August 28: At the hair salon

Got a trim and some grey hair maintenance (i.e. highlights) this morning at the hair salon. There's something so soothingly sensual about the whole process--the invigorating head massage with the shampoo, the maternal comfort of the hairdresser combing out my tangles, the warmth of the hair dryer as she runs her fingers through my smooth-for-now hair. Not the type to chat away with my hairdresser as if she were my confessor, I just sit there and relax, eyes closed, calmly gathering myself for the start of another work day.

On the back of my neck
blow dryer's hot breath--
haircut on a chilly day.

August 15: Braid

One of the goals of growing out my hair for the past months has been to braid it once more. In college and for quite a few years after I often wore my hair in one long braid down my back. This morning it was finally (almost) long enough to do so again. The end result wasn't pretty, and fell apart before day's end, but it's getting there. It occurred to me that it's been 13, 14 years or more since I've been able to braid my hair like that, since back in the first years when I was dating my now-husband.

Braiding my wet hair--
remember how young we were
when last I did this.