Waxing Practical and Salon Daze

Man, it really kills me when I skip a week. Not only is my memory about a sharp as a butter knife, but procrastination sets in and I can think of about a billion "reasons" why I should wait yet another week, which could concievably derail this blog train entirely, knowing me. So, lets reach back into the annals of last week, shall we? Before its too late...
Wednesday before last was my waxing practical. With all the hairy Middle Eastern and South Asian girls I know, not a one needed to be waxed (mainly because theyre all so freaking neurotic they hardly wait for the hair to grow out before they wax again) so I was forced to ask Mark if he would be my test subject. Hes so accomodating. So we rolled in a little late, cause I knew we would be waiting a long time anyway, thats just the way it goes, we only have five waxing beds so someone would have to wait. I walked back with him into the waxing and facial room and it was like walking into some 1950's girls dorm room, all girls, so loud. Everyone was in different stages of partial nudity and whipped their heads up to look at us/him when we walked in. I thought it best to wait. There's a lot of estrogen in there he said to me as we walked back to the breakroom. I couldnt argue with that! It was cool that we waited cause we were the only ones in there so it was a more private and less embarrasing experience. Exept that he insisted that i wax all the way up almost to the tops of his thighs, he said he didnt want to be left with "hairshorts." Ms V kep teasing us about keeping it professional "No hank panky, theres a lot of leg exposed in there!" Things like that. Rather embarrasing. But, I did an alright job, he kept pointing out hairs I missed. I thought he wasnt very hairy but I guess any guy has considerably more hair that most women. It was quite a job. He kept making me laugh, striking these hilarious legs-stretched-out-coy-look-over-the-shoulder-girlie-pinup poses while I was doing the sides of his legs, then he fell asleep. High pain tolerance I guess. The underarms were the worst. I used the beige wax instead of the green, which is supposed to be for sensitive areas like pits and brows but his hair was so coarse I dont think it would have come out with the green wax. The beige one uses strips while the green one you let dry and pull off by itself. I know it just killed. It looked good, I have to say, very silky. He surveyed the sticky smooth landscape of his legs and his newly hairless pits. "I look Gay," "No you dont, its hot!" "Nah, its gay." "Not really, you look more like...Venus Williams." :)
The rest of the week was cool, I dont really remember anything of note, Oh! I finally got fingerwaves down! I can see at long last how they wrap around the head, how each row connects to the next. I practiced it like five times and finally it clicked. What else...I gave Cindy, a girl from my dance class, a haircut that is really cute, took off a lot of length and it frames her face well. Frannie came in for me to really wash her locks, whew! Needed. Even clean locks can hold a LOT of product buildup. I was twisting them before I did her crown updo and basically the whole school was standing around watching (to Franchesska's chagrin) nobody knew how to maintain locks and most people, including all the black women had ever touched them before. But they can do presses and relaxers in their sleep. The next day Mahroo came in for foil highlights and a deep condition, she has enough hair for ten people and it took me forever. It was my first real foil, and I think it came out alright. I should have done more and a chunkier weave so that it would show up more, but I didnt get a chance to see the end result because Ms Michelle had booked Kaila for a haircut with me at one and not scheduled Mahroo's deep condition so I was rushed as hell and didnt have time to style her. LAME. I hate not finishing things. It was the be all and end all to cut Kaila's hair. I have been capping on her butt lenghth braids for about two years, it just looked terrible; breaking off and thin at the ends, super flat, and just excessive. It aged her. I cut off about a foot, she still has long hair, and did just some long simple layers. She looks about 100% better and certainly 10 years younger. It was SO satisfying. This week is fresher in the memory, It was crazy, I was totally booked! Not to toot my own horn, but I have more clients come to see me than anyone else. Its great because theyre really varied styles and I get a lot of practice, but Im not getting paid and I am DEFINITELY still learning so it sucks to have to rush through things and have to keep people waiting. But, its infinintly better than standing around, working on the wigheads, or doing old lady rollersets all day. My thursday was just rediculous. Angie came in for a haircut at nine thirty, I gave her a uniform layer cut that she was really nervous about but looked really good, her hair is so fine that with all the layers it gives her a lot more volume and looks much fuller, its grown on her now and she likes it but I was scared that she would hate it because I know its not exactly what she thought it would be. Then at 10:30 Angela from dance class came in