What can social media do for you?

(My Original Blog Post: http://michaelquale.com/2009/01/11/what-can-social-media-do-for-you/)
The buzz words today is "social media". Everyone is aware of the hype, but what exactly can social media do for you? Social media is primarily Internet, and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information amongst humans. How can this be of benefit to me you might ask. Well think of it this way. Humans are generally social creatures, we tend to "hang out" with each other. We have been doing this long before the advent of the internet.

Our culture is one of socializing, and unless your people skills are completely inept. You are aware of what it takes to make friends and build relationships with people in real life. Social media is no different in that respect. However social media expands on this by allowing people, or groups of people to network with each other seamlessly and globally, in a fraction of the time it used to take you to pen a letter. You can either reach one person or millions.

[Blog] What can social media do for you?: The buzz words today is "social media". Everyone is aware of the hype, b... http://s3nt.com/brvk

[Blog] The chronicles of NYC: So its been almost a month since our musical odyssey to the big apple. I was supposed to blog about this when I got back however the whole inter... http://s3nt.com/bqae

The chronicles of NYC

(My Original Blog Post: http://michaelquale.com/2008/05/21/the-chronicles-of-nyc/)
So its been almost a month since our musical odyssey to the big apple. I was supposed to blog about this when I got back however the whole internet myspace blog thing is just...well a little detached....

[Blog] Advice from a grown man to young men: Advice to Young Men from an Older Man 1. Don't pic... http://s3nt.com/bqaf

Life after 40

(My Original Blog Post: -*http://michaelquale.com/2009/01/09/life-after-40/)
I turned 40 a couple of years ago. Not exactly a defining moment in my life. In fact I really didn't feel much different than i did at 35, except for a few more aches and pains.

40 is not much different to me than any other time in my life. Physically speaking, I look the same, smell the same, find the same things interesting that I did in my 20's or 30's. So what is the big deal?

[Blog] Life after 40: I turned 40 a couple of years ago. Not exactly a defining moment in my life. In fact I reall... http://s3nt.com/bp9f

[Blog] A Message to Dads everywhere: So the other day I turned 42. I decided to start blogging, some might say I am a little late to the party. I say better late than never. ... http://s3nt.com/bpa8

[Blog] A Message to Dads everywhere: So the other day I turned 42. I decided to start blogging, some might say I a... http://s3nt.com/bpa8

Tall and Proud?

What is it like to be tall? I hear this question all to frequently. To me it's really no big deal, aside from the obvious benefit of being able to paint a ceiling without a ladder. Since I tower over just about everyone I come into contact with, I often take my height for granted. Nearly everyone makes the same type of comment, "Gee I wish I had your height" or "Do you play basketball?" In my younger years that latter comment often iritated me more than anything. As I have a distaste for the sport. I know I should have went pro, yada, yada, yada. Now I take it with a grain of salt.

I have come to the realization that I have what a LOT of people desire. To be "taller", after all tall people are said to command better salaries, attract more attention, have more prospects for romance, and a slew of other "perks". I often wondered if this was actually true. I did not think my height was commanding respect, until I learned how to read peoples body language. Yes being tall does intimidate some people.

A lot of women often write personal ads seeking a tall, handsome man. Why is this? What exactly do they consider tall? 6' or more? Most woman are not tall by my standards. The average woman's height is somewhere around 5'6". Do they just want someone to look up to? Do they want someone so tall it pains their neck to to kiss them? Can you imagine a 5' tall woman dancing with someone my height. That's almost comical, and attention grabbing to say the least. All my life I have wanted to avoid attracting attention to myself. Being very tall this is not an easy task, as I tend to stand out in a crowd.

I once dated a girl that was 6'2". She was the tallest girl I have been with. Wrapping my arms around her was like hugging a man though. That for me was a complete turn-off. I tend to like the smaller, curvy, soft type girly girls.

Am I proud of my height? Hell yes, most of the time. Are there times when I wish I was normal height? I would have to say yes, being tall does have its drawbacks. Whacking my head on ceilings fans, and having strangers in wally world ask me to get something off the high shelves is not exactly a trait I cherish. Finding nice clothes can be a PITA. Most of my youth I had problems wearing what the other kids were wearing. As the pop-culture clothing icons tended to not make jeans in my size. I wear a 36" inseam at a minimum. I could not find a pair of Guess jeans in that length ever. I was stuck with the plain ole Levi strauss variety as they were the ONLY jeans made in my size.

If you found this blog because you are tall, I would love to hear from you drop me a line. Let's compare stories, notes, accomplishments. What benefits/detractors have you noticed in having extreme height. Till next time..

Mike aka "Stretch"