I got a haircut today

I went to my barbershop for my every-three-weeks-whether-I-need-it-or-not haircut. My barbershop is in the heart of West Tampa, which is predominantly Cuban in the same way that a baseball is predominantly round, which means I am frequently the only person in there who speaks English. I've been going to this barbershop off and on for the last 20 years and every time I go there, there's always a group of four to six old guys arguing about stuff in Spanish. I don't know if it's the same guys who've been arguing for more than two decades, but I'm seriously considering learning Spanish so I can join in someday. That way I'll have something to do when I get old.

I love my barbershop. For one thing, it's cheap ($12, which is only $2 more than when I started going there). For another thing, they take their time and do a good job. You wouldn't think it would take more than three minutes to cut my hair, but they take at least a half hour every time I go. It's a very no-nonsense, working class, neighborhood place. I don't know what the Spanish word for metrosexual is but I'm sure it's never been uttered there. The whole experience is very old time-y and I like that.

One thing I don't get about haircuts is the part where they turn you around in the chair so you're facing the mirror and then they hold up a mirror behind you so you can see the back of your head. I'm never exactly sure what I'm supposed to be looking for. Because of the natural order of things, there are certain areas of your body you're just not supposed to see, such as your internal organs, the bottoms of your feet and the back of your head. A pretty good rule of thumb is that if you do see these things, there's a pretty good chance that you might need some immediate medical attention. So when the barber shows me a reflection of the back of my own head, they might as well be showing me a photo of what's on the dark side of the moon, because I have no idea what's there or even what it's supposed to look like. I just kind of act like I'm checking it out, maybe furrow my brow a little and then nod my approval; "Yeah, I guess that'll do". For all I know, it's been all jacked up back there for the last 20 years and everybody is in on the joke except me....which would explain a lot, actually, now that I think about it.