I learned a few extremely important lessons today: 1. Not all people appreciate sarcasm—who knew! 2. It is very easy for me to envision something while someone else has a different perspective on the matter. 3. You should always be polite to your hairdresser (or anyone else holding scissors next to your head). 4. Apparently a ½ of an inch is not the same measurement to everyone. 5. If your hairdresser cannot schedule and appointment for you right away it’s probably a safe bet to just wait rather than find an alternative plan.
If asked, I’m not sure that I’d be able to put any of these lessons in order of importance; as I see it they all go hand in and especially if you want a positive outcome. Let’s rewind a bit just so I can explain why and how I was lucky enough to be a part of this “teachable moment.” (This will be explained not in the order it was listed above—like I said I cannot put these lessons into order of importance!)
You should always be polite to your hairdresser. Have you ever stopped to think about the amount of trust you put into the hands of your hairdresser? Once you lower yourself into the barber’s chair and the cape is snuggly placed around your neck all power is out of your hands and bestowed upon the person who is launching themself at your head with a sharp object. With one wrong flick of the wrist you can go from beauty queen to ogre; you can go from having two ears to one. The worst thing you can do when entrusting your aesthetic appearance to another person is to piss them off!
It is very easy for me to envision something while someone else has a different perspective. Apparently a ½ of an inch is not the same measurement to everyone. (For purpose of explanation these two lessons go hand in hand.) As I entered the salon today I was already feeling a bit apprehensive, however, after several arguments with myself in my head I quickly “checked in” and waited for my name, or fate, to be called. Once my “stylist” (or so well refer to her as) asked what I wanted to do with my hair I began to explain: “I’m just here for a quick trim. Maybe a ½ inch off the length and then my bangs trimmed back. I’m growing my hair out so I’d really like to not take much off.” This is where it all went wrong!
Apparently this is what the “stylist” (still trying to think of a better name for her) heard: “I really would like a new hair style. Maybe something longer in the front and a lot shorter in the back; not quite a bob but not quite a wedge. I am trying to grow out my hair; however, I give up. Just go ahead and cut it.” (See where this is beginning to take a turn for the worst?) Well, in the midst of all this miscommunication a chainsaw (my new word for the “stylists’” scissors) came out and my lovely locks were being chopped down faster than a tree standing in the way of an upcoming suburban home development. You can only imagine what came next…….yep, you guessed it—a disaster! As she spins me around (Which is another crazy thing—why are you not allowed to watch your “stylist” cut your hair? Why even have a 3x3 foot mirror if you aren’t going to use it? Seriously, even if you don’t like what they are doing what are you really going to say to a person who has a sharp object next to your face?) and the color drains from my face.
As I see my refection I see a person that has my face but not my hair! What happened to my hair!?! Not only did she cut my hair short in the back but the front is significantly shorter as well. So now my ½ inch trim went to 3 inches off in the front and 5-6 in the back! Seriously, where did this “stylist” go to school? Was she never taught to use a ruler? Did she even really pass 3rd grade or did she drop out before the measurement unit?
This takes me to my next “lesson.” Not all people appreciate sarcasm. After I finally got the look of death off my face I quickly gathered my belongings and headed to the register. As my “stylist” (Satan) proceeded to swipe my credit card I was debating what to do about the “tip” situation. I stared at the “tip” line and was dumbfounded as to what number I should enter. Did I even need to enter a number at all? I did have coin purse full of pennies! As all of this was processing through my mind my mouth began to open and make a noise on its own; “Can I write down that I want to leave a negative tip amount?” (Ok so maybe this wasn’t exactly sarcasm, however, I definitely tried to play it off that way.) I’m not sure if my “stylist” had the blank look on her face because she was in shock or because she is a closet serial killer who was about to take my life. Either way, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.
If your hairdresser cannot schedule and appointment for you right away it’s probably a safe bet to just wait rather than find an alternative plan. As always, hindsight is a bitch! I suppose this whole traumatic situation can be blamed on the fact that I failed to plan in advance when I knew I needed my hair trimmed for an upcoming event. In my defense, I usually never have a problem getting an appointment right away and thus never think to call until I’m on my way to the salon.
In all lessons we learn in life there are two ways in which you can learn them: the easy way or the hard way. In this case, I most definitely learned mine the hard way. I guess at the end of the day it’s just hair and will eventually all grow back; in the meantime, are there any of my friends who own a hat shop?
:o) Brit
No comments:
Post a Comment