Vanity is how much?

I am vain, just a little. I like my hair to look good. Not too good, but acceptable. It was getting too long, when my blow dryer time gets increased to more than 30 minutes..I get discouraged. What a waste of time. Last Friday..I had it with the hair..it is just a dirty blonde color anyway, with a sprinkling of grey. I wear my grey proudly..and just need to be grey..but it is not happening as fast as I want it too. So I decided I needed some "highlights" and SOON. My regular gal, if you can call every four or five months regular, was too busy..fine..I grabbed the phone book called a place and sure enough they could fit me in, they took my name (I had to spell it for them, and my phone number.) Far Guy was going to be occupied with his cousins and Chance..so I was free as a bird for my appointment with beauty.

I got to this establishment with the fancy name, and I was not on their appointment list..but could be fitted in. (ding..ding) I noticed that there were no schedule of fees on the wall..you know Haircuts..$20 Perm $40..and then all the long hair fees that are extra. (Ding.. Ding) The beautician without the violet hair lopped off about six inches of my hair. I asked If she would please thin my hair. She could..but didn't. She asked me what color highlights I wanted..well, since violet, purple and orange are way to wardrobe limiting for me..I said "The lightest blonde color you have." She sighed..mixed the color..and foiled me up. I waited patiently, wrote two blogs, and refused five cups of coffee. I talked to a very nice gentleman who got a haircut, glanced into a mirror, smiled and put his cap right back on. I talked to a snowbird that had beautiful grey roots all salt and peppery..but she wanted to be chestnut brown before going south, because she would be stopping to visit relatives along the way. I told her I thought her roots were beautiful, she just laughed and said "Well if you noticed them that much it was time." I watched a little girl about 7 years old..be transformed from the cute little girl she was into a much older looking child..7 going on 14 now with a fussy layered "do"..that will eventually drive her Mom up a wall.

I am finally "done" and can be de-foiled and washed. Well dirty blonde doesn't look great until it is blown dry. The beautician sighs.. I offer to blow dry it for her..I am helpful..I know it is a boring job. She brings out a dryer on a stand and I sit there for another 20 minutes..finally she returns..to flat hair..imagine that..I would have blown it dry upside down..she sighs and says "It has been years since I worked on a head of hair this thick." I am pretty bored with all my beautification by this time.. I have critiqued all the aquage posters that they have on the walls. I have a good birds eye view of their place of business..I have noticed their inefficiencies, I could tell them how and what to do to increase their customers satisfaction..I could tell them which of their employees like their jobs, I could tell them which of their employees make faces at the customers behind their backs.. nope soon enough they will do themselves in..small business in a small town..main street disappearing.

Finally my hair is dry enough so it will not freeze stiffer than a board when I go outside..It has highlights..$113.00 worth of highlights..I probably won't be frequenting that establishment again anytime soon. I did enjoy my time away..three hours to myself..well almost..at $30.76 an hour maybe I should just sit in the car next time:)