Home of the brash, outrageous and free.

So, where were we?

I needed a haircut. Because of my general screw-up nature, I put these things off and when I need a haircut, I need a haircut.
The last haircut I got was from this place downtown, right after I ordered Belle and Sebastian tickets (it was a good weekend all around). I like this place a lot: my hairdresser was comfortable with curly hair and friendly and I got to drool over this lovely wooden clutch I want.
I'm not the only one who's a fan of this salon. When I called for an appointment, it was three weeks until an opening that I wouldn't have to take personal time to get to.*
There's an Aveda salon in the same strip mall as my usual grocery store. I like Aveda stuff**, and a former coworker with kinda curly hair had said good things about it. Plus, as it turned out, they're a bit cheaper.*** Luckily, they had a spot with the curly expert.
Here's the haircut I got, soon after (Figure A):

I like the haircut, but I don't think I'll be going back to this place.
First of all, I'm a bit worried about how it's going to grow out. The layers all seem a bit too close in length, and I worry that it won't grow down so much as out.
But mainly, I was underwhelmed with my hairdresser. It's not just that we didn't click. It's not just that the only small-talk/personal question she asked me was if I was married.
Here follows a list of somewhat ridiculous, somewhat justified things I didn't like about her.

• When she used a product, she didn't tell me what it was. Even when the product in question was something we had talked about earlier (their hairwax in the deodorant/pushup type container--I used to use this all the time). How am I supposed to even attempt to duplicate her styling if I don't know what she's using? Also, don't salons make a profit when they sell products? Isn't it in her best interest to push their stuff on me?
  
• Curly hair can't be cut on one part, and then styled on another. I told her I part pretty severely to the side. She didn't ask me to demonstrate until I interrupted to mention my habits. She let me show where I part, which I did half-assedly (expecting her to pretty it up), and then she began cutting from there.
  
• OK, most have you have never seem my natural part. It's just to the side of a middle part. Just enough to make it look like I tried to have a middle part, but couldn't hack it. It's not cute. This is what she assumed I was using when I said, "I part my hair pretty far over to the side."
  
• I tend to tuck the right side behind my ear. Shorter bits are okay, because otherwise one side of my head's a lot bigger than the other (this is typical of curly hair, even when it's straightened), but it still needs to reach behind my ear. Long enough to reach behind my ear while sleek and smooth and wet and untouched is nowhere near long enough to reach behind my ear producted-up, blown dry, straightened, and producted some more.
  
• If it's too short, it knocks into my glasses. I don't think this woman had ever cut the hair of someone with glasses before.
  
• She kept asking me if I liked how it looked at times when I couldn't throw the specs on.
  
• She claimed there was no difference between ceramic and regular straightening irons. That's the first time I've ever heard that, from anyone.
  
• It was the shortest, least informative new client hair consultation I've ever had.
  
• I don't think she'd ever had a customer request "piece-y" before. I love piece-y hair. I can't do it, but I try to.
  
• My hair looks great right after someone else has beaten it into submission. I need a cut that is also going to look great after I've beaten it into submission.

It's not that my hair looks bad a week later, per se (Figure B), but I can't help but think it would look better and be easier to dominate if I had gone to the other place.

So next time, I'm planning in advance, paying the extra $10, and going to the place I can walk to from my apartment.

Figure B:


*Yeah, I thought about doing that.
**While I think Aveda makes a good product, mostly what I like about their stuff is the smell. It reminds me of the Wicca store on Carson St.
***Haircuts are possibly the only thing that I'm willing to pay a bit more for, because I've had so many shitty ones.

His telephone is found.

I get my hair cut about once every 5-6 months. I don't do this on purpose; it just kind of happens that way. I good haircut grows with your hair and keeps looking good, until one day I look in the mirror and hate everything.
It's triangle-y and flyaway and overwhelms my tiny face and makes my glasses look even more nerdishly crooked.*
And that's when I get the majority of it chopped off. This is something I've been doing for about 8 years now, since the first all-chopped-off my junior year of college. Before that, there were years of trimming the nasty ends but keeping length, which started as an attempt to even out the horrible layers.
OK, perhaps we should have some timeline action. Also, keep in mind that I have the worst kind of jewfro: some tight curls, some looser ones, frizzies, etc. etc.

