Blog Number 309

Greetings and welcome to today's random thought.

I was going to get a hair cut last night but I couldn't as it was my turn to help my daughter with her shower.  Now, this may make now sense to you but rest assured it makes no sense to me either.  I does make sense however to my wife.  This seemed like a perfectly logical reason to deny me a new doo (I guess).  Anyway, I did get a haircut tonight as I have a meeting at work tomorrow morning and I want to look my best (you never get a second chance to make a first impression).

I usually go to Great Clips for no particular reason other than it is located near my house.  Actually that is not a true statement as the one I go to now was close to my old apartment and I just continue to go there even though there is one close (or closer anyway) to my house.  When I walked in tonight, both stylists (I think that is what they prefer to be called) we sitting in their chairs trying to kill time.  When I walked in, they both sprang to life and immediately do what you have to do in order to get a haircut, they asked me my phone number.  Now, I have had many phone numbers since being here in Texas.  I had my Indiana number, a Texas number at the apartment through Vonage, a Texas number at the apartment through AT&T (just so I could get DSL service), a Texas number here at my current house, and my current (Indiana) cell phone number so I go through the numbers in my head guessing which one I might have used whenever it was that I signed up for my initial Great Clips haircut down here.  After a failed attempt, they then said that they could look up my account by my last name.  What a concept!  Why wouldn't you start with the last name instead of the whole phone number business?  People can remember their last name pretty easily, right?  Perhaps this whole "let me find you in the computer, what is your phone number" concept should tell me the average IQ of the normal Great Clips customer.  At any rate, they found my information (again, why is this needed, just cut my hair) and confirmed my first and last name.

I sat down in the chair that they told me to and they asked me if I wanted my hair cut like last time.  Or at least that is what I think the lady said as she had a pretty heavy accent and did not speak English very well.  Also, she kept calling me Jim.  Since I was the only guy in the building, I assumed she was talking to me and tried to follow along in what she was saying.  Once I was somewhat convinced that I was getting the haircut that I wanted, I then focused on some small talk.  I asked her how long she had been here in the Dallas area and she said 17 years (or it could have been 17 months) and that she came here from Oklahoma after her husband lost his job.  All this time, she kept calling me Jim.  She used my first name (Jim) many, many times.  Way too many times actually like the way a telemarketer would or maybe a door to door salesman.  Even if she used my correct first name, I would have felt uncomfortable with how often she said it.

Jim, how long have you been in Texas?
Jim, the gas prices sure are high,
Jim, how does the back of your hair look, Jim?
Jim, I also cut hair, Jim, in another Great Clips in a nearby town.
Jim, the weather, Jim, sure is hot, Jim, isn't it Jim?

Anyway, I got my hair cut and headed home, had a late dinner with the family and won at Rummikub.  I am going to head to bed now so I am well rested for my important meeting.

Thanks for reading my Random Thoughts.

Jim (er, Jon)