31Mar/0832
Being Tall
A lot of people ask me, “What is it like being tall?”
Well I'm gonna give you a simple breakdown of the pros and cons of being tall:
Pros
- It's ok for me to ask for the exit row at the airplane
- I can hide things in places that no one will ever find
- It doesn’t hurt when playing basketball, volleyball, or tetherball
- I get called cool nicknames like Stretch, Big Guy, Big Fella, Tall Drink of Water, and Humungo
- I don't have to be picky about a girl's height because none of them are taller than me
- I get the biggest short size all the time because I have the longest legs
- I get automatic shotgun at all times
- When I order a lot more food than what I can eat they always give me a quick look then say "I guess you need to eat; you're such a big boy.”
Cons
- Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size
- No matter what I wear, unless it’s a basketball jersey, I feel like it's just not made for people my size (I personally just make it look good)
- Even though small cars are cool I can't fit comfortably in any of them. I try and save the earth by conserving gas but I can't fit in a Subaru or Honda, so I ride in a realy simple Tahoe. I try to do my part.
- No matter what seat I have on an airplane, unless it's the team plane, NOTHING is comfortable -- absolutely nothing. It’s a mental battle the whole trip trying to keep my knees from the people in front of me smashing them with their seats. I mean, seriously, do you not see the 7-ft man behind you? Do you think it's cool to slam your chair back on our 330-hr flight?
Other than that, I mean, there really aren't any other cons. Being tall is great. I love it and wouldn’t change it in the world.
March 31st, 2008 - 12:46
i still like the pros better than cons….
March 31st, 2008 - 15:05
Hey Cuz,
You forgot one PRO! ! ! You can warn the rest of us when it is raining! hehehe
Peace
March 31st, 2008 - 17:51
“Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size”
So true…
April 1st, 2008 - 00:22
Oh man, the shoes thing reminded me of my own situation.
I can’t even find a pair of size 15s here where I live…
April 1st, 2008 - 11:33
I know he isn’t 7 foot, but when I worked as a valet, I parked Brent Barry’s girlfriend’s car that he was driving. A VW bug. 6′7″ or whatever he is, and he seemed to fit just fine behind the wheel in that small car…
April 1st, 2008 - 12:08
Incredible GSW rap! Listen and let us know what you think!!
April 1st, 2008 - 12:09
http://www.myspace.com/bergondy
April 1st, 2008 - 13:22
You left out one fairly important Con:
People always ask you to retreive things that are too high for them to reach.
Which, of course, can become a Pro if you leverage that solicited kindness into a conversation with a pretty woman.
April 1st, 2008 - 17:01
They make a hybrid Tahoe now
April 1st, 2008 - 22:10
“I personally just make it look good” channing that sounds like something i would say. u seem like a pretty chill guy. props for that.
April 2nd, 2008 - 02:28
Who plays tetherball??
April 2nd, 2008 - 04:05
You obviously didnt put to much thought into this post.. understandable…. because you left out some cruital cons
* Your back hurts everytime you do any cooking. ex-buttering toast.
* You have to duck through 90% of doors
* Legs get tired faster because we have a longer distance to cover
* At least once a day were asked “Do you play basketball”?
* Can’t hide from anybody
* Legs hang off the end of the bed, which causes massive cramps
* PDA cell phone buttons are to small for our fingers
* thats all i can think of right now…
April 2nd, 2008 - 07:30
buy the knee defender…
http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html
April 2nd, 2008 - 11:33
LOL!
i’m 6′4″ and get most of the same crap you do…i can image how much worse it is for you tho…”do you play basketball?”…
my being tall “con” – can’t hide in small places.
April 2nd, 2008 - 19:21
This is Rick Ross just saying I checked out your web site. See you Thursday.
April 2nd, 2008 - 19:31
Ever shop for shoes at Oddball?
The shop is local (PDX) and the owners are good guys.
16th & NW Marshall
http://www.oddball.com/cascades/
also..tetherball, rocks!
