Paradise by the dashboard light...

thoughts...

2011-08-09T23:49:00.001-04:00

I have been working on taoism and most recently delving into zen as well. so the taoist meditations and techniques are coming along. I hope to continue the practices for the rest of my life...and hopefully to pass them on to Robby as well.

Friday...

2010-08-13T12:17:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything, but since the beginning of July I have had to take a break from cutting hair at school. I injured a muscle in my neck/shoulder and the doctor told me I needed to let it heal or it could take up to 6 months to completely recover.

I'm hoping to cut some hair next week and see how it feels...but I don't want to rush it.

Tuesday class (Week 20)

2010-06-29T22:36:00.001-04:00

No haircuts today...it was slow, and other ppl got 3 haircuts for SOME reason... :P

Monday class (Week 19)

2010-06-21T21:23:00.001-04:00

I didn't go in today...had some stuff to try to figure out.

Wednesday class (Week 18)

2010-06-16T23:52:00.001-04:00

1 haircut today:

Was a short tapered haircut. Think I took it up too "high" on the sides though. Should have stuck with my first thought. Oh well, live and learn right?

Tuesday class (Week 18)

2010-06-15T21:57:00.002-04:00

3 cuts today:

1st - A pretty normal trim for a tapered haircut. Nothing special

2nd - A customer I've cut his hair before. We did 1/2" on the sides and back and shortened his part on top so it wouldn't be getting in his eyes anytime soon. Much better job than the previous time I cut his hair. You can tell I'm improving a lot :D

3rd - a trim on a "halo." The back was left long to cover a high hairline in the back. Turned out pretty well according to Cindy :)

Hopefully get a few tomorrow as well...I love doing good work :)

Monday class (Week 18)

2010-06-14T23:36:00.003-04:00

No cuts today...boring...

Had my massage and chiropractor visit this morning. Went well...hope I get back to feeling normal soon :(

Friday class (Week 17)

2010-06-09T22:15:00.002-04:00

First thing today was a beard trim for my favorite customer :P

Abe Lincoln beard...easy and done!

The haircut was a short tapered haircut. did about 1/2" on the sides and back, and trimmed the part on top. Came out looking nice I think.

Hopefully tomorrow will provide more challenges/experience!

Tuesday class (Week 17)

2010-06-08T22:32:00.002-04:00

Only 1 haircut today.

Basically just a short tapered haircut for summer. Turned out nicely.

I contemplated cutting Mondays out of my schedule because I have accumulated so many hours. It would have put me about a month ahead of the earliest finishing time I could have. Instead, I did some math today, and found out that if I keep up the schedule I have been doing, I could get the extra 250 hours (1500 total) required by other states, and have THAT done by my finishing date on Nov. 16. Think that's what I'm gonna do...extra experience is a plus right? I sure hope so :P

Friday class (Week 16)

2010-06-04T19:01:00.001-04:00

One haircut. Nothing special, other than curly and part on the right...had to take up the left handed shears.

Turned out pretty well though, so I'm happy :)

Wednesday class (Week 16)

2010-06-02T18:39:00.001-04:00

Missed class today. Had hurt my neck, and it was really bad today. Hope to get rest and make it back up there tomorrow.

Monday class (Week 15)

2010-05-24T22:21:00.002-04:00

1 haircut today...

Was initially going to be a trim, but ended up being a regular mens tapered haircut. Got rid of a combover (there ya go Cindy!) and made him look excellent!

Mission for the day accomplished :D

Friday class (Week 14)

2010-05-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

2 haircuts today...

1: simple buzz, #6 guard (3/4") Easy peasy ;)

2: No guard open and nice line up.

Thursday class (Week 14)

2010-05-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

1 haircut today.

Regular mens tapered haircut. A little curly. Beard trim along with it.

Tuesday class (Week 14)

2010-05-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

2 haircuts today...

1: 1/2" all over. Easy.

