Let’s chat! It’s been a while since we had a nice cozy chat. And I am legitimately curious about what people think on these vital issues. I know my opinions, but I don’t know if they are universal or if folks vary.
Tall, Short, or Average
I am Tall. And it’s AWESOME. Besides the obvious advantages of reaching things on high shelves, across tables, and seeing over crowds, there’s also the way everyone always notices you when you walk in a room and listens to what you say.
Downsides are mostly seating related. Basically every means of transportation is uncomfortable, except being in the driver seat of my own car. And most sofas and arm chairs aren’t big enough either. It’s not obvious to other people if you aren’t tall, but as a tall person, I am used to constant slight discomfort as I can’t quite cross my legs, or relax my knees. I’d still rather take paying extra for the emergency row seats on transatlantic flights to having to get a stool (A STOOL!!!) in order to get things out of high cupboards. Oh, and also “ankle length” to me always means mid-calf, and “floor length” means ankle height. But I don’t like floor length things anyway, so I can live with that.
Caffeine Sensitive or Insensitive
I am caffeine sensitive, and my answer to this one varies depending on the day. Last Thursday, when I got no sleep because I had tiramasu after 8pm the day before, I would have said “insensitive”. Needing to constantly regulate caffeine intake so I don’t toss and turn all night, that’s HORRIBLE. And then you make one little mistake and you get on this cycle of “I didn’t sleep last night because too much caffeine, so I have to have caffeine today to keep going, and then I won’t sleep tonight, so I’ll need caffeine tomorrow” and so on.
But on the other hand, the magic of having one cup of coffee and feeling like I can climb mountains is AMAZING. If I was less sensitive, if I need a bigger dose every day to function, my life would be so much worse.
Small Dog or Large Dog
Obviously the best dog is “medium dog”. The kind who doesn’t look like a horse, but is big enough you don’t have to worry about stepping on it. But between small and big, if you had to choose, which would you go for?
I would have said Large Dog for most of my life. Our dog growing up was kind of huge, mostly Border Collie but we suspect crossed with husky or something. Big fluffy wall of fur. So I would have said, “gimme that massive dog like a horse! Let me have something to lean up against”. But now I have Albie Dog who is small enough that I can pick him up and I LOVE it!!! First, if there is a loose dog or any other reason I really need to get him under control, I can just pick him up and carry him away. No dragging, no arguments. Second, when there is a thunderstorm or fireworks or whatever, I can just hold him on my lap like the trembling terrified sick baby he is. Versus our big dog when I was growing up who was just sad alone on the carpet whimpering.
So with all that in mind, I think for now I’m gonna say Small Dog! Even though I still think Large Dogs are objectively better. Like, morally.
dontcallitbollywood 
Tall! I want to be 5’8”-5’9” – just an inch or so taller than I am now!
Coffee sensitive, which luckily I’ve become since I’ve gotten older. It means I only need a few sips to be jolted awake and there’s little risk of addiction!
Option 3: Cat.
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I’m 5’9! It is indeed wonderful. Everyone should be 5’9! Although, I guess then it wouldn’t be special any more. So just keep it for you and me.
I’m on the opposite journey with caffeine, slowly becoming less sensitive. It’s not great! If I could put up with the headaches, I’d do a detox.
Cats are dumb
On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 11:30 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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When I see really tall people, all I can think is how uncomfortable they must be all the time, and by all the time I’m really thinking about cars. But reading your comments I realize transportation is NOT all the time. But still that discomfort has got to suck. Growing up I wanted to be short because I was pudgy and I thought short pudgy women were cuter than tall pudgy women. But now that I am grown up and am a relatively short (5ft 4in) pudgy woman I don’t really care that much about being cute and would rather have two to three more inches to reach stuff on the higher shelves. And everyone THINKS I’m taller than I am anyway, my lack of height gives me no cuteness advantages. People assume I’m 5ft 6in or 5 ft 7in, but in reality I’m 5ft 4in, with SHORT arms and I can’t reach anything. They say if you stretch your arms out the length from arm to arm is typically your height, but according to my arms I should be just under 5ft. tall.
However, I can sit in the front seat of the Honda Pilot and put my legs on the dashboard to stretch out my hamstrings and that is kinda awesome. And as I live in a rural area, I am probably in the car for longer car rides than average, so my relative shortness is a definite comfort advantage. However, as I live in a rural area I also go on more hikes than average, and tall people hike a lot faster than me, I have a hard time keeping up.
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I am getting myself a custommade sofa and it is taking FOREVER and cost a lot more than a standard sofa, but it will be SO WORTH IT. At least in my own home, my legs will be able to fit right on the furniture. And all my other furniture is inherited from my (also tall) relatives, so it is already the right size.