April 4th, 2008 - 00:42
Hey Channing
It’s too bad about clothes not fitting. I am 6′6″ and have a hard time finding things in my size, so it must really be a pain for you.
Actually I have started a blog for and about tall men who want to be fashionable and look good. I am looking for a guest blogger? Interested?
tallguystyle.com
April 5th, 2008 - 19:41
plus you always get people who ask “How tall are you?”
April 7th, 2008 - 12:20
I’ll echo George’s comment from above: I’ve heard that the VW bug is deceptively large on the inside, and good for the Big & Tall. I personally don’t have this problem, because I am a hobbit.
April 8th, 2008 - 20:56
I’m 6′5 and it’s bad enough for me on planes. I feel your pain.
April 9th, 2008 - 14:42
i am 6′ 7″ and want to ad a con: growing up i was always the tallest dude in school, which sometimes was cool except for at school dances. on the dance floor i was a full head taller than everyone else. it’s hard enough being an awkward 14 year old at a school dance, but sticking out so much while on the dance floor is like a bad joke.
i ove your blog channing! you seem like a legit dude and i am glad you are a part of the portland community. go blazers.
April 9th, 2008 - 19:11
You aren’t even that tall for a ham sandwich. After seeing you a bunch of times at the subway near UA, I started realizing how they really fudge your height on the statistics pages hehe. Just like they listed Jason Gardner at 5-10; well I’m 5-10 and he was like three inches shorter than me
April 11th, 2008 - 04:27
Man, I’m only 5′ 10″ but since I’m in Hawaii, I’m taller that a lot of people. I hate seeing all the dirty stuff that shorter people don’t notice. I’ve seen layers of dirt on top of peoples refrigerators that just need a couple of seeds to start a small garden.
April 14th, 2008 - 10:07
Being tall I’m always amazed at how many people will just randomly ask me how tall I am, after a while I decided giving a strait answer was just to easy so I started telling them 5’20”. The initial confusion on their faces is priceless, and the length of time it takes them to do the math to figure out how tall 5’20” actually is an equally amusing game. One woman was so confused by the response I swear she went to get a pencil and paper to figure it out because like five minutes after I gave her the 5’20” response she came back and was like, “you’re really that tall?”
April 21st, 2008 - 12:58
Thanks for the post. I figured airplanes would not be comfortable for most people in the NBA. I’m not that tall relative to you (5′10) but even I find economy seats brutal after more than 30 minutes.
How are team planes different?
October 26th, 2009 - 03:17
5′9″ is the average male human height. 65% of men are are 5′11.5″ or less. 95% of men are 6′2″ or less. Only 0.3% are 6′4.5″ or taller; that’s about 1-in 1000. The odds of being 6′10? 1-in-a-million? maybe?
“You can’t teach height!”
“You can’t coach height!”
The airplane thing sucks. I flew to England, it was torture! There should be a law that any passenge who is 6′4″ or more automatically gets the first seat in coach. the exit row, or bumped to 1st class. That’s only fair.
December 15th, 2009 - 12:42
true that is very fair, im 6ft 7 aswell like someone else said and its apain getting clothes that fit :/ i have to look around town for hours to find a good size and finding the right shoes is a pain in the ass aswell
December 30th, 2009 - 17:28
Man I agree with Matt! I’m only 5′6 but finding clothes that fit me is a serious problem…I walk around the mall and pants end at my ankles…
Awesome post man, screw the haters.
January 23rd, 2010 - 07:48
im 6′3 only problems i have is hitting my head on shit once in a while and my legs get cold real easy and when they do theres no warming them up.
March 4th, 2010 - 05:17
man i feel the pain i am 6′3” and it is hard to find shoes size 16 where i live
March 16th, 2010 - 15:38
I hear you dude. I’m 16 years old and I’ve been 6 feet tall since I was 12 (I’m a girl by the way). I agree with you on the airplane part! The dating is more of a con for me than a pro. I have the exact opposite situation. All guys I know are shorter than me!
Oh and I’m white. So I just don’t make any sense at all haha.
April 28th, 2010 - 19:08
i like the pros
how tall do you like girls to be?