When it’s time for a haircut, it’s time for a haircut. I become Rainman-like in my need to get it handled, changing any other plans I might have had if necessary. I can only stand a “dirty” neckline for so long before I need to be clipped, trimmed and coiffed. In stark contrast to my compulsion to get a haircut is my desire to spend as little as possible. I have short, simple hair, and have a driving desire to get it over with (no doubt from Mom or Dad’s “gentle” hand in all those home cuts I received as a child). I go to a place a couple of blocks away and usually have a nominal visit.

But as it goes, I find it to be like gambling a little bit. Who am I going to get this time? There are a few stylists–one in particular–who talks non-stop about the most inappropriate stuff. Her name is Cathy, and she is chatty as hell.

This what I gleaned while sitting in the chair for forty minutes (twice as long as necessary for this head o’ hair):

  1. Her ex-boyfriend wants to move into her basement (and I think she said he was now dating her daughter). “He pulled a Woody, huh?”
  2. Said daughter is against the move-in, not for reasons you might think, but because she thinks the basement is haunted. “Maybe there was a previous love triangle murder there before yours started.”
  3. The stylist has been having terrible headaches and in spite of a negative MRI think it’s brain cancer. “If the ghost doesn’t get you, this will.”
  4. Her mother lives in a rat-infested building “because she leaves her door open.” “Who let the rats out?”
  5. When a gentleman in a wheelchair entered the establishment and was getting situated with another stylist, Cathy thankfully mouthed “Sad” to me so I’d know the appropriate emotion to feel. I mean, is that service or what?!

See you next time, Cathy!

0 thoughts on “Five Gems Shared at the Chop Shop”

  1. This is so funny and so true, Ron. One good thing though, it did you blog inspiration and if you ever plan to write a book, oh the wonderful dialogue, huh? I love this funny of you. GREAT POST and I hope you at least got a nice haircut out of this 45 minutes. 😀

    1. Thanks, Brigitte. It was fun to feel the impulse to writing something funny. I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. I surely enjoyed writing it. She was pretty annoying until I realized it was perfect blog fodder.

  2. Holy cow, Ron … and I thought our town had cornered the market on kooky hairdressers! Do you think it’s all that hairspray they inhale?

    I can pretty much lay odds with my hairdresser that if she’s really booked up she has my hair cut in about 25 minutes. But if she only has 2 or 3 people booked for the day I can count on being her entertainment for about an hour and a half!

    Anyway, I enjoyed your humorous take on things today, Ron. Thanks for the lift! Take care.

  3. This is great. I love the girl who does my hair, but she seems to know just how to spark up that gossip-y side out of me. I’m not one to talk about others usually, but I guess it’s the fact that she knows so much about a lot of people around town (including my long term ex-boyfriend, girls who got knocked up in high school, etc.). I think this is true of all hairdressers, for the most part. She does most of the talking, and I just sit back and listen to her ramble about people. My best friend is less entertained by her hairdresser- “I don’t even know what she’s talking about! Seriously, she’ll cut her self off and go into another conversation, and answer her own questions- I don’t know what to do! It makes me a nervous wreck!” Entertained or not, they must do good hair if we keep going back!

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