19.7.08

coiffeur (and other) blues, until now

I finally got a good haircut. I didn't tell you but I had one shortly after my move and for the first time in years ended up in tears with how bad it was. I felt so stupid but honestly it looked horrendous. It is so frigging hard to find new haircut people when one is addicted to fun short haircuts. gah!

Anyway I had seen a woman in the library a few weeks ago with great short hair (like mine usually is :) and I asked her where she went so I called them day before yesterday. A fair amount pricier than I usually stand but that's how upset I was in May and I couldn't risk it again with school approaching. I mean I'm freaked out enough about the onslaught without not being able to depend on my hair looking fun and Susan-y. Even writing this I still feel pretty superficial putting such stock in appearance-oriented crap but I'm not a fashion bug nor do I go in for make-up and all the other accoutrements of being a stylish normal modern American female so my (usually) incredibly fun hair is the one life preserver I have cosmetically, my sole nod to the art of making oneself look presentable.

So. I walked into H*ir South (braced to spend $33 - a fair chunk outside my normal haircut price limit as most of you know) and sat down. As each stylist finished what they were working on I had more or less hopes they would turn to me. The first was pretty cool but had that ubiquitous wedgy-back haircut the preference for which I think is connected to some chemical in the SC/NC water supply or something. Seriously you can't spit without hitting these things. So I immediately thought she would not be able to think out of the box, altho at least she was kind of with the times. An older lady with a really fun short haircut was my frontrunner; obviously she knew short hair and personal, individualized style! I want her! Yes!! She's almost finished, she will turn to me now... but no, she went back in the back to stock shampoo or something and I was forced to realize that the only one left, finishing a man's cut, the other older lady with the (I'm not kidding) Doris Day* hair was probably for me.

stolen image - apology prayers to the internet gods

Later Doris, not early Doris - and -OK, to be honest - minus the puffy top, otherwise Doris to a T.

My heart sank. There's no way a gray-haired Doris impersonator with orthopedic work sandals (I just noticed) on could make my hair fun. (Actually the gray part was in her favor since at least I was pretty sure she wouldn't be trying to talk me into coloring mine away like my old stylist in Cleveland - great haircuts but shut up about the gray already!) But what was I going to do? She did in fact come to get me once the guy was done and I decided to bite the bullet.

I had dug out some pix from years ago to take with me just to show the basic shape/length I was shooting for and Doris Maggie, stylist extraordinaire, actually listened to what I said and even read my mind about a couple of things, all the while cutting so as to compensate for the incredible mess the last person had made. I had let it grow out about twice as much as usual (also had been dreading trying another new person so the growing out wasn't THAT much of a sacrifice, I admit) so she'd have plenty to work with. The last person basically left me looking like something just this side of a new US Marine recruit crossed with an Elvis impersonator, so the hair on the sides and back STILL -after 8 weeks- needed no length off but the top was approaching bouffant. Maggie fixed the top to blend in and trimmed the edges a bit and we will keep working to get volume grown back in on the sides and back. She worked miracles on getting the top to work in such a way that even with the dearth of hair on the sides it looks like it usually used to, but better, too.

This entry, and my catching up on a few emails last night and today, and feeling - almost - like digging in on schoolwork are probably all thanks to my head feeling better, inside and out. It's the first day in a while I haven't gone straight to the couch and stayed there the bulk of the day to continue my escapist reading and/or DVD binging. OK well that's not entirely accurate, I've run the odd errand and finally started going to the gym again (which might also have helped since its mental benefits are probably kicking in right about now, too).

So there. I'm not going to jinx things by saying I'm back; I guess I'm just peeking out thru the shutters kind of.

Bai.

*Don't get me wrong - I love Doris, but I don't really want her hair - except maybe from her early movies in certain cases.

2 commentaires:

ap a dit…

Sometimes I just wish they had buzz cut specialists that charged an even 10 bucks (including tips).

-nn

Applecart T. a dit…

i was all set to get my hair cut on my birthday, but i got up too early (not on purpose), around 5, and by the time the walk-in hair place with the one guy who can cut hair well and who is always busy was open, i was unmotivated again.

this from the girl whose heart rate and blood pressure go up from just waiting for a new driver's license eye test and photo!

hair makes much difference in life.

so does air conditioning.

i noticed from the handy graph the power company provides online, that we spent more electricity in january and february than in may or june (or other months) by about twice. can the vornado really consume that much power?