My head smells coconutty...

I finally went to get a haircut today (Bob's Hair Salon in Taylor). Times are finally changing. I've been going to Bob's since I moved to Michigan in 1987. I think haircuts were $8.00 back then, it's up to thirteen bucks now, but I'm happy to pay it. The interior of Bob's has been the same for the last 18 years. The theme has been "dark wood paneling". Not much to look at other than the deer head and deer pictures mounted on the walls. I walked in today to an unfamiliar brightness. They've actually painted the walls a sort of beige coloring with green trim. They're still going to re-mount the deer head and put up a picture of Bob (Bob passed away a couple of years ago). Luckily there was no wait when I got there and got the fabulous Reyna (SP?). She put a new gel in my hair and now I smell like a coconut. Not a real coconut, or a Mounds bar, but more like Coppertone or Malibu Rum...uber-coconutty. I'll take a shower before I go in to the restaurant tonight to get the smell of sunbather off of me as well as get the remaining few itchy hairs off of me. I'm sure you all wanted the sordid details.

It looks as if the Pope is finally going to pass away. I'm not Catholic or even very religious, but he seems like a pretty good guy. Any issues I have with him are issues that I have with the Catholic church. He'll be missed.

I grew up with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I have some great memories and met lots of great people. I stopped going to church when I got a job that required me to work on Sunday mornings. I had been listening to others for years, but then I got a chance to listen to myself. I have no qualms with the Lutheran Church. They're mostly very good people and I don't regret my upbringing. I essentially liked every aspect of the church except for the whole "God" thing. I'm not exactly sure what I believe in, but I don't think that organized religion is the thing for me. I believe that most of the world's religions have something good to bring to the table. I'm not a multi-thiest, but I essentially believe in being a good person. I think everyone's basic tennet should be "Be nice." Treat people, animals, and the environment well...be respectful...don't discriminate...be as honest as possible...avoid war and conflict at all costs...be nice. I have a childhood memory about discrimination. I was fairly aware of being nice and non-discriminatory on my own...it felt right. But then I would see these signs above the doors of bars and on cigarette machines that said "No Minors" and "Not For Sale to Minors". I thought that it was unfair to discriminate against minors. Why can't minors buy cigarettes or have a drink? It didn't make any sense to me. Turns out that when I was young I didn't know the difference between "minors" and "miners". I thought that bars and cigarette machines were discriminating against miners...the kind that dig and blow things up. Luckily it all makes sense now, but at the time I thought it was unfair for people to be restricted from certain things simply because they may have been dirty or covered in soot. I've been keenly aware of trying not to hurt any person's or group's feelings ever since. I look back at childhood memories from time to time and sometimes have a good laugh.

I finally saw The Incredibles the other night. I thought it was good, but not really worthy of an Oscar. It does, however, strengthen my opinion of Sarah Vowell. She played the voice of Violet. She's also an essayist for This American Life on NPR and has written two fabulous books, Take the Cannoli and The Partly Cloudy Patriot. She's an insanely funny and bright history buff. She's also an occasional guest on Conan O'Brien. She has a new book coming out soon. I think I may have a celebrity crush on her.

I know that I can't win the AOL NCAA bracket pool, but I'll be interested to see how things turn out. I'm doing pretty dang well for a guy that would rather go to the opera than a sporting event.

Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Jason