The haircut

Blog posts with resolutions are jinxed. Many a well meaning blog has reached its untimely demise with a post that says: "...and blog more often". There are various versions of that line: and blog at least X times in a week/Y times in a month/Z times in a year...etc..etc... All of which create this pressure to blog, and boy does it get to you. The resistance varies directly with time...and before you know it....your blog is dead.

Apart from writing a blog post, one of the things that I resist the most is going for a haircut. If only one could set the hair fall rate to be equal to the hair growth rate (obviously after an initial condition to trigger this control system, for all u smart alecs out there), we would never need haircuts. Without haircuts we would never have bad hair days that last for over a week (after a bad hair cut). I guess it's the fear of this probable bad hair phase that adds to my inertia.

It wasn't always like this. As a kid, you can very easily be dragged by your parents to the barber shop, and before you know it, it's over (actually it used to be a boring 20-25 minutes preceded by an even worse 1 hour of trying to read torn and outdated film magazines and trying to watch the 14 inch black and white TV perched high on top of a shelf above the mirrors). But at least you didn't do it of ur own volition, and could always blame your parents for the bad hairdo: "You told him to cut it this way!!!"

Later every alternate Sunday, my Mom would kick me out of the house with a written list of instructions to tell the barber. By the time I would reach the chair I'd be so bored (and having lost my instructions list) I would randomly come up with my own version. Once home, my Mom would be like: "Did you even go?".

Around this time, the barber having graduated to the more fashionable hair stylist started using a mirror to show me if the back was alright. I had seen the barber ask my dad that several times, but never me. So I felt all grown up and would try and imitate what my dad did in that situation. Squint a little, turn your head a little bit and then say: "Theek hai". Obviously I did not care to what exactly it was that I was supposed to see in that double mirror combination (till this date), but it felt like the grown up thing to do. Certain times the barber would ask me: "Round ya Step?", and having no idea again I would randomly choose one....By this time, however I had learnt the magic words: Crew Cut Karo. (Finally, A hairstyle that would never fail and just 3 words at that)

That strategy just went out of the window, once I came to the US. The hair stylists here always ask: "What number?". Now it took a couple of tries at a couple of places to figure out if the number varies directly with what's left behind or what's on the floor, but I finally got the hang of it, or so I thought, until the bad hairdos started returning and with it returned my resistance.

About four days earlier, Priyanka told me that it was high time that I have a haircut. (Incidentally she has dragged me a couple of times to a hair salon and instructed the stylist). I have promised to go today. She has given me a set of instructions too: Short on the back and sides, a light trim on the top and no side burns...whoosh...hope I got that right...cos that's how its going to be for the next 3-4 weeks!!!

Post script:

This post skips over about 2 years of my life when I had long hair (or was growing them long) and painstakingly maintained them. Otherwise it is pretty much spot on!

Resolutions

After the first work day of 2010, i have mixed feelings. And here as I write my first blog of the year, sitting next to Priyanka on the couch watching "The Incredible Life" on PBS I'm going to do something that I haven't in a long time....make resolutions :) and also hopefully follow up on them

1) Lose weight and exercise more often. Actually there is no often right now. Last night I weighed in at 188 pounds. While at 6' 2" that is certainly a good combination for a football player, I guess.... I'm sure it isn't a good combination for a football watcher :P. Target: Maintain my weight between 160-170 pounds, and exercise at least 3-4 times a week.

2) Learn to play an instrument and jam with others. Improve my singing voice and range and perform for an audience: Have been putting this off for a long time.

3) Commit to a weekly class on Math/Math related topics.

4) Take a badminton class.

5) Eat out not more than once a week.

6) Not work more than 8 hours a day.

7) and yes, blog.