2: Short trim on a regular tapered mens haircut. Also easy :P

Monday class (Week 14)

2010-05-17T21:38:00.002-04:00

Nothing special today...1 haircut. Was feeling under the weather since Robby gave me a cold over the weekend. Oh well, the price we pay for those we love :D

1: Normal tapered mens haircut. Older gentleman with nice white hair. Came out very nice :D Seems I'm on a roll ;)

Tuesday class (Week 13)

2010-05-11T22:46:00.001-04:00

2 haircuts today...a horrible rainy day :(

1: Regular tapered haircut, nothing special.

2: Another regular tapered haircut, except had to pay attention not to let a cowlick back near the crown get out of control by cutting it too short. I basically just trimmed that area and let it a little long.

Monday class (Week 13)

2010-05-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

1 haircut today:

It was a #2 on the top, #1 on the sides/back and then a #1 opened to blend them together.

Really simple fade.

Posture Exercises!

2010-05-09T15:40:00.016-04:00

I just found this excellent video and would recommend it to ANYONE, not just people who cut hair for a living :) Hope you enjoy it!

Video linked from scissorboy.com

Friday class (Week 12)

2010-05-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

3 haircuts today. Other than that, nothing special to note.

1: Regular tapered haircut, nothing hard.

2: Trim with a #3 on sides and back and a bit longer and spiked on the top. Nothing hard.

3: Regular tapered haircut, but there was a spot of alopecia areata on the back, so we left the hair above it longer to cover the bald spot. There was also a cowlick up near the parietal ridge on the right side, so that area was left a little longer as well.

Thursday class (Week 12)

2010-05-06T22:05:00.002-04:00

Just one haircut today...was a slow day.

#1 all over, and went over the sides and back with no guard open because he wanted it a little bit shorter on the sides than on top. Very simple. Came out looking very nice :D

Wednesday class (Week 12)

2010-05-05T22:03:00.002-04:00

Had 3 haircuts today...

1: Regular tapered men's haircut. Nothing special.

2: T-edgers all over

3: Regular tapered haircut for an Indian gentleman. Little more challenging (hair is much thicker) but came out very nice :D

Tuesday class (Week 12)

2010-05-04T21:27:00.002-04:00

Was a pretty good day!

Had 2 haircuts:

1st was a pretty simple normal haircut. The gentleman had grey hair, but it was THICK! Trimmed him up nicely, and removed a lot off the back. Case done!

2nd cut was a guy that had his Barber Manager license. He had never been to us before, and told me he had decided to "give us a try." I did the best job I could on him, which, for just wanting a #2 (1/4") all over, was very easy. Trimmed him up, and he said I did a good job. For a Barber of 50+ years, I'll take that as a compliment.

When I got home I cut my grandfather's hair as well. Did a much better job than I did the first time I cut his hair shortly after I started school.

I will cut Robby's hair again soon...but he's difficult since he doesn't want to sit still :P

Monday class (Week 12)

2010-05-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

Very boring day. Didn't have a haircut. At least it was nice weather out! :D

Friday class (Week 11)

2010-04-30T22:26:00.000-04:00

2 haircuts today.

Both were just regular haircuts. Nothing too special.

Thursday class (Week 11)

2010-04-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

Not much to say about today. 1 haircut. Really slow day.

Wednesday class (Week 11)

2010-04-28T21:38:00.000-04:00

1 haircut today: It was a pretty standard haircut, but the gentleman was deaf. Cindy told me exactly how he wanted it and I did it.

Came out pretty nice I think.

Tuesday class (Week 11)

2010-04-27T21:37:00.000-04:00

Had 1 haircut today: Pretty simple...#2 on top, #1 on the sides and back, then blend the 2 areas together. Finished ;)

Monday class (Week 11)

2010-04-26T21:36:00.000-04:00

Not a whole lot to report today...pretty slow.

Friday class (Week 10)

2010-04-23T21:46:00.002-04:00

Pretty decent day! 2 haircuts:

1. A simple 1/8" cut all over for an older gentleman with a "halo." Trimmed the stragglers on the top, and sent him on his way.

2. A little more challenging! A lot of growth taken down to a "businessman's" haircut. At first sight I was a little worried, then I took a deep breath and set to work. Clipper over comb was the way to go, and I got it hacked down and looking pretty good.