for two strand twists which I booked furtively when I was working the front desk because I know we arent allowed to do natural styles. They say its because they dont teach them at the school, which of course they should. I dont care, its a hairstyle and its fair game. Again, everyone was gathered around watching. Its a crying shame, and really infuriates me. Its like having untreated, curly hair isnt a option at all. I will be making a scene until they let me see lock maintenance clients and do natural styles on the floor, mark my words. bwhahah! bwahahah! Evil natural stylist laugh. Ok, after Angela I had a one o clock with Trina Torkleson, the Asst General Manager at the Village. I think it is so bomb that she came and saw me. She is a very cute woman whose hair was etrenched in the 80's. Long, ash blonde and puffy with lots of highlights. I Took off a little length, cut more layers, made her bangs a little shorter and (this is the key) flat ironed it with some glossing spray. Ta Da. Millenium Trina. She looked great, and I think she really liked it. It was like a makeover, the difference it made to get the wave out of her hair. She looked very stylish. After Trina, Angie's sister Amy came in for a cut. SHe has the same fine hair as Angie but thicker. I just cut some fringe and did a little graduated layering to show off her natural curl without inducing frizz with too much choppyness. It was a helluva day, I guess that is somewhat like what working in a real salon will be like. We learned facials this week on our theory day, and we each get to get one from Ms V which I am really looking forward to. Amber got hers on Wed and we all got to see her with no makeup on, it took Ms V about 10 full minutes to get all her mascara off, she never washes her face she says so there were layers upon layers of black mascara on her lashes. She looked innocent and young with out all of it. Like someones' teenage daughter...not someone you'd see mudsharking at a club. Friday I did a clipper cut on a chinese guy who works in the SCCC accounting department and then did Colette's color, she takes her dark level 4 hair (like mine) to a level 7 light blonde with level 12 ash blonde and 40 vol developer. It really works and it was great practice for me, I feel really insecure in my color knowledge. She is amazingly neurotic about who touches her hair, amazingly, and has always said that she will never let anyone in the school do anything permanant to her hair so I felt honored that she would ask me to do it. Apparantly her usual stylist has had a relapse...and I looked like a better option than a Meth influenced touch up.
The only person in the school that I have never really gotten along with is this white girl named dawn, weve never before had an altercation and I have always made extra effort to smile and greet her but despite efforts, I have felt an icy wind from her since the beginning. I think she's a little jealous since before I got there she had a corner on the older stylish white girl market. Well there's room for two, but if she wants her panties in a bunch about it, far be it for me. Anyway, apparantly she has just been bottling up all these annoying and inconsiderate things that I have done over the past months so when I asked a question to the person working in dispensary when she had been standing in line, she just couldnt take it any more. She muttered something under her breath and I jokingly said something like arent we salty, which triggered a fourth grade style explosion which went something like this:"No! Youre salty, and you really need to be more considerate!" "Gee dawn, I wasnt aware that I have been inconsiderate, what can I do differently?" "Well you dont think about anyone but yourself! (harsh words for someone who has never spoken to me and isn't inside my head) youve cut in line in front of me before, and the other day in the lunch room when Gabe said "You need to eat!' (she is REALLY skinny) you laughed and it wasnt funny! Its not funny at all, its very rude!" I told her that I am really sorry she feels that way and that I had no idea that that had hurt her feelings, but thank you for bringing that to my attention, I will certainly try to be more conscientious. She didnt really want to talk it out though, she just wanted to be mad, stomp around, and hold a silent grudge, so I wont stand in her way. I stood next to her at the front desk on friday, waiting to check in a client I hadnt noticed that it was her until she said loudly EXCUSE ME and went to wait in another area! Hilarious. Its too bad, that people let things get so big and cant say anything about it until it consumes them. It must make life so exhausting to take everything personally and not be able to release even the smallest things from your mind. That about wraps it up...Thanks for bearing with me. My father bought be a laptop on Ebay last week for a screamin' deal (WOW! Thanks dad! My parents' generosity never ceases to amaze me) so as soon as I can get it outfitted with a wireless setup I will be able to post far more freely. Ive had some requests for the promised blackuum discussion so thats in the hopper for some at home writing. Until we meet again... VOTE FOR KERRY, GOOD LORD VOTE FOR KERRY!