First off, let me apologize for being so lax lately in making my blog days. Looonnnggg story and lots of excuses, but let’s just say that hopefully I’ll do better in the future. Life has been insane on a couple levels, but I am taking an Early Retirement Buyout from my company and after August 31, life will hopefully settle down. Fingers crossed.
Now, on to my day today. I’m burning some vacation days and checking things off my To Do List. Today was my day to finally find a new hair salon closer to home. It’s only been three years since we moved, and in my defense I did try one other before racing forty miles back to my old salon. I guess that statement makes me sound like a girly girl, but really, I’m anything but. I don’t ask much. An easy to maintain cut and natural highlights. It didn’t turn out bad. A little more blonde than the subtle highlights I requested, but all in all, it’ll do.
But I digress. At the risk of insulting all the wonderful women friends I have, what I learned today is that I really stink at girly talk. Not only am I not good at it, it makes me nuts.
Sitting in the quaint little salon, I absorbed all the chatter. Hey, I’m a writer and it is novel fodder, right?
One lady went on and on about how much she wanted her son, Jared? Jarett? Jaron? Whatever, one of the J names. (And I can say that as I have two sons and two grandsons, all with J names) Anyway, she desperately wanted Jay Whatever to realize that he should marry Natalie. I heard all her son’s wonderful attributes from his tall good looks, to his recently acquired accounting degree and fantastic new job, to how he played guitar in his church. Someone should nominate this guy for sainthood. Then we were on to Natalie and how perfect of a wife she would make for Jay Whatever and how Mom sent him pictures of Natalie and told him all about her and vice versa. How she arranged for Natalie to drop by this past weekend when Jay was home. These two people grew up together and even went to the same church, so I’m thinking they should know whether there was any chemistry between them, right? I so wanted to tell the woman that with all her motherly good intentions, she was signing poor Natalie’s death sentence with Jay Whatever. But I very diplomatically kept quiet. Aren’t you proud of me?
When the women behind me started discussing shoes, I wanted to fold my legs beneath me and hide my plain black Nike flip flops. But then I noticed the woman two chairs down had on the $3 variety you can pick up at any discount store and she seemed fine with the conversation, so I relaxed. Still, are there really that many varieties of flip flops? Who knew?
But here is the part that really interested me. The stylists were all young and there were a couple young girls in for cuts before they returned to college. So we were treated to the typical boyfriend and dating horrors. I felt sorry for any guy who even attempted to decipher what made these girls tick. But the fun part was watching the poor teenage boy who was in for a cut and highlight. The guy looked like a deer in the headlights and hardly opened his mouth. When the stylist was finally done with his hair, he raced out of there so fast he left a Texas dust devil of flying hair behind.
Wow, when my critique partners call me the token male of our group, I think I’m flattered.
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14 comments:
Isn't it amazing what people will spill to their hair dresser and each other in the salon? And that's without the alcohol bartenders serve!
You have to wonder if Vegas rules apply!
Hi Liese,
Thanks for stopping by. It is amazing what people tell their beauticians. Can you imagine what they'd say if alcohol were involved? Talk about novel fodder. Hehehe.
speaking as a mother who has been trying to marry off her son at every chance I get - i understand poor mom at the salon. lol- and yes- I gave y son a J name too! LOL though I did name my daughter with an E - : )
and i can talk shoes- so I guess I should start hanging out at salons - let me know if you ever have an appointment when someone is trying to marry of their daughter - lol.
I was at the salon and overheard a woman talking about leaving Dallas because she hadn't met any people (meaning of her status). Then she went to a party and had a magical time. Ended up walking in the moonlight with so and so and no, she didn't have sex.
Yikes!
Chris, you are so funny. Gotta love those J names. Ha. My oldest son's wife is also a J name. Before my younger son married, he said, "I don't know who I'm going to marry, but her name will NOT start with a J." He married a Gretchen.
I was never inclined to try to tell either boy who TO marry, but there were a few options who I really had to bite my tongue to keep from discouraging.
Hi Vicki,
There was only one discussion that actually mentioned sex, the mother of Jay Whatever. She seems to believe that he is out of college and working and still a virgin even though he's had plenty of opportunities. Sainthood I tell ya!
My hairdresser is a wonderful man who is flamin and I love him. So I get to hear all kinds of things from him and nothing that I will ever use in a book.
As the step-mother of a shy son who doesn't date much, I would love to find a girl for him, but I've decided that is an area in his life that is NOMB. None of My Business. But I've told him that we will accept and love whoever he chooses as long as they don't live with us.
Sylvia, I think I used to go to the same hair dresser. Best haircuts I ever had.
It must be hard to be a guy AND shy. But I am right there with you on accepting whoever they choose. Mine did live with us after they got out of the Army. Glad to be there for them, but we were all glad when we again had our own places. Not easy.
Pamela, I laughed when I read this blog. I love "eavesdropping" on those stories and unlike you, have trouble keeping my opinions to myself.
Women's bathrooms seem to be another place where women share the most personal, private info out loud, and I am always fascinated (and sometimes utterly astonished) at what I've learned when I only needed to use the facilities.
Oh Ann. Right there with you. The other day the woman in the stall next to me actually answered her cell phone and proceeded to have a conversation. I sat there a second and tried to decide, "To flush or not to flush?" Finally I decided that it wasn't ME who answered my cell, flushed and went on my way. I tell ya. It's a whole new world.
Posting on behalf of Jillian Burns.
My hairstylist was only 21 when I started going to her. She had a naval piercing and her earlobes had holes that were wider in diameter than a nickel, and her hair was bright orange or some of it was. She was married to a guy named MIST, who was an electronic musician? Over the past 15 years, it's been amazing watching her grow up, mature, lose the weird hair colors, grow in her ears, lose the first husband, find a more stable guy, get married again, and now she has a one year old cutie. Over the years I've brought my two oldest to her for their first "salon" cut when they were in their teens, and now, next week, I'm taking my baby girl to her for her first "salon" cut. She's starting 7th grade and excited. The salon she worked at always had punk music up so loud there wasn't any conversation going on, so I missed out on that. But I used Melody, my hairdresser, as inspiration for the free-spirited herbalist masseuse in my second Blaze. She loved that.
Jillian Burns
Sylvia and I definitely have the same hairdresser! He kept me up to date on one of his clients who was in a similar romantic situation to mine--reconnection after 35-40 years. Her situation didn't work out; mine did. Wonder how many of his customers know more about my life than people I actually know?
Pam I am so definitely not a girly girl. I don't talk the talk at all. I think my hair dressers tells me more about her husband and kids than I've every divulged to her (although she always asks about my writing). LOL
I can talk shoes a bit, although not the really expensive ones, I'd have no clue since I don't buy anything not on sale.
I have been going to the same hairdresser for several years though, even when SHE moved farther away.
Linda, my thought exactly. I'm really hesitant to tell too much because everyone in town will know my story. Ha.
Kathy, we do have a lot in common. I can talk flip flops, but that's about it.
Thanks for stopping by.
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