I was the youngest in my family, and I remember the misery of family walks when I had to take 2 steps to every one and sort of skip/run to catch up. I assume that is what hiking is like for you.
On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 12:14 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Sometimes I can fit in child sized furniture. But the truth is, I have NEVER bought a couch. I’ve bought tables and chairs used; the only new furniture thing I’ve ever bought new were folding futons and bookshelves. So if I sat on your couch, would my feet dangle in the air?
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I have bought multiple couches. I think because I buy really REALLY cheap ones. So they only last like 4 years and then I have to buy another one or else stop hosting movie nights. Here’s a tip, if you ever look at buying, try Home Reserve. They are American based ethically made etc. etc., and also surprisingly nice couches once you put them together.
Anyway, this one is gonna be 80 inches long and 40 inches deep, so yes, everyone but me will have their feet dangling over the edges. I’ll give you a back pillow, it will be fine.
On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 9:31 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The couches in my house came from the house my husband grew up it. One of them is super comfy, the other not so much. Don’t buy wicker, it only lasts 30 years…
Truth is, on our comfy couch I rarely sit with me feet on the ground, I usually curl up with my feet on the couch. Thanks for the buying tip. The ethics of it all are one of the reasons when we buy it is usually used, that and oh, the cost… Right now we are in the market for a used metal outdoor table. My husband wants to buy new, but I KNOW rich people like to redecorate and buying new just seems like a waste to me. We have wanted a new outdoor grill for years, but our grill, a used one (previously owned by famous photographer Galen Rowell, our small claim to fame) is from the 1990s still mostly works, and everyone says new ones only last two years!
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I was waiting for Grandpa to die to get his good couch, but looks like that’s never going to happen, so I had to buy new.
I am having a really hard time finding used furniture this move!!! I’ve ended up turning to etsy. The Goodwill stuff is so hit and miss, and if I need a linen cabinet because otherwise my towels will just live forever on the floor, at some point I have to give up and buy new. But at least with my tea kettle and stuff like that I was able to buy cool stuff from Etsy.
On Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 10:50 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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So I was talking to a Norwegian friend at school pick up yesterday, and she said she always feels gigantic, especially when she is not her thinnest. I think she is about 5ft 10in – she’s taller than my husband but not by much. The interesting thing is, perhaps because I always look up at people, I never perceived her as being gigantic. Tall for a woman yes, but gigantic no. I know when I put on high heels I feel taller than my husband, except that I’m not, I’ll still be three inches shorter than him, but I’ll FEEL taller. She was surprised I was only 5ft 4 in. And according to her arms she would be over 6 ft. tall. She can reach EVERYTHING!
I have a cupboard above the fridge. It is useless. There is nothing in it. I can’t even reach into the back with a chair. And there isn’t quite enough cupboard space in my kitchen, and that is why I don’t have a wok.
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My Mom solved this problem by marrying a man over 6 feet tall. So part of her cooking is calling him to come into the kitchen to get things down for her.
I can reach the over the fridge cupboards with a stool, but that’s a hassle, so I put the rarely used stuff in them and only do it once or twice a year. Now that we are living in the same building, my friends organized their kitchen with the “and when we need anything from the top shelf, we will have Margaret get it for us” theory.
On Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 10:56 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Isn’t it nice to be needed?
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SO NICE!
On Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 11:06 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Well, my (shorter) wife actually does not bump her head quite as much as I do. She’s already put tennis balls on the corners of our coat rack so she doesn’t have to hear me yell and curse anymore. Still, I think that I probably underestimate the advantages I have in terms of being noticed and taken seriously. I have never felt like people in a room were literally talking over my head.
I could do without sensitivity to caffeine. It never makes me feel more awake anyways, I only get jittery after about the third cup. I mean, I could just switch to some other drink then, but I actively like the bitter taste and haven’t really found a surrogate yet.
I don’t think I’ll ever get a dog myself, but if I did, it would be small for the same reasons my parents’ Jack Russel was: easier grooming, takes less space, and there’s more of a chance that the animal will actually get enough exercise with long walks and a big house with a big yard. We have neither of those, so no dog. And we definitely won’t get a dog before our kids are too old to ride on it like my sister used to do with the Golden Retriever of family friends – which, of course, is the single most adorable reason for a large dog.
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I love the “not talking over my head” part of being tall. I also have a resonant voice (not deep or super loud, but hard to ignore). The combo is a delight, I can take control of any meeting if I need to.
Decaffeinated stuff doesn’t have the right taste? Or is there still enough caffeine in it to make you feel bad?
