a visit to stanley (lyn)

Ideally I should cover my gray roots every three weeks.  But for economic reasons, I try to stretch it out as long as I can.  Usually four weeks.  But Stanley was on vacation, so this time I really did push it.   When I see Stanley today, it’s been six and a half weeks since my last visit.  

I did attempt a quick-fix-cover-up this week by using a brunette pencil to color in the gray.  I thought it worked pretty well but it felt like I had glue in my hair.

I like Stanley.  He’s about 24, very competent, nice, and owns his own salon.  It is not a chi-chi Madison or Fifth Avenue type place (like my previous hairdressers) where there are separate floors for each stage of the coloring process (from coat check to color to wash to blow dry to check out).  Stanley has one floor where everything happens.

I’m sitting in the chair, covered with a big black cape, with only my hands and forearms exposed.  Stanley and I are talking, so of course it comes up (because I unabashedly bring it up) that I’ve lost 27 pounds since mid-September.  “That’s a lot,” he says, and then adds, “I’ve noticed that your hands do look thinner.”  Not particularly a goal of mine, but hey, maybe I was chunky in places I didn’t even realize.

So after my hair is colored, washed, conditioned, and dried, I’m ready to leave.  I uncloak myself and walk over to Stanley and ask him what he thinks.  He looks at me and says, “The color looks great.”  “It does, thank you, but what about the rest of me?”  “Oh wow, you do look thinner.  Have you been working out a lot?  It shows.”

That’s when I realize another benefit of losing weight.  It gives the illusion of being fit. 


Here's a picture taken in August and here's one taken today.  Enormous difference. I still need to lose around the middle but I am definitely getting there.