It's really too bad I can't take pictures before and after of these people I cut...that would make an interesting addition to my posts!

Thursday class (Week 10)

2010-04-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

No haircut today. SLOW...

Wednesday class (Week 10)

2010-04-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

Very boring day...didn't get a haircut cause it was so slow.

We went over Barber history in class...test on it tomorrow!

Tuesday class (Week 10)

2010-04-20T22:32:00.002-04:00

Slow day. Had one haricut. #3 all over. He was a nice guy, and a pleasure to talk to. Also got to fix my clippers as they were chattering in the closed position. Solved the problem by honing the blades. Must have been a burr or something that was causing the noise. Either way, a good day, and got a few things accomplished :D

Monday class (Week 10)

2010-04-19T22:15:00.003-04:00

Had one haircut today. Wasn't anything special, just took about 1" off all over, but he had curly hair. First real curly head I cut doing a regular haircut. Went pretty well I think...Cindy didn't do a whole lot when checking it. so I guess it was good :P

Worked on my clippers a little and also my new Eskilstuna razor in the free time.

The razor is about ready I think :D

Friday class (Week 9)

2010-04-16T19:21:00.002-04:00

Went in early again today. Had 1 haircut. T-edgers all over his head. I made sure I didn't miss any, and according to him, did an good job. I kinda went "above and beyond" and the tip reflected that. Even before the tip I told him, if I was there, he is welcome to ask for me to cut his hair again if he was pleased with my work. He told me that he would look for me the next Friday he came in, in about 2 weeks. Hopefully I will have a regular customer :D

Thursday class (Week 9)

2010-04-15T19:18:00.000-04:00

Nothing special today. Just one normal haircut.

Wednesday class (Week 9)

2010-04-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

Slow day. Got to trim the beard of "Abe" when I first got in. I will refer to him as Abe from now on because when he told me how he shapes his beard, he said "Like Abe Lincoln."

Didn't do another til closing time. That one came out pretty nice as well :D

So other than being a slow day, the cuts went very well. We also reviewed Ch. 11 in the book, and will have to answer the chapter review questions for Monday. Plenty of time to get em done :)

Tuesday class (Week 9)

2010-04-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

1 haircut again today. Older gentleman, not too difficult but also did a full beard trim as well!

Monday class (Week 9)

2010-04-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

Had 1 haircut today.

6 y.o. boy with fine blond hair. It was a real challenge, next time I hope to do better!

Friday class (Week 8)

2010-04-09T21:35:00.001-04:00

Went in early today so I could leave and go to Laurel.

Got a couple haircuts, but nothing special.

Thursday class (Week 8)

2010-04-08T20:41:00.002-04:00

Class was pretty slow today. I got one haircut, simple 1/8" buzz cut with a nice line up.

Going to go in early tomorrow so I can get back home and Robby and I will head to Baltimore to see Heidi.

Wednesday class (Week 8)

2010-04-07T21:25:00.000-04:00

Went in early again today. Was another beautiful day.

Had 2 haircuts today. One was just a regular haircut, the other was a faux hawk!

The last was interesting as I've never done one, and wasn't really sure how to do it. Got some tips, and I think it turned out alright. Looked up the "right" way to do it online once I got home, so hopefully I'll get someone else that wants one, or at least someone getting chopped that will let me practice on them :D

Tuesday class (Week 8)

2010-04-06T21:38:00.002-04:00

Today began my trend of going in an hour early (12:30pm) so I can get my full 8 hrs a day.

Had 3 haircuts today.

