The Aerie
Now THERE'S something you don't see every day.
I was strolling back from lunch today and I saw a woman who was seven feet tall.
Literally. Actually. Really.
She and her friend were evidently basketball players: both were wearing cotton gym shirts and baggy athletic shorts. As far as I could tell they were out of town visitors - they seemed to be speaking something other than English, but I couldn't tell you what. Both were blond.
When I deliberately focused upon her, I realized that the "shorter" woman was at least six-foot-one. Normally THAT would be mildly noticeable. But Miss 6'1" did not top the shoulder of Seven Footer. The top of her head was well below the other woman's shoulder.
The woman caused my brain to generate optical illusions: she was actually "mind-boggling." Spotting this giant moving through Marshall Fields, my brain attempted to correct the image. For a moment she was a normal sized woman, surrounded by Munchkins, and moving among tiny, squashed display tables. When I glanced upwards my brain recompensated again: now she was a normal sized woman standing on a chair, surrounded by other normal sized people. When I couldn't see her legs, my brain refused to believe that they reached the ground.
I rarely ever wish I had a camera-phone, but this was definitely one of those moments. Just as well that I didn't though: such an act would be terribly rude, and the resulting photograph just wouldn't be able to communicate the reality.
Posted by Albatross at June 3, 2004 2:38 PM