What's With the Hair?

Written October 6, 1997

I can finally buy a new hat that fits. Hell, I can even drive without a hat now, with the windows down, and without tying the hair up.

There'll be a lot fewer hairballs in the corners of my house.

And I won't have to plan showers around whether I have to wash my hair.

But that's not why I did it. I got my hair cut because I wanted to. And I can't give any other reason that makes sense.

How could you want to cut your hair?

Well, I don't know that answer. The notion popped into my head about a month ago. Specifically, I wanted to be fuzzy-headed. Now, maybe I could have just gotten a fuzzy-headed boyfriend, but... No, there was something else. And I spent a lot of time on trying to figure out what that was. I mean, I always wanted to have long hair, and I hadn't had it cut since late 1991, so this wasn't something I was going to do lightly. There are a lot of possible reasons, spiritual and sensual and whatnot. But it ultimately came down to a realization that I could do it, and I wanted to. I could be the same person I always have been, whether my hair was short or long.

How did it happen?

I owe the actual execution to my friends Joe and Poach, who very gladly took on the assignment of relieving me of my hair. I didn't quite realize this, but they're into shaving and haircuts. It had to happen quick, because they're relocating to Phoenix in mid October. So on Saturday, October 5, 1997, I went to their condo and submitted. We had dinner first, then did the cut. Poach did most of the cutting, while Joe took the pictures you see here. I'm really happy Joe and Poach could fit it into their hectic pre-moving schedule... they're the coolest. :-)

The Aftermath

I made a trip out to the Eagle, where guys didn't quite recognize me at first. But when they figured it out, they all loved it as well as the surprise. My mom laughed out of shock. So far the only less-than-positive reactions I've gotten were from 2 friends (straight married), who liked the long hair better. But there are a LOT of folks who haven't seen it yet. Work oughta be real fun.

I'm planning to keep it this short for a month, or through at least 1 trip to the barber. Then I'll likely let it grow back--maybe not as long as it was, but considerably longer. But this is fun for now. I spend a lot of time running my hands over my fuzzy head and smiling.