The first was very simple. "What you see, just a little shorter." So after consulting the client, I took about 1/2" off all over. Piece of cake ;)

The second was an older gentleman, with a "halo" and wanted it pretty short (1/4") and then wanted his whole full beard trimmed as well. Never did a full beard and moustache trim before, so I took a little time getting used to that, but turned out nicely :)

The third was very similar to the 2nd, except he just had a moustache to trim. Got him squared away and out of the chair in good time and looking good :D

In class we continued Ch.11 Cindy said Thursday once we're on the floor she might teach us foiling. That will be interesting to learn :)

Monday class (Week 8)

2010-04-05T21:36:00.001-04:00

Was good to be back at school after a nice weekend :D

Nothing overly interesting went on. Got to cut some hair, but nothing really challenging today :)

Friday class (Week 7)

2010-04-02T11:20:00.001-04:00

No class today...off for Easter. Will return Monday :)

Thursday class (Week 7)

2010-04-01T23:16:00.002-04:00

Class was really short today. I got there about 12:45, and left at 3pm. Someone was working out back of the shopping center and busted our water main :P

SO, without hot & cold running water, by law we had to close up. So we got a little longer vacation for Easter ;)

I did go to Tandy Leather once I got out of there, and picked up some 2.5" top grain cowhide leather to make a new strop from. My old one was WAY short.

Got home, hung out with Robby outside since it was ~80 and then in the evening I put my strop together...I can't wait to try her out!

Wednesday class (Week 7)

2010-03-31T21:36:00.002-04:00

Had one haircut today. Guy was going from a lot to very little so I got to "play" a little. Really thick hair too...was a challenge. Worked out in the end though :)

Hopefully will get another like that soon...want to play a little bit more if I can.

Tuesday class (Week 7)

2010-03-30T22:00:00.003-04:00

Another kinda slow day. Did one "normal" haircut. In class we watched a video about bobs. It was rainy and everyone was tired, and bored...thank goodness the rest of the week is supposed to be nice and warm :D

Monday class (Week 7)

2010-03-30T10:07:00.001-04:00

Had 2 haircuts today. One, a #1 guard buzz, the other a halo haircut. Nothing very difficult :)

In the down time I perm rolled about half a mannequin head. Fun times!

Friday class (Week 6)

2010-03-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

Boring slow day...no haircuts for me :(

I did watch a video since it was slow...pretty funny haircutting video :)

Thursday class (Week 6)

2010-03-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

Not much to report. Only hair I cut was the new guy's (Mark.) He did say later that his wife approved, so that's good :)

Wednesday class (Week 6)

2010-03-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

Not much happened today. 2 haircuts: One was a 3 yr old which didn't go so bad, and the other was a normal haircut pretty much, except the guy was thinning a lot up top.

Tuesday class (Week 6)

2010-03-23T21:38:00.001-04:00

Class went ok. 2 haircuts: 1st was a bald fade, took a while cause he was picky, but we got it in the end ;) 2nd was an easy fade.

Pretty good day overall :)

Monday class (Week 6)

2010-03-22T21:41:00.001-04:00

Nothing real special today. Had a haircut, nothing special. Cindy was out today because of her hurt back. Hope she feels better soon.

Friday class (Week 5)

2010-03-19T21:53:00.000-04:00

Was a pretty good day. Got to cut a couple heads. Nothing really hard or challenging today. Maybe next week :D

Thursday class (Week 5)

2010-03-18T20:03:00.000-04:00

Cindy was out today, so we had Nick as our teacher. Cut one head of hair today. Was a gentleman who will be 100 soon. He was very nice and had some interesting stories to tell :)

Wednesday class (Week 5)

2010-03-17T21:01:00.001-04:00

Another beautiful day outside. For class we watched a video on style cutting by sectioning hair.

Tuesday class (Week 5)

2010-03-16T20:59:00.000-04:00

Was a decent day. Very nice outside! Had a fade haircut, and I guess I did a pretty good job on it :)

Monday class (Week 5)

2010-03-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

Another slow day. Had 1 haircut. Nothing really to report.

Friday class (Week 4)

2010-03-12T20:26:00.001-05:00

Another slow day. Not a whole lot to recount. Just one easy haircut. That's about it :)

Thursday class (Week 4)

2010-03-11T20:20:00.001-05:00

Another pretty boring day. Cut one head. A simple 1 to 2 fade.

Not feeling particularly hot today...hope I'm not getting sick again :( Come on weekend...get here fast!

Wednesday class (Week 4)

2010-03-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Was pretty slow today. Didn't cut anyone's hair.

