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"I'm Going to Talk About my Hair"
Feb. 23rd, 2010 09:07 pmSince I was a little kid I had pretty darn short hair, even when I was still in Germany. Tony (my first step-dad) had me get a military hair cut on post when we first got together with him. Growing up I kept it short, even when it became my choice. In Tennessee it became a little bit more of a requirement because I joined the JROTC and there was a rule stating that I had to keep my hair off of my ears. It wasn't a big deal because it was usually short, but was important because it created a ritual for myself and Dad (Troy, second step-dad). I almost always got the same haircut: "high and tight/ skin tight, shaved on the sides." Sometimes I got a flat-top, but not usually. That was more Dad's cut.
We would go at least every two weeks and get our haircuts together. Still military cut for me, Dad was also in the Army at the time. We went to a Korean place at first which was pretty cheap. They didn't do a bad job by any means, but we eventually found a place which was more welcoming and did a great job. We went to Bo's Barbershop which was a staple in the Ft. Campbell area. It had a very homey feel to it, even though it was big and busy.
The thing which I take away most from Bo's is a particular experience. I had begun shaving, but of course given the time in developing, I was also breaking out with acne. Well, Dad talked to Bo about it, and Bo actually gave us a vile of after-shave stuff which is available only through barber magazines. It was used after shaves to stop the bleeding. He just gave it to us to help out. That was something which stuck with me, mostly because he didn't know us too well, but he put that faith in us that we weren't just trying to get free stuff or anything. He was nice when most people would have at best listened to the problem.
Way later on, after I moved to Albuquerque, I found out that Bo committed suicide. There was a town action taken up which was going to close down his family business. He went to contest it at a town meeting, and when they turned him down, he shot himself right then and there. It was his life, and he showed that in more than one way. I actually felt very saddened by the loss, even though it had been years.
Now I have long hair for the first time. It is about shoulder length and very thick. It gets into everything and it doesn't stay where I want it to. It won't tie back yet, and it won't be combed. I also can't give my sisters a hard time anymore about the bathroom, because I've lost so much hair in the shower that I really should be bald by now. Sam wanted me to grow out my hair to see what it was like. I didn't like it too much, but then later I got used to the idea of seeing it differently. When Sam would offer to cut it, I would deny and say I wanted to see what it looked like. It was strange, at one point I got a compliment about the "flip" of my hair. I still have no idea what that means.
It seems odd to talk about my hair, I've never worried much about it. In fact, in high school when I did start growing my hair a bit after JROTC, I would wear caps to avoid having to comb it. I thought I looked good with hat hair.. I didn't.
We would go at least every two weeks and get our haircuts together. Still military cut for me, Dad was also in the Army at the time. We went to a Korean place at first which was pretty cheap. They didn't do a bad job by any means, but we eventually found a place which was more welcoming and did a great job. We went to Bo's Barbershop which was a staple in the Ft. Campbell area. It had a very homey feel to it, even though it was big and busy.
The thing which I take away most from Bo's is a particular experience. I had begun shaving, but of course given the time in developing, I was also breaking out with acne. Well, Dad talked to Bo about it, and Bo actually gave us a vile of after-shave stuff which is available only through barber magazines. It was used after shaves to stop the bleeding. He just gave it to us to help out. That was something which stuck with me, mostly because he didn't know us too well, but he put that faith in us that we weren't just trying to get free stuff or anything. He was nice when most people would have at best listened to the problem.
Way later on, after I moved to Albuquerque, I found out that Bo committed suicide. There was a town action taken up which was going to close down his family business. He went to contest it at a town meeting, and when they turned him down, he shot himself right then and there. It was his life, and he showed that in more than one way. I actually felt very saddened by the loss, even though it had been years.
Now I have long hair for the first time. It is about shoulder length and very thick. It gets into everything and it doesn't stay where I want it to. It won't tie back yet, and it won't be combed. I also can't give my sisters a hard time anymore about the bathroom, because I've lost so much hair in the shower that I really should be bald by now. Sam wanted me to grow out my hair to see what it was like. I didn't like it too much, but then later I got used to the idea of seeing it differently. When Sam would offer to cut it, I would deny and say I wanted to see what it looked like. It was strange, at one point I got a compliment about the "flip" of my hair. I still have no idea what that means.
It seems odd to talk about my hair, I've never worried much about it. In fact, in high school when I did start growing my hair a bit after JROTC, I would wear caps to avoid having to comb it. I thought I looked good with hat hair.. I didn't.
