Rosslyn Haircuts and Dilating Shapes

This week was eventful insofar as haircuts go. I was in need of a little trim so I looked up some nearby barbershops on Yelp and found one highly recommended and very close to my house. When I walked in you'd have thought I was in a nail parlor or a dry cleaning establishment- all Asians! I have had my hair cut by a Latino, an Arab, an American, and an Antarctican penguin but never an Asian. But, as I could see because it was prominently displayed on the mirror, this salonist was certified to cut hair... at least until December 2009. Yes, his cosmotology license had expired over a year ago and still he was showcasing it as if he had graduated tomorrow. And then he turned my chair around so that I was not facing his mirror. I think he called it 'a surprise cut.' Either he wanted me to be surprised or he wanted to get a better view of the television.
The best part of the haircut was the end when he gave me a warm water straight edge shave of my neck and sideburns. It felt like I was in the Wild Wild West. They were very eager to give beard trims at this establishment. The Asian woman cutting next to me asked her client no less than 11 times if she could shave his scruff for him.
"I cut your beard, Sir?"
"No, no thank. I'll shave when I get home."
"I will do a really great job! I shave, yes?"
"Umm, no, thank you. I like the rough look." [Now repeat 5.5 more times.]
All in all I was very pleased with my haircut and it was very reasonably priced. If you need a place to get a trim in Rosslyn, give me a call.
A funny occurrence happened at school while I was teaching about shape dilations.
 I asked:
"Okay, where have you heard of dilations in real life?"
"When you're pregnant they always talk about dilating."
"When you go to do the doctor they shine a light in your eye to see if it dilates."
"When you smoke crack you get all messed up in your eyes and they dilate."
"Okay... I can't confirm that but I believe you that it's correct."

Showers, Birthdays, and Soft Hair

This week many things happened. Not among the least of them, I showered a record four times. They were all on one day, but at least I got to four in one week (I'm working up to seven). I also recorded a birthday. My friend Mike turned 25 on Tuesday so I gave him a ring-a-ding and then scratched the day into my stone wall, thus marking it for all posterity. I also threw a party for myself in honor of the day my mother successfully bore me. She's only bored me once in twenty five years of knowing her so each year on the anniversary I like to have a little fete.
Since it was my party and I was hosting it I figured I'd better do what I need to do in order to make it enjoyable. (There were a record eleven letter 'i's in that sentence). So what do I enjoy? Good friends who are female and rice cakes. Two men were invited but ruefully theirs they didn't show up. My aunt and uncle with whom I gratefully live with were quite pleased with the outpouring of estrogen in the house. As for party food- it didn't make much sense to buy something I didn't plan on eating so I purchased rice cakes. If you don't like rice cakes you can buy whatever food you want on your own anniversary of maternal boredom, but as for me and my house we will  eat rice cakes. We all had a risible time together, myself especially, and I'm looking forward to renting a car in the future. Twenty Four was my favorite age thus far but that doesn't mean things can't get better!