Snip Snip Snip..

Haircuts..

Yeah, you dont often see posts on mundane topics like haircuts, but then again, I just could not resist..

I decided to go and finally get one yesterday (on Dec. 3, 2005.. this is just in case blogspot screws up the current date/time) braving the cold, the wind and the snow. An activity that I had put off for quite some time, since I'm always finding myself short of time during the semester.

I guess lesser people cut their hair in winter, as their "delicate heads" need protection from the cold..

I have to digress for a moment here. There are a lot of people here, who think that having hair on their head will protect it from sub zero temperatures! Amazing.. every single person here wears a winter cap, irrespective of whether they are bald or have a flowing mane! And yet, I cant figure why people are so hesitant to cut their hair in winter.

Example idiotic replies that I have encountered:

"I want to let my hair grow and see if this new look suits me".

"Man, it's better to have some hair during the winter!"

There's a limit to saving money. And a limit to being plain lazy. That's all I gotta say about that (ala Forrest Gump..)

Coming back..This was a rare weekend, considering that I had no assignments, and one final to study for, but that's on Wednesday, and no sane engineer will start studying for a Wed-exam on the previous weekend!!
(My tense in this sentence seems to be awkward.. but anyway..)

Bottom line, I had time for a haircut! So off I went to "Supercuts" on Roosevelt Street at 5 pm. My 2nd haircut in the USA.

So I enter the "salon" (vs. saloon in India) , sign in my name on a register (more like a wait-list), specify if I have come in only for a haircut or a haircut/shampoo combo, wait for around 15 minutes (the first time around, I had waited for over 30 minutes.. ).

And once my turn comes, the "hair-stylist" (a.k.a barber) calls out my name and "offers" me a shampoo service. Coz if she didn't, the haircut is free.
(yes, "she".. News Flash! Most barbers here are women.. at least @ Supercuts)
Can you believe that? Imagine such a concept in India..

And the haircut takes 30 minutes minimum. At the end of which, you shell out $10 , inclusive tip!! A tip... I would get the same service, and in half the time, in India for 50 cents - Rs. 20 - and without giving any tip.

But I must give credit to these "hair-stylists" here. I started chatting with mine, and she says that she had to undergo a 1 year training course, before she became a certified barber! Part of the course involves "socializing" with the customer. She's from Lebanon. I was getting my hair trimmed by a Lebanese woman in the United States...

I thought that it wouldn't take me more than 15 minutes to write this out. It's taken me well over 45 mins! Man, I'm one slow blogger..

I have another final on Thursday, but it's optional, and I'm going to waste the rest of my Sunday thinking about whether I should write it or not. I most probably won't, when the alternative is to submit an "assignment report" (on deployment of Enterprise Java Stateful/Stateless Beans) that should not take more than an hour to prepare, considering I have a laptop and Google on my side.