Did I tell you about where I get my haircut? From the gentleman that is about 80 and has very shaky hands? They call him Barber Joseph, he’s from England and ever so very sweet. Getting a cut from him is so exciting. Will he cut my neck open? Snip off my ear? Seriously make my hair straight on the side? Give me an eighties-style cut? It’s better than just about any roller coaster and more thrilling than a scary movie. I went again today and while I sat in that chair with a sharp, spiky implement gyrating haphazardly near my ear, listening to Barber Joseph natter on about his kids and grandkids and who’s in baseball and who doesn’t visit enough, I wondered why it is that I come to see him when my very life is in danger as he presses my head to the side, exposing a long swatch of soft neck skin where he might impale me with very pokey, slanted scissors.
It’s because I love him. He is wonderful and caring and British, and who doesn’t love to listen to a British accent? No one. And you can tell by the way he speaks about his family that he loves them all so much. I think it gives me an idea of how great it could be to age to 80 and still be useful and have a full life. And, oddly enough and defying all probability laws, I’ve always left with all of my pieces of skin unpunctured. And my hair always look so great! He’s been cutting hair for 50 years and his snips are always so decisive and sure once the scissors touch the hair strands. Yes, the scissors orbit the planet that is my head, sometimes dipping dangerously close, and the comb frequently jabs my scalp in a most uncomfortable manner and I have to stop myself from flinching because it hurts him to think he might have hurt me and then I feel worse. (how is that for codependent?) But most likely, in 6 weeks, I’ll be back in his chair with adrenaline flowing full speed in my veins wondering if this is the time he will chop off my ear. Bonus: he gave me his home phone number and said to call him anytime. Yowza.
I like your H in sign language better than the one they taught me. I learned it like you are pointing your finger at someone, thumb folded down, with the middle finger extended too.
It doesn’t look ANYTHING like an H, does it? Yours is so much better.
PS…it makes me ahppy that I can read the ‘Flawed But Authentic’…it makes me feel like I’m paying attention in my sign language class 🙂
dude! i know. when i learned in school, the H was like what you are describing. but rock star hands??! dude. so much awesomer.
I just had the best time decoding the “Flawed But Authentic”. I still got the ASL going on, baby!
Why do I remember stuff I learned in second grade perfectly, but can’t remember what I ate for breakfast this morning?
POW! You were my very first ever comment! And you know that they say – you always remember your first!
Re: Flicker – I do know about it, and I think it’s a fantastic application, but I’m trying to practice my writing skeelz, and I feel like it’s cheating to rely on pictures too much. But god knows I may change my mind in few weeks, days or hours.
Thanks for the comment valentine – I’ll be back to see you soon.