The Haircut

My husband was never too picky about where he got his hair cut. But once he picked a barber he tended to stick with him/her. I actually got him to visit my hair stylist in the Midwest once. He really didn’t notice any difference. When we first moved to DC it took a while to find someone he liked. It seemed every time he went that one side was shorter than the other, or he got nicked, or some other story was told. By the end we were driving to Alexandria where he found a shop, but the results were still the same. When we moved to northern Virginia it took another few tries to find a place he liked. Then we settled on McLean Hair Center because it is located close to the house. It is supposedly the oldest barber shop in town. When my husband feels like he needs a haircut that means he needs it right away. After taking our morning walk in Alexandria yesterday and stopping off at Vaso’s Kitchen to pick up pizza and dinner, we stopped at Gravelly Point to eat the pizza and watch the planes fly in to Reagan Airport. When driving home he called to make an appointment with his favorite barber Tina. She wasn’t able to take him immediately so we waited a couple of hours. It’s not the kind of place people usually make appointments. It’s more like a first come first served type of arrangement. But Tina recognized him and gave him the nod when he entered. And the place was packed because of the new year weekend. My husband was attended to in short order and he always feels so much better after a haircut. I’m just glad he found a place that he likes. He really doesn’t make a fuss about much - not even a haircut. 

Finally! A Barber Shop Visit

Over the last year I have been cutting my husband’s hair with clippers. I didn’t care to do it, and it came out different every time. I suppose I’ve done it at least six times now. Because we really didn’t do anything or go anywhere it didn’t matter if his hair wasn’t the perfect cut. So he’s been hinting that he needed a haircut and I just didn’t want to do it. We are beginning to go to places now - like doctor and dental appointments! - and I thought he needed to have a better job than what I was able to do. So we drove over to the barber shop that he used to go to before all of this pandemic nonsense. I stayed in the car for the duration. There was someone waiting before him, and after him another person walked in, and then another one shortly thereafter. All in all it didn’t take very long. He looked like a completely different person because I wouldn’t have dared to cut it as short as they did. It never mattered where he got his haircut. It always seemed like one sideburn was longer than the other. It’s a running joke. Anyway, he feels good about it and I feel good about it because I don’t want to feel responsible for a crooked haircut. So now we have clippers and a bib to hold the clippings. Wonder when we will use it again? This episode inspired me to finally think about getting my hair cut. It’s been a year and I have just about had it. Maybe it’s one way of feeling “normal” again. 

McLean Barber Shop

I don't know the verdict yet, but will find out soon. Since we moved to DC, my husband has tried several barber shops. In Milwaukee, he went to Joe's place for most of the thirty years we lived there. At the first place in DC, he came home with lopsided sideburns. At the second place, the barber was probably near 80 years old, didn't wear glasses, and my husband came home with a few nicks and cuts. Then he went to a more "upscale" place.  The haircut was nice, but they went out of business. Then he tried a place in Alexandria. One girl was quite good - but he rarely got her. The other girl was terrible and he came home looking worse than when he went. So today he is trying something new at a place right next to where we have breakfast every Saturday. The reviews are good, and the person who owns it may even share the same name as his. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Let's hope it works out this time. It's only a twenty minute drive on the GW Parkway. I can't believe there isn't a decent place nearer to where we live. We just haven't found it.