Learned the proper procedure for neck shaves though :)

Mike let me shave his neck. Went pretty good.

Not much else to report :P

Tuesday class (week 4)

2010-03-09T21:28:00.001-05:00

Class was a little slow today. We had a test on Barber laws/regulations. Pretty sure I aced it.

After that, one of the instructors decided he wanted to feel important and teach the "new people" stuff for a few weeks.

Today he went over...yes, you guessed it folks...honing and stropping!

to say the least I was bored. He made a huge deal about how the angle was SO important. He kept saying make it more of an X, etc. I really wanted to bust his chops, but in the interest of saving time, I just listened to what he had to say. He almost lost it when I started to hone left handed (which is the way I hone.) Anyway, after wasting an hour listening to him, we finally got to go out on the floor.

Cut one person's hair today. It was a bit of a chore, and honestly, I felt a bit lost since it required me to take a LOT of hair off before I could "see" how to cut it the way he wanted. Next time I need to do better. Oh well, this is part of the learning process I suppose :D

Monday class (week 4)

2010-03-08T20:24:00.003-05:00

Another good day. Only cut one head of hair (simple trim using shears and fingerwork.)

Got to hear some interesting stories from a WWII vet. It amazes me sometimes the things these guys have gone through...he said even now, he still wakes up about 3 times a week from dreams of reliving some pretty horrible events.

Friday Class

2010-03-06T00:09:00.002-05:00

Today went well. I had 2 haircuts, both went very well.

We had a customer get carried out by paramedics today...not sure what was the problem, but for a minute he had trouble breathing, and it looked like he was gonna pass out.

His breathing got better by the time the paramedics got there, but they still took him away.

Excitement we could have done without for sure :P

Going to Baltimore for the weekend...maybe I'll trim Robby's hair if I can keep him still hehe :)

Thursday class

2010-03-04T21:46:00.002-05:00

Another slow day. Not much was going on. Got to do one easy haircut. 1/8" all over. Hooray for easy fast clipper jobs ;)

Maybe I'll see some more action tomorrow :D

Wednesday Class

2010-03-03T20:25:00.004-05:00

Another good day. Only 1 haircut, but it was something I hadn't done before...a fade.

Got a little pre-cutting help from Jason and Mike, and then started in on it. Mike came and helped me get a couple of the small spots that needed work, but overall, I think it wasn't bad for my first fade.

I hope I get to practice more of them so I can get em down pat :)

In spare time I worked on touching up a couple razors that weren't "up to snuff."

Tuesday class

2010-03-02T22:11:00.004-05:00

Today wasn't too bad. I still wasn't feeling great (getting over a cold) so it was nice to relax. Only had to do 1 haircut today.

Worked on Barber Law today in class, so the slow time gave me a chance to go over and remember it. I'm thinking maybe this week they may practice shaving, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I tried out the straight that came with our kit, and being the 1st disposable blade razor I've used, I'll have to say it was better than I thought, but not by much.

The edge overall was pretty forgiving, and it was decently sharp, but it left my face uncomfortable, something I have not experienced for quite a while now. For the price, and what it is, it's not bad, but it would never beat a real straight if you're trying to give your clients comfort...another reason I'm SO glad I'm in a state where not only is one allowed to use a traditional straight on people, but encouraged! :)

Monday Class

2010-03-01T20:30:00.001-05:00

Still getting over being sick from the weekend...not much to say about class really. Couple haircuts...nothing special.

Friday class

2010-02-26T20:06:00.003-05:00

So we had class today, and it went well.

I went in early, and did a quick beard trim on someone. After that I had 2 regular haircuts. They went pretty well :)

I just need to learn to stop nit picking and taking so much time :P

I hope I can quit doing that...it's always been a problem with me...nothing is ever good enough.

There's supposed to be a big storm coming through sometime next week, so class might be canceled at some point. I hope we don't miss too much school :(

Thursday Class

2010-02-25T11:14:00.002-05:00

Well, class was canceled for today because of the escalating winter storm that is gonna roll through.

Depending on how things go, it might be closed tomorrow as well, but I hope not.

