April 1, 2014

There are essentially two kinds of occupations of people that you find yourself revealing the details of your life to (personal and heartfelt things) that you would only otherwise share with close friends and family? 

Well, I suppose there would be a third, if I was Catholic, and that would be a priest.

But I am not…Catholic.

You know who I’m talking about, right?

A hairdresser and a bartender. 

Sounds like the beginning to a potentially very bad joke.

Since I don’t go to bars, my confessional happens at the salon.

I’m sitting under the dryer at the moment, cooking my color. (Goodbye obstinate grays!)

But I’ve just finished a long and detailed conversation with Holly, the hairdresser.  She takes it all in, verbally acknowledging with short supportive phrases.

“Yes, of course.” 

“Oh, I hope so.”

“Well, why wouldn’t it?”

All the while, doing what she does. In my case, covering my roots with that thick, dark, stone cold-when-it-touches-my-scalp formula meant at its completion, to take 10 years off my perceived age.

I’m not much about telling anyone the most intimate details of my thoughts and fears, so I didn’t reveal anything really that important or personal, but I did feel the force.

That unknown, inexplicable, yet powerful force that releases your normal verbal filter and gets you talking while perched atop that chrome swivel chair. 

Before you know it, you’ve been non-stop chattering for 20 minutes.

Under the dryer.

Sitting under the dryer gives you time to reassess and get ahold of yourself.

Which I did.

Now, I just have to maintain my silence while she shampoos, rinses, dries and trims…

The hair dryer noise, gratefully, makes it difficult to hold a conversation anyway.

When I’m properly coiffed, it’s off to run some errands, including resupplying our yogurt and a few other things and then back home to continue my research for my upcoming interview.

The research is essential, but the preparation also includes a lot of talking out loud to myself.

I'm trying to practice answers to predicted interview questions with authority, knowledge and a bit of wit…hopefully.