The Barber Shop

Quality barber shops are quickly heading in the same direction that the dinosaurs, Polaroid cameras and telephone booths have gone.  Total extinction.



I can see why barber shops are headed in that direction.  It’s a labor intensive craft.  Quality barbering takes time, and time is money.  In the past five years I can count on one hand the number of barbers that I’ve frequented to cut my hair that had someone employed that was under the age of 45.  Much like the veterans of WWII, barbers are aging out and the younger generations aren’t even considering it as an option for work.  It is a total travesty.

Some guys that I talk to posture up and proclaim “Oh, I would never trust getting my hair cut at a barber shop.  I have to have mine hair cut by a woman.”  To each his own I guess, but here is why I love going to the barber shop.

Cash is king - I don’t know that I’ve ever been to a barber shop that takes plastic.  This is one of the few service businesses that cash has always, and continues to be, the only form of compensation.  You can also get your trim for under $20.  I can remember a time when a $5 spot would cover it, but most barbers run between $9 & $12.  For those males reading this that pay over $20 to get your hair cut, we can’t tell a difference.  You are just throwing your money away.  I still have money left over from my haircut to purchase a few brews or maybe even my lunch.

 The Political Barometer - If any of you ever plan on running for public office, start out at the local barber shop.  The clientele and proprietor will let you know in about 5 minutes what needs to change with whatever community you might be trying to represent.  School board, county commissioner, State senate, or the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., they will give a no B.S. opinion on how to fix the problem using common sense.  The ideas they give you might not work, but they will give you a perfect gauge of the pulse of your constituency.

Self Confindence – A new haircut can make an ordinary man feel like a brand new person.  From trimming up your appearance, to giving you that freshly shaven look, barber shops are the performance speed shop for instant self confidence.  Got a date? Go get a trim.  Interview for a new job?  Make certain that your appearance isn’t the difference in a “you got the job” instead of “We regret to inform you…”  Going to the barber makes me feel like I’ve lost weight, even though I know I haven’t.



Razz will go to a barber shop for his haircuts.  He will come to appreciate everything that is the essence of the barber shop.  From the drape they put over you, the starchy protector they tuck in over your collar, the warm shaving cream that signals you are nearly done with the process and the spin and review in the mirror, a visit to the barber is one of my favorite activities in life.  I hope that Razz has the same appreciation for such a small part of life that can make you feel so good.  

Man in Transition

So Baby Razz has taken some big steps this week, figuratively of course, in his climb up the growth charts of life.  There have been a few bumps along the way, as there always is when trying something new, but Razz is an innovator and those bumps don’t stop him from trying.

Transition 1 - Diapers

We went up a size in diapers this weekend.  The move was probably long overdue.  They never seem small until you see the proper size diaper on and then are like “wow, we had our son in bikini briefs”.  Yeah, it was time.  Also, we had our first blowout.  I’m not usually one to share family bodily functions, but to be so small, this was impressive.

Transition 2 – Clothes

Clothes are tricky.  The pair of pants that I buy from Old Navy are going to fit differently than the pair of Carhartts I have in my closet.  It’s just the way the world works.  Infant clothing is the same way.  Carter’s fit completely different than the Gerber’s onesies do.  So with one manufacturer, Razz is wearing a 0-3 month and with another it’s 3-6 month...at 6 weeks old.  For the most part, we’ve quickly grown out of our newborn clothing.  It’s exciting on one hand, hard to believe that he was ever that small.  Scary on the other hand, in that a stage of his life has blown past me right before my eyes and I feel like I didn’t catch as much of it as I should have.

Transition 3 – Sleep

Baby Razz has been getting better and better at sleeping.  We still have nights that are less than desirable from both points of view, but he seems to be forging towards sleeping more regularly and for longer periods of time.  He has this pattern he’ll fall in to every now and then where he “beeps” himself to sleep.  He makes this vocal noise that sounds kind of like squeaking a latex balloon.  It makes for difficulty in sleeping for us as parents, but it seems to soothe him.  If it keeps him asleep at night, I’m all for it.