Things Don't Always Go to Plan

Last week, I went into the barbershop for a haircut. Baydaa did a nice job of cutting the sides.  I mentioned to her that my now-greying hair on the sides no longer matched the old hair in the ponytail. I really stopped cutting hair on the back of my head years ago. She said she could dye it.  I made my appointment for 11:30 today.

   

The intention was to go silver grey. However, after trying to bleach it, we ended up with some hair that was still too yellowish. She tried to put in some toner but didn't like the uneven effect. So, we decided to just go with the beaching.  I seldom sit more than ten minutes in a barber chair.  Today, I was literally there for hours!  It wasn't fun.

The image is the before pic but we didn't bother with an after one. I will settle for a now lighter, more-even shade of blonde that has a few streaks. Maybe I can return in the spring when we can try to achieve some shade of silver.

My Head Feels Lighter

 

This image, taken today, shows the view from a pedestrian overpass between the tracks at the New Westminster SkyTrain station.  I thought to include it because today I went to the Oxford Barbershop on the main floor of the station this morning.

There are a number of barbershops uptown.  However, today's is easy to access and the staff are always pretty straight forward in both skills and pricing.  It's not like I get a haircut very often.  Actually, it has been a few months since my last visit, but, generally, it is longer.

One difference today was I had a youngish, woman who could speak Arabic.  I didn't know her but she was friendly and seemed especially confident in her skills.  I had the sides completely chopped off, down to the 0.5 clipper attachment.  While chatting I mentioned how the clipped hair looked grey.  I said that my ponytail should match.  So, we arranged for an appointment next week to try that.

Take-Away Biryani / Getting the Edges Chopped

 

Day 082:  Jay and I found a nice, busy restaurant where we can buy take-away food.  We wanted to pick up a single serving of biryani rice.  We bought some once last week and found the amount was sufficient to serve both of us for three meals!  The walk-through business space is called the Eastern Food Bazaar.  It has Indian food from different sections of that continent and also food labeled as Turkish, which I think really means Mediterranean here. Some dishes are Chinese as well.  It is in the set of buildings that look very 'Gotham-like' in design.  Food seems fairly cheap here in comparison to other cities.

 

Oh, and that is not the only thing cheaper than home.  This morning, I walked to a barbershop just down Long Street a ways.  I hadn't had a haircut since before leaving home at the beginning of November.  I wait to get my money's worth, you see.  

Getting a buzz never takes a long time because I only have the sides cut short with a #1-sized clipper attachment.  When I retired in 2014, I decided that I didn't need to cut my hair often or so traditionally. 

Less Hair and Fewer Boxes

I could have posted a selfie after today's haircut. My hair is long now, long enough to tie in a pony tail. However, for quite some time, I've had the sides shaved. I'm finally starting to notice my receding hairline but, hey, I turn 65 this summer, so it's a little expected. One change is that I now ask the barber to use the clipper attachment labeled as 1/2.  That causes just a little stubble to remain.  By the time I get around to having another hair cut it's always quite grown out.

Instead, I included a picture of boxes.

 

These boxes contain Christmas decorations.  When getting ready for the installation of a new hot water heater, we had to clean off some shelving in the utility closet.  These were not put back.  It is time that we get rid of the things inside the boxes.

Since we retired in 2014, we have not been in British Columbia at the end of the year.  Neither the lights nor the objects have seen a Christmas for at least ten years.  I feel as though it's time to free them so that some many participate in someone's joyous season.    

I Must Weigh 2 Lbs. Less

Day 119 (of our 2022-23 winter trip) - It looks as though it's pretty close to being four months since we left New Westminster on this winter trip. We will fly back toward Canada on Sunday evening and get into YVR at noon on Monday.   As we generally go away for five months, this winter has seemed a tad short. We realized that situation back when we were making plans though. Therefore, we have organized a bonus trip for the upcoming month of June.  I'll provide more info on that as it gets a little closer. 

I hadn't yet had a haircut during the past four months.  I kept putting it off even though there was a barber at street level practically underneath our apartment.  This morning, I finally went into the shop with my phone's calculator open. I wanted to know how much it would cost. Argentina's prices go up often due to uncontrolled inflation.  (It didn't affect us because we changed money a little at a time at the ongoing rates.)

The boy quoted an equivalent of a few cents less than US $4, so I agreed and sat down in a chair. I got the side cut at numero uno. I didn't get the back cut although it's now more than shoulder length. It has taken too long to dismiss such an effort!  I did tip 200 pesos, but that works out to only US $0.53.