If you've met me or seen me lumbering down the street, you know that petite is hardly a word that describes Cherish Wilson. In heels, which I frequently wear for work, I'm at the 6'1'' to 6'3'' mark. Barefoot, I stand at 5'11''. So, I'm tall. Not freakishly so, in my opinion, but taller than the average woman.

With my height comes numerous benefits -- I rarely have to ask for help reaching things. It is easy to spot me in a crowd. Most designers now carry a TALL size, so my pants reach past my ankle bone. No one, props their elbow on my head.

It also comes with a few bothersome simple facts -- people always asked if I play basketball. My hands are rather large and my fingers...well, they aren't spindley...but they're very long. (A nickname, bestowed by a well-meaning friend is 'spidermonkey'). If I'm driving another person's car, there are always a good 5 to 10 minutes of adjusting their seat so that my knees aren't under my chin and my head isn't sticking out the sun roof.

Through the years I've found there is only one real disadvantage to my height. And oh, how it plagues me. When I was younger, it caused a level of self-consciousness rivaled in my peers by severe acne or perhaps an extra head. Now that I'm older, it is still the butt of jokes by my co-workers (Graham). I confess to you now, in hopes my sisters will unite and rise together...

I have big feet.

Now, for my frame they don't look so out of place. But set my foot down next to the average woman's...and it's embarrassing. Hell, set it down by the average man's foot and I'd probably give him a run for his money. (But big hand and big feet...I swim like a fish.)

As I fluctuate between size 11 to 11 1/2, outfitting my feet in the latest fashions is sometimes difficult. It's always been this way. For my age I've always had a long, wide foot. Shoe salesladies would 'tut, tut' while measuring my foot. Quietly, they'd suggest something less fashionable, more orthopedic-looking apologizing that it appeared nothing else would fit me. My aunt and grandmother would travel to bigger cities, more specialized boutiques to find me Sunday shoes and summer sandals.

Nowadays, when I find a shoe that fits and looks good, I'm willing to drop any amount of money on the pair. It's my only respite. You can fix a hook nose, you can augment lop-sided breasts, you can suck half a human in fat out of your thighs, you can lose the four-eyes and have LASIK, there is even a surgery that can elongate stubby legs and make you taller.

But the truth remains: ain't no fixin' big feet.

So, imagine my delight to find out that Paris Hilton was coming out with a line of designer shoes.

Don't follow me?

Friends, Paris Hilton is one of those big-footed sisters I was talking about. She wears a size 11.


Hilton (and I) shares a size 11 status with Tyra Banks, Adrianne Curry, Geena Davis, Famke Janssen, Gabrielle Reece, Meg Ryan, Uma Thurman and Kate Winslet (even tiny little Audrey Hepburn wore a 10 1/2).

Admittedly, shoe size is probably all I have in common with any of those women.

Back to Paris' shoe line...go ahead Google it...on Zappos.com...they only go up to size 10! I know this is still large for most of you. But when you wear an 11...it's a slap in the face. After a lot of digging, I've found a vendor that has some 11's but they're limited in color and style. (Kitson is a good boutique site, by the way.)

It should be raining sizes 11 and 12s over there. That's all I'm saying.

Am I right, big-footed sisterhood?

Labels: feet, internet, just for fun, media, Paris Hilton, shoes, spending, weekend

Ah, I've got to tell, even among the controversy, I appreciated nearly every response to my previous blog posting. Now, though, I feel as though I should address a few things.

First, the issue of 'endorsing' a film. As reporters, we are encouraged to keep blogs. It allows us to connect with our readers and share information and opinions. I feel as long as it remains professional, honest and good-natured then I have a lot of freedom as to what I can reasonably post.
Example: I'd like to see the film No Country for Old Men. -- reasonable
I wrote the film No Country for Old Men. -- not reasonable

I don't think I underestimate my ability to influence when I say my blog is read by 6 loyal readers who are either related to me or are my friends -- either way, if my blog is providing a life-changing experience or paradigm altering event no one will be more surprised than me.

Now, my opinion was on the front page -- but that's more luck of the draw than my master plan to dominate the hearts and minds of our loyal readers. Copy editors need to have a refer to a blog and my blog had a picture (the movie poster.) So there you go. No grand designs.

Secondly, The Golden Compass.
Three points:
1. I am convinced children seeing this film will not be swayed into new-found atheism. The film has been watered down and children can appreciate many things without a thought to any agenda, real or implied.
2. I have read all three of the His Dark Materials books. And yes, they are anti-organized religion and anti-religious zealotry. They even kill a person called G-d.
I read each of them. I loved the books. Devoured them. And guess what? I still believe in G-d. Yep, that's right. Deep and abiding belief in a loving, wondrous G-d.
This book may be required reading at Atheist U, but it did nothing to hurt my belief. And those were the raw books. A water-down, PC-friendly 2 hour movie isn't going to rock very many boats.
3. This boycott...I tell ya, I hear boycott and I think, "I gotta see that...tell me more." Banned books are some of the all time bestsellers. Controversial musicians who have been boycotted by the Catholic League have gold records to show for it. Calling for a boycott of this movie has made every little rebel and junior shock-my-parents ready to be the first in line.
"Ooooh, let's go see the anti-G-d movie, that's so dark."
Why not tell people, "Hey, go see the movie if you like -- no pressure -- and if you have any questions about it, we'll talk."
If you turn every little controversy to a Bonfire of the Vanities...it's going to be counter-productive.

So, there's my bit.
I still want to see The Golden Compass. The reviews are lukewarm but that's fine by me. If you don't want to see, I respect that. If you don't want your kids to see it -- you're a parent and your jobs is taking care of your children, I respect that. But judge others based on if they want to see a film...I don't have much respect for that.

Labels: media, movie, power of the people

Link to site here


Despite significant technology shifts, however, Pew found that “today’s citizens are about as able to name their leaders, and are about as aware of major news events, as was the public nearly 20 years ago.”

(So don't blame my generation for 'dumbing down' America.)

The results about Fox News echo findings of previous surveys. In 2003, University of Maryland researchers studied the public’s belief in three false claims — that Iraq possessed WMD, that Iraq was involved in 9/11, and that there was international support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The researchers stated, “The extent of Americans’ misperceptions vary significantly depending on their source of news. Those who receive most of their news from Fox News are more likely than average to have misperceptions.” Fox News viewers were “three times more likely than the next nearest network to hold all three misperceptions.”

Is this a problem of being an irresponsible news consumer or an irresponsible news provider? Of course, one redeeming quality of the Fox News channel is the fact they aren't the ones airing Nancy Grace. That falls squarely on the shoulders of CNN.

Labels: media, news, survey