the ocean

I got my hair cut today, which ordinarily would not be cause for comment. Typically it's a pretty boring affair: my stylist shows up late, natters incessantly about yoga or tattoos or Humboldt Park, and gives me a fantastic cut in twenty minutes flat. But this time, she accidentally nicked my ear with the scissors, and all of the sudden we were CODE RED in the salon. She immediately started freaking out about how she was so sorry and this never happens and she can't believe she did it and it is going to bleed SO MUCH and do I have a problem with blood? I told her I generally don't, as she started pawing at my ear in the guise of "applying pressure" and awkwardly fumbled for a box of bandages. And then the blood really started, and she started freaking out more. Three different bandages failed to remedy the situation, at which point she started rifling through her door for some chemical she applied to amazingly painful yet successful effect. But all of the sudden I actually felt like I was going to pass out, which I made the mistake of telling her, which caused her to freak out again and sent her off and running for a glass of water. Meanwhile, I put my head down on the counter for a minute, which made me feel better, until she actually spilled the water on me. And then she resumed the actual haircut, only to ask me every ten seconds if I was okay or if she needed to stop, which was the last thing I wanted her to do. So about an hour later, we were finally done, I stumbled back to my office, and showed off the giant scab on my ear. It's not easy looking this good.