At least this will give me a chance to catch up on posts on SRP and also give me time with my son :D

Wednesday class

2010-02-24T21:24:00.002-05:00

Today's class went well. Pretty slow though. Supposed to get another snow storm come thru tomorrow, so the school may be closed.

Not a whole lot interesting happened today, but I did find out a few things.

Not only is it ok to use straight razors, but it is required equipment for each person in a shop.

That and the use of a leather razor strop, and a razor hone is A-OK! So those of you that thought it might not be allowed, it is. In fact, from what I hear, during my time at the school, I have to pass a "test" on honing and stropping! How easy that will be ;)

Good times, and finding out good info :)

More updates to follow!

Tuesday Class

2010-02-23T20:56:00.003-05:00

So today marked my 1 week of being up there at school. I only had 1 cut again today, but it was a trim on a regular men's haircut, again requiring finger and shear work. This one went a good bit smoother. There weren't TOO many corrections that Cindy had to make, so I think things are progressing fairly well.

Hopefully the rest of the week will go well. This coming weekend I may cut my grandfather's hair for him and see how it goes.

Monday class

2010-02-23T10:16:00.002-05:00

Monday class went well. It was pretty slow though. I only cut one person's hair, but when the guy was sent back to me, I realized right off that this haircut was going to take something I hadn't practiced before...shears and finger work!

I asked Megan, the student that was next to me, for some help since I had not done shear work yet. We took turns going back and forth, and we finally got the cut the way I thought it should be.

When Cindy (the teacher) came back to check the cut, she said to me "you realize I was testing you with this one right?"

I kinda chuckled a bit and said "I WONDERED why you sent him back to me."

She wanted to see what I would do I suppose :)

Overall I think the first time went pretty well. Next time I will do even better!

The students still haven't practiced shaving. Oh well...it'll happen eventually :)

2010-02-20T23:38:00.002-05:00

Friday's class was great. Went by fairly quickly too.

I did 3 haircuts, all basically just clippers, but I did get to trim a little on top with shears for one gentleman. Eyebrows were also done with shears.

They were GOING to practice shaving, but time didn't allow it. I was kinda bummed...I really wanted to see how they did ;)

I will certainly make a post when that day comes though :)

2010-02-19T10:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterdays class went well. I got my equipment setup, and got to actually cut 2 people hair.

Nothing complex, just clipper work, but it went well.

Today they are practicing straight shaving! We'll see just how good they think they are ;)

Rinse and repeat...

2010-02-17T20:16:00.002-05:00

My second day of Barber School was very similar to the first.

Watched a video on clipper cutting, practiced a few more techniques, that I will make videos of probably this weekend when I actually have some free time.

Then back out to watch the other students on the floor. Saw a few different haircuts, and observed techniques, etc.

Was another good day. Tomorrow I will get my equipment setup and oiled, and be on the floor from my understanding. Ought to be interesting to say the least :D

2010-02-16T22:05:00.002-05:00

Well, today was my first day at Barber School. Things were fairly slow. Got the paperwork done, got introduced to my supplies, and watched a video on using clippers.

After that I practiced a few techniques with a comb and my shears to start building the hand dexterity/movements required. I will try to make video's of those as soon as I can for documentary purposes. Once I practiced for a few minutes, I basically just walked around observing other students cutting hair. From my understanding tomorrow will be very much the same, and then Thursday I will actually have my own station and setup my equipment.

Good first day I have to say :)

Update

2010-01-21T15:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like things are finally going to happen. If things go as planned, I will be starting Barber school Feb. 9, 2010.

More information as things develop ;)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:24:00.002-05:00

Well, another year is gone...not that it makes a WHOLE lot of difference, but still :)

The Holidays were nice, and I have my goal now that I pretty much got all the answers I was looking for.

Soon I will put my plan into action, and see if it was a wise choice...wish us luck!

sigh

2009-11-04T22:31:00.008-05:00

I still have to go up and get more information about Barber School.

Robby and I will be going down to Huntsville for Thanksgiving, so that kinda delays starting school a bit, but until I get some more answers, it's probably for the best.