yearning for a simpler time

You may be surprised to hear this, but I'm not exactly a manly man...

One of the few vestiges of manliness I can boast is the fact that from the end of high school through my university years in Winnipeg, I went to a barber.

It was right next to the pharmacy where I worked. It had a traditional spinning barber thingy, and kitschy signage indicating the name - "Nick the Fiddling Barber's". Nick was long since retired; the barber's name was Phil and he helped me through some of the worst hair disasters of my life: 2 drunken haircut escapades where I let friends play with scissors, as well as the day I let some co-workers dye my hair blond with the expired "Blondissimo" we had pulled off the shelves.

Phil was a master at barbering. I never doubted his skill, never was disappointed with his work, and was never uncomfortable in his chair. If I needed to be chatty, he had stories and friends in all walks of life and professions. If I was pensive, he has philosophical queries and ideas to ponder - all of which could be resolved with a witty one-liner before standing up out of the chair. If I wasn't particularly sociable, he could shoot the shit about the weather like the best of them, or he could make a silence completely comfortable.

Since leaving Winnipeg, I've never really been satisfied with my hair-shortening experiences. Most stylists are baffled by the concept of tapering the back; 'why on earth would he want that?', 'how the heck are you supposed to do that?!?'

I could continue complaining, but that take too much effort. Long story short, I've been yearning for that simpler time... so when I realized that there is a barbershop called John and Nick's Barber Shop less than a 5 minute walk from my house, I needed to give it a try.

I sat at Nick's chair. He looked almost exactly like the young barber in that Seinfeld episode. I appreciated the efficiency of the cut, the sterile coldness of the barbershop, the olde-style chair. The cut was classic and good, but the experience wasn't like home.

In the end, no complaints, but I'll continue my search for the hair-shortening method that is right for me. I might go back to that Future Hair Training Centre I went to last time around; it's hard to beat a 7 dollar haircut...