Ahaaaaaa

So, I made some goals for 2007. A lot of them can be inferred by other stuff I have posted here, but one of the big ones is to write more, especially here. Woot!

Plus I just want to bump that depressing mess that was the last post further on down the page. I do feel better after putting it out there, though, so maybe it was worth it?

So yeah.

Another goal? To not put up with sub-par service. And to reward excellent service.

Which means that I will talk to the management if someone is exceptional and deserves accolades (because this is rare!) And also, if you suck- for example, forgetting one order, getting the other order wrong, bringing the forgotten order out to the table cold, never refilling our drinks, and giving me the hairy eyeball when I have the temerity to ask for a dessert menu or a fork that doesn't look like someone spooged all over it- you're probably going to have a problem with me.

(For the record, this actually did happen, and not in a $7.25 all-inclusive place either. We're talking $25-30 entrees, not to mention cocktails and dinner salads! And I said nothing, AND tipped the guy fair market value- because the waiter was new. And because I am a sucker.) But I maintain that I will be a sucker NO MORE! All bets are off!!!

My first assignment? Is a biggie.

I have to fire my salon.

I love the guy who does my hair. That's the upside, he's fun, he does The Man's hair too (so, convenient!) he knows how to treat curly hair and he does a decent job most of the time* and he's reasonably priced.

However, there are a few big down sides- He occasionally completely ignores my request for the 1-inch trim, and goes for the 3 inch chop. I never know when this will be, and it kind of freaks me out (although, I don't freak out in front of him, I wait until I get home.) Sometimes he styles my hair for me, (sometimes he styles it the way I want, and sometimes he doesn't) but if he's really busy, he has been known to toss me a blowdryer and playfully tell me to do it myself- which I do without complaint. But I am still paying the same price. This seems abnormal to me.

Now the biggie. I called once in November, once in December, and left messages that I needed to schedule appointments. He has not called me back. I have cut him some slack, because he has new staff in the salon- maybe they are deleting his messages?
But this is a continuing problem, and I have asked him about it before. He blames the answering machine. Which smacks of the "Oh! I dropped my cell phone in the toilet and lost all your contact info!!!" crap that single girlfriends have reported to me. With the addition that I PAY the guy a not-inconsiderable amont of money every couple of months, and he still can't be bothered to call me back.

Reasonably, if I was dating this guy, he would have been kicked to the curb long ago. I questioned whether I may have inadvertantly pissed him off: "Is it because I never got those highlights we talked about? IS IT???" Then I realized that I was being silly about the whole thing.

I know I am not a difficult client, so I am going to assume that he is just a flake, and that I need to find a new hairstylist, based on the criteria above. So I have been asking around for someone who does long layers, knows how to handle curly hair, and isn't a flake. (Anyone?) I haven't gotten one solid lead so far. And my split ends are getting really heinous.