Oh, get a dog! It will be fine! I have a dog in an apartment with no yard, and he just likes snuggling and going for walks 4 times a day. Once the kids are a little older, you can send them out with the dog and get them both worn out.
On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 2:46 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Growing up in Poland I was considered short with my 160 cm/ 5,2. Now in Italy, where people are a little shorter than in Poland I feel average and I like it. I still need a chair to take something from high shelves but I’m not the shortest person in a room and it feels good.
Dogs: Large. I’ve never had a big dog but I would like to have one. There is an adorable stray big white dog (looks like white retriver) in our town and I wish I had a garden so I could adopt him. Him and a bunch of cats because they are the best 😉
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So if I went to Italy, at 5’9″, I would be a freak? I kind of like that! I should go to Italy! My Mom had the opposite journey through time, when she was in high school she was tall. But as the average height in America has shifted upward as she aged, she is now average height.
I don’t like this little cat people rebellion you are trying to incite 🙂
On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 3:12 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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My internet is wonky so I couldn’t read all the posts. Pardon if this has already been said.
I traveled a lot and in my experience, men in shorter cultures absolutely drool over tall women. I was born under the sign of the scales and am too balanced. Medium height, medium build, brown hair, brown eyes, nothing sticking out too much or not enuf.
I’ve had mostly medium dogs, lived in medium houses with medium yards, have medium talents. Ordinary is the word for me. I have an espresso every nite after dinner sometimes with a shot of anisette, and sleep like a baby. That my be the exciting part. That and Indian cinema which is anything but average.
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If you had to stop being medium height, would you go for tall or short?
On Tue, Aug 24, 2021 at 12:09 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Mmmm…good question. In keeping with my astrological sign, I prefer neither. 5’5″ is in the middle of 4 and 6 and I’m sticking with it.
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First, there is NO WAY you are the same height as Aishwarya. She is my height or slightely shorter and you are an inch or so taller than I am. I like being tall. My sister is short (5’1) and she always had to crane her neck to talk to people and wear really tall heels. Both of those things just seem uncomfortable.
I have very mixed feelings about being caffiene sensitive. I am VERY sensitive to caffiene. This means that if I have not had caffiene in a while and make one cup of chai in the morning, I feel like I am shaky, and having heart palpitations and my husband has to remind me that I am not having an actual heart attack, I am just an idiot and drank caffiene on an empty stomach. But, I can also have just a couple sips of coffee and feel alert for most of the day. On the other hand, husband can drink 5 cups of coffee a day and still not feel anything. That doesn’t seem like fun to me either.
I like medium sized dogs that I can pick up, if necessary. But, if I had to pick between a small and large dog, I think I would go with a large dog because most small dogs have a very yippie high-pitched bark that drives me nuts. Plus, large dogs are generally a lot more low key than smaller dogs.
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According to The Internet, basically all actresses are 5′ 9″ (my height). Must be the default fake height people give. If Aish ISN’T my height, that means Shahrukh is way WAY shorter than me. Hmm. I don’t like that. That’s my biggest height issue, that most men are short. Well, “short”. All the men in my family (except for one uncle who married in) are 6 feet or taller, so it’s just “normal” to me. If I met Shahrukh in person, I would probably want to pat him on his little head.
I used to be that sensitive, but I’ve been on a high caffeine phase for a while (part of pandemic) and I am getting less sensitive. But I don’t like it! I miss feeling super alert all the time. Might be time to detox.
Wait, are you saying Albie Dog is a Bad Dog??? He is small, but he doesn’t yip. Although he might not be the most low key dog in the world. As the only DCIBer who has met Albie Dog in person, you must defend his honor!
On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 9:55 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Albie Dog is amazing! And weirdly, I don’t consider him a small dog. I guess, to me, he is in the medium catagory (which has a wide range IMO) since he looks and sounds like a medium-sized dog. And he is not high energy compared to the tiny dogs I have encountered. I’m putting Albie Dog firmly in the medium sized catagory!
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He doesn’t consider himself a small dog, that’s for sure. I think if you asked him, he would say he is the biggest dog on the block.
On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 11:56 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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You’ll have to look at celebheights. It’s a credible source where the guy who runs it (Rob) really analyzes heights based on pics of celebs together and other stuff. Shah Rukh is supposed to be 5′ 7 1/2″. https://www.celebheights.com/s/Shahrukh-Khan-46991.html
Aishwarya is actually just a bit over 5′ 6″. Deepika/ Sonam/ Anushka are all 5′ 8″ give or take a cm or two. Katrina is apparently a little taller at 5′ 8 1/2″. So you’re closer to her height!
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