Haircuts

January first. It is a time for resolutions. It is a time for turning over a new leaf. Troy and I are personally attending our own Fat Camp due to all the delicious Chicago dishes we enjoyed while home during the Christmas holiday. However, I decided that I wanted to ring in the new year with a new haircut. Nothing drastic, just wanted to clean up those pesky split ends and add some swoopy bangs to change things up a bit since I am too chicken to lose any significant length to my hair.

I love getting haircuts. Love them. As I was in the stylist's chair enjoying her tame my mane, I decided that if I were a millionaire, I would get my hair done every week. At first, I was thinking I would do it everyday, but then I worried that I wouldn't appreciate it as much, so I bumped it back to every week. It was during this epiphany that I also decided there are four main parts to the haircut process that make the event fantastic all the way through.

1. The Wash. If I had to choose my most favorite part of a hair cut, it would be in the beginning when the stylist is washing my hair. You walk over to the chair and after a few minor, yet awkward adjustments, you are finally comfortably sitting in the chair with your hair cascading over the sink. She turns on the water and begins to soak your hair. "How's the temperature?" she asks. You reply it is great and hope that she won't yak your ear off so you can fully enjoy the hands of someone else doing the mundane task of washing your hair that is never as enjoyable when you do it yourself. When the water gets turned off, you heart sinks a little knowing that you'll have to wait until your split ends wreck havoc on your hair again to enjoy the next head massage.

2. The Cut. I love this part because the stylist is constantly combing your hair as she snips away. I am also slightly fascinated by the amount of hair that ends up on the floor. She will take a section of hair, comb it away from your head, inspect the ends, snip-snip-snip, and then she will shake your hair out to see how it lands. It doesn't feel as nice as the wash, but I am still a fan.

3. The Style. When all the cutting is done, out comes the hair dryer and brush. This part is great because I hate blow drying my hair. It is time consuming and I usually start sweating which makes me feel like washing my hair was a compete waste of time, so I really enjoy someone else doing this for me. When the hair is dry, the stylist will either curl or straighten my hair. This part always makes me think of when I was in the first grade and all the girls would play with each others hair during the read aloud time. Then my teacher, Miss Norris, would say, "Girls, this is not a beauty parlor." Except that now I am in a beauty parl0r, so I enjoy the stylist fixing my hair and think about how I can't get in trouble with Miss Norris now.

4. The Swagger. The stylist hands you a mirror to see the back of your hair, and after you approve the work, you collect your things and pay. Then comes the swagger. This is the part when you walk out of the salon and to your car like you are a movie star because you know your hair looks awesome. If you happen to be wearing sunglasses, you may even be wondering if onlookers are currently mistaking you for a celebrity. Probably. I mean, look at you. You're a stone, cold fox . . . and you know it.

Of course the next time you wash your hair, it never looks as good as when you left the salon, but alas, it is only 6-8 weeks (or in my case, 12-14 weeks) when you will visit the salon again and revisit the best parts about a hair cut: the wash, the cut, the style and the swagger.

New Washer and Dryer Day

Last week, we had to buy a new washer and dryer. Our dryer would randomly suck up clothes and leave a nice little burn that looked like a skid mark on the clothes. If I soaked the clothing in Oxi-Clean, the stain would come out, but then I would have to rewash and dry the clothes again, praying that another burn mark wouldn't show up. This was probably a humongous fire hazard but I guess we were hoping that someday our dryer would make amends with us. It never did. Then last week, I put a load of laundry in the washer. When I went back to put them in the dryer, I found a little pool in our laundry room. That was the straw the broke the camel's back. The following Sunday we bought our new washer and dryer and we specifically choose one that would not pee on the floor or poop on our clothes.

Today was the day the washer and dryer would come home to live with us. When I heard the truck pull up into our driveway, I shouted, "They're here!!" and I ran to the door to greet Roberto with a big smile and friendly hello as if he were family. "I'm here to deliver and washer and dryer," Roberto said matter-of-factly. "Yes! Yes! That's us!!" I replied, eagerly. I showed him to the laundry room which actually only entailed me pointed to my right since the laundry room is directly off the front hall. Roberto, after looking at the tight laundry room and stack-able washer and dryer that he would soon be removing, slumped his shoulders and said, "Well, this should be fun." Umm, thanks a lot, Roberto. You're ruining New Washer and Dryer Day.

After a quick switch-a-roo and test run of the washer, Roberto left me and Troy to spend some time alone with our new appliances. It was a little overwhelming because of all the buttons, but these pieces of machinery are beautiful and I already gave them a hug. I quickly threw a load of laundry in the washer and we pushed all the fancy buttons to make it operate how we wanted. Then we sat on the floor with a flash light watching the maiden wash cycle to see what was going on in there. I wish I could tell you that I was joking, but I'm not. We seriously did this. And we enjoyed it. We aren't the only ones who like our new toys. The first time we opened the front load washer door, our cat, Olivia, jumped in and made herself comfortable. It was pretty cute.

I have now been doing laundry all afternoon and will be continuing to do so into the evening. Partly because I love my new friends but mostly because our old washer died when our dirty clothes basket was already at its highest peak. I have three weeks of dirty clothes, towels, and sheets to clean. I didn't realize how desperate we were getting with clean clothes supply until I put away some of Troy's clean boxers. He only had three clean pairs left!! Looks like that washer and dryer came just in time!! Whew!

The best part about the new washer and dryer is that when the cycle is compete, it sings to you! I'm serious. Our old dryer would make this horrendous buzzing sound, but the washer and the dryer both play this cheerful little melody when the cycle is done! It also plays a little tune when you turn it on! I love it. Also, there are tons of buttons and they light up!! Plus there is a digital timer to tell you how much longer til the clothes are done! It's awesome. Troy and I only wish that there were lights on the inside of them though. Maybe a little disco ball? A strobe light? Another awesome thing about the washer is that it is energy efficient, so basically I am saving the world every time I do a load. You're welcome.

Well, I have to get going now. I just heard my dryer sing to me . . . I think the new washer and dryer love living here as much as we love having them. I can't be sure, but I think they hugged me back earlier today . . .