A haircut that becomes everything but

So I understand living in San Francisco is going to take some adjustments on my part. Not everything will be the same in the big city as compared to the suburbs, doubly so when you consider that city is San Fran. Well today I went for a rather mundane and monthly errand of getting my hair cut. Down in the south bay this would entail a quick trip to a barber where in no more than 15-20 minutes of razor and scissor action I will be up and out and about my way. This time was just a smidgen different.

I found a new barber shop that is just a couple of blocks from my house, but as I have learned there are no standard barber shops, they are all salons. But regardless I decide to venture and give it a shot. There is a single guy working the chairs working on a patron who I am still struggling to determine if male or female. Patron had a voice of a female, but the face of a male. I am still working on this, but lets move on. The cosmetologist (hair stylist) begins with me at high noon. I should have been a little worried when he starts by asking how I have perfect skin. Yes you pretty single girls, apparently I have perfect skin. The cut takes not only a full hour but entails two shampooing and of course a conditioning, for one can not have a shampoo without conditioner. Before you ask the question, my hair was clean prior to my arrival apparently multiple shampooings are part of the service. My barber was definitely a perfectionist, but he was ‘getting to know my hair’. Theoretically the more time he works with it, the faster he will become, but it takes time for him to learn my hair. This is all well over my head, literally. After all of the spins, turns and washes I walk out with the same hair cut from down south but the experience was well worth the time.

This week was spent working on applications with a total of 9 full essays being written. If you think that is not a huge source of fun, well you are absolutely right. Friday night however I went to a hat party. No this is not some weird ritual for the beginning of winter, rather a way for a good friend to try to celebrate while she had to have her head shaven as she is in the midst of some intense chemo. C is an unbelievably strong person for both her family and her friends keeping up the good humor while going through this terrible scary time. I give her so much credit.

Between that and going out for dinner on Saturday night also in the south bay I seem to be making more trips to the south bay in the evenings now that I am in the city than I did while I was down there. How perplexing.

Today in 1974 Oskar Schindler died, a man who saved over 1200 Jews during the holocaust. Let us take a moment to reflect on people who take the hard road because they know it is the right thing to do. People who face ridicule, physical hardship, and all other varieties of retribution for taking a stand when others will not. Our thanks to them.