1979: Born. Completely bald until 2.

1983 (about): OK, I have a really vague memory of having cute pigtail braids at a family function. Long ones.

1984: It's all chopped off evenly around my head. In kindergarten, I get mistaken for a boy in the bathroom. Or, some older girl thinks it's funny to call me a boy. Yeah, I was that kid, the one everyone thought it was fun to mess with.
late 80s-mid 90s: The hair gets longer, but the top layers are still short. This haircut is why I hate my childhood pictures, and (if I could get real emo for a second) kinda the main reason behind every "I'm ugly" thought I've ever had.

1994 or so: Start growing the top layers out. Little boxy for a bit, but somehow works well with the stereotypically mid90s weird kid look I begin cultivating, after realizing how hardcore I suck at looking normal.**
This is also when I begin with the black hair dye, and when I realize that changing up the wash/dry/braid/whathaveyou cycle even a little causes my hair to look dramatically different.

1996 (at least, I think so; my mom doesn't remember this at all): Realizing that my hair won't take any fun colors without bleach, I come up with a plan to take the color out of a chunk of my hair, a la Caitlyn from Degrassi(see Fig A). Then, the plan went, I would dye it various colors. I enlisted Kerenq Gilboa and we commandeered some black hair dye (for the rest of my head), some facial bleach (I know!!), and a bathroom in her house. I don't think any pictures survive of this look, but I bet they'd be hilarious.

1998: Before my intro to mass comm recitation, I get all my hair chopped off at a trusted salon. It looks very cute.
This is when I switch over to red dye sometimes.


Fig A:





*'Nother xboy gem:
Jessy--Do you think my glasses are noticibly crooked to everyone, or is it me?
Andy--I love your crooked glasses and how nerdy they make you look.
Points for trying, right?

**Seriously--I'm terrible at looking like everyone else. Even as a Halloween costume. Cara's Certain Filmmaking X makes a better Republican than I do a sorority girl.

you'll read it in a book tonight

I read all the damn time, and I read fast. Sometimes, I review things. Other times, I say I'm going to review something and then never get around to it. Or, I have a great review written in my head, while I'm flossing or something (someday, the fact that I never listen to "Health in a Heartbeat" is going to kick my ass), and then forget all the best parts when I can actually write it down.
This is why I would make a terrible actual writer. When I come up with the best stuff is when I physically cannot get any of it down, or even say it outloud half the time.
So I'm trying a new experiment. I'm going to use LibraryThing. You'll notice, once you link on over, that my tags are actually tiny little opinions.
I'll still be reviewing things here on occasion, but this seems like a way of keeping track of what I read that I'll actually keep up with.

I'm also planning on linking to my LibraryThing from my work-related stuff, as sort of a "see what the librarian is reading" dealie. Has anyone else done this?

Germany will not tolerate hooliganism.

Billboard June 3

• "Hooliganism" is such a great word.
  
• Edie Brickell is apparently back in "the game".
  
• meh
  
• The guest opinion guy this time is connecting Pete Seeger and social networking sites...hmmm
  
• So, do you (non-librarian) guys know about DOPA?
  
• Yeah, pay attention to that part about it not only blocking MySpace in libraries, but also IM and Blogger.
  
• Have I mentioned that my library has 2 blogs on Blogger, IM reference, and a MySpace page?
  
• Ian Copeland died.
  
• There's a picture of Robbie Williams and iTunes decided to play "53rd & 3rd".
  
• I like that combination.
  
• I have no idea what that means.
  
• Cheap Trick and Radio Birdman both have new records coming out.
  
• I don't know what that means, either.
  
• Andy The X talked about getting a tattoo of the Radio Birdman logo.
  
• And he once traded a painting for some tattoo work that, as far as I know, he never got.
  
• He didn't want me to use any of it, because he didn't want that tattoo to remind me unfavorably of him.
  
• Yep, we actually had that conversation.
  
• blah blah, brands/companies teaming with musicians for ad use, etc.
  
• How is this news?
  
• This is a trend like plate tectonics is a trend.
  
