After a 6-month hiatus, I went to the barber shop this morning.

[MineralMan]

My wife had started telling me I was almost ready for a man bun. That was it! I took it to heart and drove over to my barber's place on the stroke of 10 AM, hoping he didn't have an appointment coming in first thing. If he did, I'd make an appointment, but there was nobody in the shop, so I went in and sat in the chair.

I was wearing a mask - the kind with ear elastic. The barber was wearing a mask and gloves, and set to work cutting off 6-months of overgrown hair. Barbers and hairdressers seem to me to be a special case during the COVID-19 pandemic. There's no way to practice social distancing, and you're in fairly close contact for a significant amount of time.

Unlike in the past, there was no bantering or insults from either the barber or me. He said, "I'm not talking while I'm cutting hair these days." Seemed like a good thing to me.

After my hair was returned to a more normal length, there still wasn't anyone around, so I paid him and then we had a conversation from more of a distance. I asked him how business was. He said that right after he reopened, about three weeks ago, his schedule was jammed with appointments, but it had slowed down after that early rush. Apparently everyone had gotten their hair cut after a long delay and things were getting back to normal.

Since I've been pretty strict about social distancing, the visit seemed more than a little odd, somehow. The masks and gloves made it seem more like a visit to a medical clinic than a bit of hair trimming.

Still, it's good to get some personal grooming taken care of, but I do miss the mildly sarcastic back and forth with the barber and the other people in the barber shop. It's a ritual I've been experiencing for about 70 years, one way or another. Perhaps things will eventually get back to normal one day. I hope so.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I just stopped worrying about it and clip it at the lowest setting

of my trimmer. I've never been happier with my look....notwithstanding the extra pounds I have now compared to 20 years ago.

[MineralMan]

2. That would work.

I have returned to trimming my own beard. Normally, I let the barber do it, but that's an even closer thing, and sans mask. I always used to trim my own beard, but this barber suggested to me that he do it for me a few years ago. So, I've been having him keep it in check for me.

I think I'll keep doing it myself, though, now.

I like my hair a bit longer than would make it possible for me to trim it myself, though, so I guess I'll have to return to the barber shop from time to time. I hope the routine gets back to normal at some point, though. I miss the bantering.

[5X]

3. I had a different solution....

Link to tweet

?s=20

[MineralMan]

4. Back in the early 70s, my hair was that long, too.

I grew it out until it "stopped by itself."

Then, one time, on a trip to some in-laws in Iowa, my then wife and I were staying in a hotel that had a pool. It was mid-summer, so the pool seemed inviting as a way to cool off. A big sign at the pool, though, said, "Long Hair? Swimming Cap Required." WTF? Well, the hotel also had a barber shop, so I went in there and told the woman barber, "Cut it down to 2", please."

She did, after asking, "Are you sure?". I went swimming, and never grew it out that long again. I'm a creature of impulse, I guess.

[abqtommy]

5. I've had a home-hair-cutting setup for years. At first I used it to trim my beard until I got one

of those special men's grooming gizmos. Now I use the home-hair-cutting stuff to cut my son's hair
using a #2 guide since he likes it short. No sweat. I've thought about cutting my own hair but have put that off for now. I do a little scissors work on my head hair too but then I've always done that between trips to the barber.