Summer Shearing

People without much hair, have no idea what those of us who are more hirsute endure during the summer. Those of us who are patchily hairy are even more unique as only certain parts of us will be sweating while the remainder of our body is fine.  Hairiness affects my head and legs most profoundly.

After a day of helping a friend with work in his yard, I decided it was time for my  summer “do” and pulled out the clippers. Rather than going without a guard as is my normal routine, I decided to step the cut down by using several guards and working my way down to the length I wanted. After just a few minutes my head felt free with all the weight gone from it.

The newly shorn me

While I had the clippers out, I decided to go on and shorten the hair on my legs. 

Clipping behind the knees proved exceptionally challenging.

Clipping the upper thighs proved to be even more so - it involved bending around, trying to keep the clippers level against the skin as I bent to get the hair evenly trimmed.

Eventually, though, my much less hairy legs emerged and I realized just how much nicer they felt with the air coming out of the air conditioning vent overhead flowing over them without the interference of hair. It was HEAVEN. I did not usually feel the air from the AC vent.

Yes, folks - that is the hair form my legs collected on the bottom of the bathtub.

Looking at my legs, I fantasized about how easily sunblock will go on the next time I go to the lake or pool with someone. No more of the gloppy streakiness - just a smooth application and a quick absorption by the skin.

I looked at my shiny nearly bare legs in the mirror and fantasized about how much better they are going to look as my running further tones them up and the definition is seen without the interference and shadows of hair.

Turning my leg side to side, I imagined what it would look and feel like to have a hand running up it - catching the now short hairs and tweaking the skin beneath them.

People without much hair have no idea what those of us who are more hirsute endure during the summer. And they have no idea how the imagination can run wild when freedom from hair is achieved.

And That Haircut was How Much?

For the last few years I have cut my own hair much more often than having someone else do it. That’s really because I just buzzed it. When you go down nearly to skin, it’s pretty easy to know that you have it even.

This summer, I decided that at the end of the summer, I would let my hair grow out and start styling it again. So, since August, I have let my hair grow and it has reached a nice, comb-able length. Today, since I was going to the mall to pick up some new clothes for a wedding next week, I decided to go ahead and get my hair cut while I was there.

I have used several of the places in the mall and have never been particularly happy since David left one of them. He actually always managed to cut my hair perfectly and no one has been able to match it since and I resolved not to return to that place. Today as I walked toward the store where I intended to purchase the clothes, I saw a salon I had never tried before.

It’s a mall salon. I was not expecting the best, but resolved that the hair would stop rubbing the top of my ear and driving me crazy.

A stylist was available immediately and we talked about what I wanted done. All the normal routine for a new stylist.

She wet my hair and went to work.

And worked.

And worked.

I’ve only been growing hair since early in August, now long could it take?

After finishing the cut and applying the selected creame, she messed up my hair and declared it done.

Altogether, it only took about 20 minutes, but it seemed much longer. Of course on the way out, she had to show me the products she used on my hair and she even took them to the counter for me, assuming I was going to purchase them.

I did need shampoo and the stuff she used felt really good and it was only $10.

The counter girl rang me up and announced the total - $97 and asked if I wanted to leave it open for a tip. I managed not to flinch too badly and said yes, I would tip.

I ask you, does my hair look worth $97?

Me and the Simpson Me

I've lost track of all the times I've said, "I never do this, but..."

This morning when I found out you can personalize your own Simpsons character, I had to do it. The movie website has an avatar creator and you can make your own Simpsons You.

I almost posed in a black tee and jeans, but was having hair issues, so went with what I already had on. I never can tell if my hair is messy enough or too messy. Whatever did combs do to become such unwelcome items in styling?

Below is the Simpsons Rusty and the Real Rusty. Can you tell which is which?

Hair-um Scare-um

I'm so incredibly particular about my hair, the slightest thing going wrong with a style can ruin my year.For three years I've had the buzz look following the perm tragedy - it was a tragedy because I was not supposed to have a perm, but that's what happened due to a "misunderstanding" by the chemical person at the salon. I could not take that, so buzzed it off and kept it that way for three years.


In December I started growing my hair back out - and out it grew! I have lots of hair and people who had not known me with hair were shocked at just how much there was. I have no worries of balding anytime soon.


Now that my hair has been styled, I look like an adult again - unfortunately - I look close to forty and I've avoided looking my age for so long.

Botox, here I come!