Haircut thursday...

and yes, I know it was only Wednesday. I have no idea why I kept thinking it was Thursday all day today. But I did, so there.

I went to get a hair cut today so that I would neat and tidy for my holiday. As usual I went to the same barber I've been going to for many years. He welcomed me into his dodgy looking shop with open arms. Now that's the kind of greeting you rarely find these days. I sat down and we had the weather to chat about. I know I've said this before, but my barber scares me. I have no idea what the hell he's saying most of the time. His accent is so strong. I nod and smile and occasionally make sense of a word and add my own few words back. Well, he was in for a chat today. I think it was all about the cold weather. "Ish cowld! Mumble mumble mumble..."

He kicked the heater around to face me and all was good. However, I was soon smelling a smell I have not smelt in a very long time... Burning hair. My burning hair! Clippings were rolling down onto the heater, crackling a little then burning up with that pungent stink.

Somehow he talked most of the haircut today. I managed to pick up on a couple of things he was saying:

- it was cheaper to have someone killed many years ago. These days it costs too much. You used to be able to organise a hit over in Glebe. Not these days, it's all family and restaurants.
- All the hookers around Redfern are black! No white women these days. You have to go out to Canterbury for a white woman.
- It was his 71st birthday yesterday and he celebrated by going to get new pills from the doctor. He did say what they were for, but I didn't catch that bit. I'll just assume they were not viagra because he didn't seem to impressed with the hookers nearby.
- he had views about Bondi, but I didn't catch them either. In fact I didn't even understand he was talking about Bondi until he mentioned the beach. He pronounced it "Bunda Bits".

Anyway he would sway and he would brace himself on the bench. I started to think he wasn't going to survive to the end of my haircut. Scary stuff.

The place still smelled of my burning hair, I paid up and wandered out to grab some lunch. While I was standing waiting for a sandwich someone at the counter gladly pointed out the blood behind my ear. Thanks for that. He had cut me. No surprise really. I grabbed a few paper towels and pressed them behind my ear and hoped to god that was the only cut.

And to think, years ago I was foolish enough to pay top dollar for a Tony & Guy hair cut. I love haircut Thursday.