End of an era

Posted on

I’ve been going to the same hairdressing place for several (or more) years now. But no more.
The service has been slipping a bit for a while – nothing really bad – just not as good as it was.
And in retrospect, while the signs were there, I kept going along because there was no one thing that was bad enough to warrant moving elsewhere.

Until today.

A mess up with the online booking system. My stylist running so late that they called me over an hour ahead of time to make another arrangement. But then my original guy was free the entire time I was there and the new guy they gave me was running 20 minutes late. The lady washing my hair fresh in from her smoke break so her breath and hands smelt of fags. The new guy trying to sell me stuff the whole time – NOT FROM THE SALON – FROM HIS HAIRDRESSING SIDE HUSTLE. This included (but was not limited to) prescription drugs that he gets “direct from the supplier”.

Breaking off regularly from his work to chat with colleagues, friends, a passing spaniel called Keith. Michael Jackson’s worst hits (Invincible (2001)) loudly on the music system. A rather poor haircut.

Thankfully, I have the good looks to carry it off.

Wax instead of gel. Rushing me out so he could get his next client in just 15 minutes late.

Ms Fag Hands and the actual haircut itself were enough grounds to find somewhere else but overall the whole experience was just horrible today. I couldn’t wait to get out and I can’t wait not to go back.

I think once you’ve worked in a service industry and dealt with the public, you understand that not everything is going to go right 100% of the time. But you still do your best. You’re still professional, right?
And I’m really not a needy customer. I just want the basics done right, and I know from personal experience that that salon can do it.

Or… it could.

Onward and upward. But just not there.

Somewhere else.

Mixed feelings

Posted on

Actually, even since I wrote the title, they’re already becoming less mixed.

Because while these guys are very cute, all I can hear is their parents constant honking.

And as my regular reader will know, Egyptian Geese are far from my favourite birds.

Perhaps in an effort to prevent immediate slaughter by means of distraction, their chicks are quite cute. However, Mum and Dad are understandably very protective, which makes them even more unpleasant to be around: now they are noisy and aggressive.

And has it even worked? The neighbourhood Whatsapp group was abuzz with “six ickle chicks” messages earlier, but when I dutifully went out to get some pics, I could only find three. Have the others been sequestered away somewhere for safekeeping, or have they already been eaten by the neighbourhood cats? The one that tries to hang around about under our bird table would be my main suspect, and I would fully support a full-on anserine attack on it, whether or not any accusations of goosecide can be proven.

In the meantime, the next few weeks seem very likely to be full of goose noise.

Joy.

New York film locations map

Posted on

Just the other day, I was saying about just how good some of the stuff on Youtube is.
Here’s another example.

I’m not a fan of New York or films. I’ve never been there, and I don’t watch them. But this was just a very clever way of sharing the recent cultural (movie) history of the city, and I even got most of the references.

Beautifully made – the video and the map – again demonstrating the talent and innovation that is out there, even on such a small channel. He got me to click the Subscribe button.
And no surprise to me that one of the first commenters was Casey Neistat: similar vibe right there. And that’s a recommendation if ever there was one.

Filthy out

Posted on

Warning: Ramblings ahead.

A properly filthy day out, but because the microwave exploded yesterday afternoon, I had to go and take it to the microwave (see if we can) repair (it) shop, to see if they could repair it.

As a scientist, if ever we wanted to know what something did in a system, we would remove it from that system, and see what happened. That’s how we worked out that humans need oxygen to survive.

Probably, anyway.

The microwave, removed from the household system with what I think might be a transformer issue, is clearly very important in warming drinks, hot sacks and Saturday evening’s takeaway curry. In fact, given how much we’ve missed it already, I’d argue that it is almost as essential as the oxygen in the house. “Almost” because no-one has actually died yet, but given the rising levels of frustration each time someone tries to use the defunct microwave, there’s every chance that someone might.

Thus, when the guys at the repair place get in touch tomorrow, if the prognosis is not good, I will be buying another microwave very shortly after I take the call. I mean, RIP to the microwave and all that, but in the cold light of day, it’s a wholly replaceable kitchen appliance, not a family member – whatever it might think.

There’s no time for emotion here.

I’m heading out to my car park this evening, but such are the miserable conditions out, I might even be pushed into lighting the fire for the first time this year. I have to think of those I leave behind, see?
It’s 14oC out, and it’s been raining fairly consistently all day. 30mm so far, but I’m quite sure that there’s more on the way. It feels dark and grey and wintery, so I think that a nice fire would cheer up the living room a little.

It would also dry the washing, so there’s a practical side to things as well.

I shall do it.

One thing which has been noticeable this afternoon is the reappearance of our Cape Rain Frogs. This is the first big rain of the season, and they are already chirping away with both glee and delight, but where have they been for the 6 months of bakingly dry summer? In their burrows underground, that’s where. Because although they are frogs, they prefer stick to damp ground, because they’re a bit rubbish at anything to do with water: they can’t swim and they can drown if they get out of their depth.

Pathetic.

Right, let me sort some dinner (stove top) and light that fire. We might as well dip our toes into autumn and winter and embrace the atmosphere. Before heading to an unheated car park for 2½ hours.