construction worker be on the side of Brendan Fraser or standing up for the right of the woodland creatures? Would I get to fight said woodland creatures (who I can only imagine would be animated, voiced by - if I could only be so lucky - Ben Stein or perhaps John Goodman??)? What would my costumes entail? Why would they be shooting a movie set in the "Oregon wilderness" in Boston? Most importantly, why is it crucial that these construction workers be tall ladies? Are we scarier? Or is it the startling height difference between the tall ladies and the woodland creatures that would give this soon-to-be cinematic classic its core dramatic tension?

My curiosity peeked, I sent the casting agent an email with a few pics. She did respond - to ask for a full body shot, hmmmm ok? - so I still have faith that this could be my big break. I'm not really the "construction worker" type BUT if Brendan Fraser can pretend that this movie isnt the death of his career (well, after this monkey of course) then I am sure I can pull it off.

Stay tuned for news on my (eventual) big break - tall construction ladies of the world, rejoice!

Shotgun

There are many pros and cons to being tall. Con - being called Daddy Long Legs all throughout jr high, having to stand in the back of every photo ever taken, not finding a date to the prom that didn't come up to your shoulders, etc. Pro - Standing out in a crowd (in a great, regal way), always being able to reach the highest shelf, knowing that no one will ever mistake you for a munchkin, etc. The list (both of em!) go on and on but one thing that's always a winner for tall folks is automatic shotgun.

Granted, most of the time you need shotgun so as not to have your knees smushed into your chin. But sometimes shotgun really pays off. Like tonight, when, upon piling back into NF's car after a delish dinner at Ten Tables Cambridge (more to come on that later but for reals, go now!), it was a given that I would get the front seat. This came in particularly handy given that the back seat was occupied by an enormous car seat box and the two ladies who were fortunate enough to ride in it had to determine a way to crush both their bodies and this enormo box into one back seat.

It wasn't neccesarily a long car ride but I'm grateful - as I so often am - to my dad for blessing me with these long ass legs of mine so that, while I got to stretch out in the front seat, poor K got stuck being trampled by a box half the size of her own self! Add one to the pro list! Tomorrow some loser will ask me if I ever played basketball for UConn and the scales might tip in the other direction but, for tonight, I go to bed happy and with uncrampd calves. Thanks Dad!!

Dinner & A Movie: Movin On UP

So I took my own advice this weekend and went to see the new Pixar flick, UP. Since most of my current readership consists of my good friends, old teachers, fellow bloggers and my mom, I don't have to spin too long an explanation explaining two of my great loves in life: going to the movies and going out to eat. But for the uninitiated, here's a quick nugget:

I went to Boston University to study television and film but that doesn't really justify the need/want/desire to see at least one new movie a week. Think that's just some oddity some of us are born with and spend the rest of our lives trying to earn enough money to justify spending $11/week. Add to that my true passion, FOOD/DINING OUT, and I figured here was as good a place as any to do a recurring series on Dinner & A Movie, Boston style.

Sunday afternoon at Loews Boston Common and my friend B and I opted NOT to go to the 3D version of UP (even that felt a bit much for my 30-yr old self). It was crowded, not at all shocking, but I love a movie on opening weekend because there is just a vibe in the air - it's my justification for putting up with sticky floors and crying babies. Regardless of the audience though, UP delivered, and delivered big. This movie is driven by some of the best drawn out (no pun intended) characters a movie's ever seen, regardless of animated or not. Carl, Russell, Kevin,Doug - a combination of heartfelt moments, wacky storytelling and just good honest heart-warming Disney magic. Go see this movie. You won't regret it, regardless of age or stature.

And if you're looking for a pre or post movie snack fix, check out the Kinsale at City Hall Plaza. Just a few blocks walking distance from the Lowes, it offers free parking (up to 3 hours) on weekdays after 6pm. Try finding that near the theater district! Good grub, trivia on Wed nights and a kick ass turkey burger that will remind you that sometimes a burger can be a non burger and still be damm tasty.

So there you have it - Dinner & A Movie, my first go. Up & Kinsale. Do it up!

The Air Up Here *IS* Better

As all well educated men know, the taller you are the better the air is that you breathe. To try and tip the scales back in the direction of the short folk, I offer two weekend solutions:

1) Go see UP. It opens today and from what I can tell of the trailers, it should remind us all that there is a world of amazing-ness (it's my blog and I'll create words if I want to!) just beyond the extent of our imagination. And since it is about a crotchety old man - I am expecting several "angry fist in the air moments" - who takes off into the great air beyond, perhaps it will offer some suggestions on how to get that "better air" my tall brethren and I are suckin in. Even if it just means that all the short people need to get in a hot air balloon and fly away. Not that that's what I am suggesting...