• Although, if you believe made-for-TV movies about "the big one", plate tectonics and continental drift work at the speed of light!
  
• Well, maybe not that fast.
  
• Speed of sound?
  
• Why do I think that "speed of a broken heart" is a line from a bad power ballad?
  
• And, yes, I know there's no such thing as a bad power ballad.
  
• According to Blingo, however, no dice.
  
• You know, Billboard, if the tagline for an article includes the word "crafty" I expect to see some damn crafts.
  
• Like, Mariah Carey macrame-ing and shit.
  
• OK, who DOESN'T want to see Mariah Carey macrame-ing?
  
• Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
  
• Or selling something.
  
• So, I'm pretty sure this is the digital camera I'm getting.
  
• It comes in red.
  
• And has an optical zoom.
  
• I played with it in the store and liked it, and online-reviewer-type-people seem to like it too.
  
• I need to get it before the 22, so I can take non-sucky pictures at ALA.
  
• Last year, Marissa got her picture taken with the Baker and Taylor cats and I am very jealous.
  
• Of course, I have that ridiculous picture of my cheesy grin and Francesca Lia Block, so I guess I can't complain.
  
• But you know how I love mascot costumes...
  
• Does anyone know if the Erasure unplugged stuff is available to listen anywhere online?
  
• Preferably for free?
  
• I'm intrigued.
  
• bingo

My library wins again.

...because we're better endowed.

(sorry--couldn't help the terrible joke)

power trips down lovers lane

...or a jaunt down memory lane with Melissa.
Remember how damn funny this was?
It says it has no comments, but it lies. Click on "Comment" to read others' hilarity.

I heart kids' book reviews.

It's about the Holocaust + this girl named Anne Marie + she has a friend named Ellen WHICH is a Jew!!

You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline.

Billboard May 27

• Here's Belle & Sebastian covering "Borderline".
• It's quite possibly the best thing I've seen all week.
• That and the little squishy red bear I got from a gumball machine in Steak 'n' Shake last night on Melissa's quarter.
• It's been a rough week.
  
• But, on the plus side, I do enjoy bullying my patrons into signing up for the summer reading program.
• Wow, that magic show is loud.
• Really, public librarians have the strangest jobs.
• Oh! The other day's due date was my birthday.
  
• I tried to help out on the circ desk as much as possible.
• Everyone likes an "adult" constantly reminding them that June 27 is that adult's birthday, right?
• Right?
• I've decided that what I really really want for my birthday is internet signup software.
• Santa? You listening?
• But for everyone who can't afford that, here's some tips.
  
• If you'll be at ALA, you can give me my present in person.
• Seriously, who's going to be at ALA this year? I don't know of anyone else yet.
• Of course, it's not like I'm not used to doing things by myself, but company's always fun too.
  
• It's all thundery.
• Who heard Terry's interview with Leonard Cohen last week?
• It was really amazing. He read brand new stuff.
• Damn, it's raining hard.
• And one of my tires is really low.
• Hopefully, it'll hold out til tomorrow.
• 6 question is with Joan Jett!
  
• I do so love her.
• She's so bad ass.
• Here ends the June 1 portion.

***

• Here begins the June 2 portion.
• I'm now super-excited about this idea.
• Of course, it does involve buying the Post Secret book for work, but that's just a risk I'm going to have to take.
• Damn, I keep forgetting about how I need to buy the new Walkmen album.
• Of course, I also need a haircut, some prescription strength flea stuff for the jerks, and maybe a new tire for Junior.
• And a less craptacular digital camera.
• I want one with a zoomyzoom.
• Damn, when's this coffee going to kick in?
  
• If I got decaf I'm gonna be PISSED.
• Well, in a very sedate kind of way.
  
• So more like PISSED.
• OK, I'm now convinced that was decaf.
• When I finally wake up, I'm so kicking Ronald McDonald's ass.
• I'm also blogging about the huge disappointment that was jPod.
• Especially since Dave Itzkoff didn't agree with me.
• Which is kind of strange, given what a crank he can come off as.
• Not that I don't like his writing.
• I was just expecting something different from Lads.
• Or maybe I'm just the crank.
• Everyone out there in my enormous readership is nodding their heads in agreement right now, aren't they?