A Great Day

After weeks of putting up with heavy hair and split ends, I finally carved some time out of my day and went to Earl for a haircut. Well, I actually don't remember if his name is Earl or not. When I called to set up my appointment, I just asked for the old man. But I'll call him Earl in this story for simplicity's sake (and because he kinda looks like one).

So anyway, I called the salon and asked to get a haircut.

"Of course," said the receptionist. "And who would you like to have cut your hair today?"

"Well, I don't really remember his name. But he's kind of an older fellow..."

"Oh, the Cowboy?" she asked.

"Sure, I guess. I just remember him being old."

That's basically how I set up my hair appointment. No joke.

But I was determined to have an appointment with Earl. You see, Earl and I met by accident. It was quite serendipitous, really. The last time I went to Salon Take 5 (in the spring), I set up my appointment last minute and the "new guy" was the only one available that day.

I didn't think anything about it, until I showed up at the salon and the new guy turned out to be a 65-year-old horse trainer/haircutting extraordinaire with a smoker's rasp and the funniest stories I've ever heard. While I was initially skeptical, Earl and I immediately bonded over Paradise Valley, Montana (I used to live there and he visits friends there often), and when I left with the best haircut I've ever had, I became a loyal client forever.

So naturally, while I couldn't remember my excellent friend's name, I remembered that I definitely wanted him to cut my hair again.

Haircuts from Earl are always interesting. For example, today's stories included how he is currently dating a few ladies for whom he used to cut hair when they were children. As he said, fifteen years makes a much bigger difference when the spread is 15 yrs to 30 yrs old, but it doesn't matter now, when it's 50 to 65 yrs old. He also talked about being friends with former owners of Warner Brothers, and he recounted his escapades of hitting on the wives of famous actors. I love that man. He's such a hoot.

And now, an hour later (after delightful conversation and a wonderful nap while he dried my hair), I have a great haircut and my head feels a few pounds lighter. Today's a great day. I kinda feel like dancing down the sidewalk in this beautiful weather.

On a side note, I've decided that you should never cross a woman after she's gotten a new hair cut. There's a huge power boost that comes with changing something as drastic as hair. I mean, there's definitely a reason we get our hair cut after breakups and before big events.