2) Attend Earthfest 2009. Instead of complaining that all the tall folks are getting the better air, how about we all get together, listen to some 90's rock, score some free Whole Foods goodies and - oh yea - learn about how we can save Mother Earth. We could actually make ALL the air better, not just the air Shaq and I are breathing. I plan on attending but that's only bc I am a sucker for boys in flannel shirts. Obviously, I am all set with the good air.

Happy weekend folks!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

As a tall single gal roaming the streets of Boston, there are many alarming sights. The sketchy guy eying your purse on the Orange Line. The sleazy bartender eying your - whatever - on a Saturday night at Felt. But none strikes fear in the heart of the Tall Gal more than...DUN DUN DUN...the tall guy dating the short girl.

It's unfair from the start. I mean, how many guys over 6ft are there even in this town? And then to see one of our few potential soulmates matched up with a midget, ahem, a lady of petite height....it's enough to start a fire of rage inside you that has no equal. Usually I will be the first to condemn this pairing and point out how akward it must be when he has to bend in half to kiss her goodnight. But occassionaly (the exeption makes the rule, right?), there is a TG/SG pair that makes it ok. For me, that pair is Jen and Jason Newberg.

Jason is an old colleague of mine and stands proudly at 6'5" tall. His charming wife is all of 5'2" - and don't let her fool ya, that's on a good high heeled day. They were married in a custom-made chuppah (to be high enough for him) and the majority of their wedding photos involve at least one member of the newleyweds engaged in something to reduce their height (sitting on a bench, kneeling on the ground, lounging on a grassy knoll). And yet when in their presence...it just doesn't matter. You can't help but feel the love between them and know that sometimes, height knows no limits.

So for you, Jason & Jen, I will put aside my predjudice's towards to TG/SG pairings...but only until I spot the man of MY dreams hanging with a short gal. Then it's anybody's game.

I'm Taller Than You

When I was in the 8th grade (read: 12 years old), I wore a button. The button contained a simple phrase that answered a common question, asked of me almost every single day. The question: How tall ARE you?? To which the button would reply: I'm 5'11"

In the 18 years since I sported my button, I haven't grown in height all that much and now stand proudly at 6'1" tall. Yet I still get asked that question almost every day and so when my good friend Nikki pestered, er I mean, encouraged me to start my own blog (read hers, its hysterical) I kept thinking about what my vantage point would be. What small but significant view of the world could I have to offer? Well, here it is folks: I'm taller than you. And you wouldn't think that affects life every day but, oh does it. And I'm here to prove it! Sure, there are plenty of other folks out there writing about being tall but since I couldn't find any other city-livin loving, mad about movies, foodie fanatical, cat adoring tall gal blog, I figured my niche was set.

And to kick it off, I wrote a letter to the editor of Boston Magazine last week regarding an article in last month's issue entitled What Turns Us On: A User's Guide To Love and Lust in the Hub. So check out my letter below (bc I'm sure it isnt getting published in the pages of their mag, ha!) and stay tuned for my views from above. Above what? At the very least, the top of most bathroom stall walls (more on that later).

Dear Boston Magazine Editor -

I was prompted to write this letter by the article "What Turns Us On" in your most recent issue and, more specifically, by this startling statistic:

Survey says: The ideal Boston woman is about average height (5'4"–5'8"). But fewer than one in six Bostonians found women of 5'8" to 6'—a.k.a. the supermodel median—compellingly attractive.

No, its not the results of the survey that I take issue with (more on that later) but rather your survey requirements. How is it possible that you've completely neglected a large portion of the Boston metro population: the tall girl? Yes, I'm referring to the bevy of beautiful babies who so contribute to the physical landscape of this great city. The gals who top 6ft tall, a group of which I am a proud participant. As I stand here, in all my 6ft 1in glory, how is it that I don't even rank to be included as an option in the survey? Though I suppose that based on your results we should be pleased, given that the men of this town are less inclined to throw sidelong glances in our direction. Speaking for the glamazonian ladies I represent, we say: we're OK with that. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average height for an adult male in the United States is 5ft 9in. ( National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 1999-2002.) Therefore, your average respondent was shorter than me and, as those who've dated us long-legged lasses in the past will attest, we like to be able to wear heels too. Simply speaking, we want a tall man for our very own. As a whole, I've found Boston to be a city somewhat on the shorter side (take a look at our mayor and governor! Aside from the Celtics, our popular landscape is not exactly banging their head on the door frame) and so to that we say, survey be dammed. I know those tall fellers are out there and I have faith that they'll come looking for my friends and I, regardless of your survey results.

Because that old amusement park guideline - You must be this tall to ride this ride - is one we're particularly fond of. So we'll keep wearing our 3in Manolos and smile politely when people ask if we played basketball in college because we know one thing's for sure: tall is terrific.

Cheers from the treetops,
Laura H. Vogel