Out of boredom, Ndoro Yadda (NY) and I decided to take a trip down to a beauty salon, for a haircut, no less. I've been fussing about having to ponytail my hair every single day and how it makes me look more mature (age wise) than what I suppose to, plus now that summer is coming... *Summertime and the living is easy..., Fantasia jazzes (as opposed to rocks)*

Now, NY is the resident stylist-designer in the Ndoro Xinda Institute of Fine Living, CollegeSta. She came up with some hairstyles for me straight from the current women magazines. There is one particular style that I incumbently agreed upon. The one, when equipped with suitable body figure and hair type, will make me look like Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham. Pretty simple, no?

So, there we drove to East 29th St. on a fine Saturday mid-morning. NY was the first one to get her hair cut, then it was my turn.

X: Is it possible for me to get this style of hair, my hair now is just too long. *showing the "barber" a picture from said magazine*

Barber Karen: Oh, no, your hair is not looking like that, it's curly. I can cut it like that, but it won't look like that picture after I'm finished. *Furiously looking at my hair and the picture back and forth* You need to spend a good 4 hour, get your hand straightened, so it'll look like mine. Than you will get exactly like the picture.

She then proceed to start working on my hair with an alien-looking knife instead of the usual scissors. She was doing it in a hasty kinda way.

NY when faced with the same hair-bonding suggestion flatly refused Barber Karen out. "I just don't like straight hair", NY says. In me, Barber Karen saw the insecure-fashion concious, which I am definitely not. She just bombarded the same sugestion over and over. Threaten by her kniving activity on my head and having the urge to play along with her overbearing character, I inquired about this hair-straightening business.

"How much does it cost?" She mentioned some dollar amount, which if not adjusted for deflation, is about a quarter value of a shiny new Model T in 1928.

X: And it will take at least 4 hours?
BK: Yes, but it will be permanent.

X: And how long will it last?
BK: It will last forever, it's permanent.

Yeah, like I will eat that. There is nothing wrong with my hair, except that it has a bit of split ends and grays here and there, it's reddish without the intervention of any colouring product, and is balding in some strategic area. See, I've got more problems of a damaged hair than just a curly/straight situation she has unsubtly perceived.