Yesterday San Francisco, Tomorrow Winston-Salem.


I can still feel the Bliss of Angel’s massage in San Francisco. But my impending responsibilities loom in the very near future. I returned today from San Francisco. I'll spend one night in my adorable little apartment then pack up and leave for Winston-Salem tomorrow. I am a bridesmaid in my friend Sally’s wedding. Friday is filled with lingerie showers, bridesmaid brunches and of course the rehearsal dinner. Saturday night is the wedding. With hair like mine all of this socializing requires a very sound plan. I must call in the best hair straightener in town. I have come to know her as Kelley, the “new talent” at Mina’s. Because she is “new talent” she is inexpensive. A meticulous, shinny blowout for $30 plus tip. Kelley is friendly, and attacks small frizzy errant hairs as if they are the ferret from the Big Lebowski. She is very very good. And she has to be with hair like mine. As far as I know I am ethnically Caucasian, although this is called into question anytime a hand attempts to run itself through my hair. Jewish, likely. Hispanic very likely. This hair is thick, course, fizzy and unruly. Wavy to curly in back, straight in front and enough volume to easily cover the heads of three dready hippies. I’m not kidding. Usually it’s up in a clip or piled on top of my head in a hair tie. The latter creates neck problems so it usually doesn’t last long. Kelley isn’t intimidated. She leaves my hair looking like LC’s from Laguna Beach every time. Shinny and “pin-straight” as she calls it.

Since I just went to bliss I wouldn’t normally venture to Mina’s so quickly. That is a heavy assault on the pocketbook. But two days of wedding events calls for such measures. Anyhow the proximity of my Bliss and Mina’s experiences allows me to draw some comparisons. Kelley knows me. She knows my dating history over the last 6 months since we have been working together. I know hers. On this particular trip I also run into my dear dear friend Gigi who is getting her hair done. And a mutual friend of ours has also started working there. I notice a minute into my hairwash that it’s Gabriella washing my hair and doing an absolutely fantastic job. Gabriella gave me my first Brazilian. I say to her “Do you also do waxing?” She replies “Yes I have waxed you before” I shutter and recall her demanding, terrifying question from our last visit, “Don’t you want me to do back there? It’s the best part.” I decline and think, ‘See this is what no one tells you. A Brazilian also includes ‘back there’’ Seriously how would you find that out? What exactly would you Google? Gabriella learned to wax and do all things aesthetician starting at age twelve when her female relatives starting using her services. And I start to think, you know Bliss is amazing and I am willing (utterly and completely) to move my entire life across the country just to have regular access to it and all the other bliss that is San Francisco, but sometimes don’t you just want to go where everyone knows your name? Yes me too…

“Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.”

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