Free as my hair

Today I cut my hair. Finally. It was like, overnight, My hair became unmanageable. When I went to brush it out, it was like I wanted to stop brushing at a certain point, where I was used to stopping, but there was like 3 more inches of hair left to brush. It sucked.

It was uncomfortably long. Even more than that, I had people telling me not to cut my hair. That they liked me better with long hair. Ugh.  I don't like me with long hair. The picture above was taken about 3 weeks ago. Not like it's grown all that much since then.

So I cut those 3 inches off today. I've been pretty sick of it for a while now. 

I'm also sick of people's opinions. Something as seemingly inane as my hair can drive me up the wall. I *almost* went and got a pixie cut but I stopped myself. Apparently some people's happiness depend on my hair length. Also, I don't think a pixie cut would suit me in this current form. read: I don't want to be the fat chick with short hair.

Too much of what everyone else thinks keeps me from doing things. they might not be earth-changing things, they may not be the most important things, but it's the little things that make up the bigger things.

I took control of my hair. It may not seem like a huge things to everyone else, but it was a big thing for me. I haven't cut it since June 2011. No trim, not cut, no shaping, nothing. It's nice to control something.

Annoying people and taxes

Today we got our taxes done. We have always had them done, especially since I have a mountain of student loan debt and we bought our house. So far, I'm glad that no obnoxious dickwad on facebook has given us shit about having them done professionally. Everyone has a fucking opinion on how EVERYTHING should be run. If I don't drink the right kind of beer, someone has something shitty to say about it. If I post too often, someone has something to say. If I merely comment that we changed our dog food, I get endless (unsolicited) advice on everything from what to feed a dog to the evils of those who don't spay and neuter.

Unless I ask for it, I never want your opinion. I imagine that everyone else has the same policy.

Today, we ran into someone we used to work with. I can't stand the guy. Call him Bob. I don't know anyone named Bob. But we unfortunately know this guy. He came in after us to the taxes place, with his (I was surprised*) wife. Bob worked with us both at Walmart. Then I worked with him at another job, but thankfully I only saw him a handful of times. He's a total douche. He's that terrible combination of super nerd, know-it-all, and mega religious. It's... annoying.

He was (is?) friends with my ex before Andy. They went to the same (Pentecostal) church together, and tried to talk my ex into dumping me immediately because I am Jewish. Bob said, and I quote, that I am "worse than someone that is 'lost' because [I] don't believe in Jesus." he wrote me off immediately because I wasn't the same religion as him. Of course that irritated me. And, remember, we all worked together (Me, Andy, Bob, and ex before Andy). At Walmart.

Over time, he just managed to piss me off over and over. He is unusually nosy and inserts himself into every conversation he walks past. Tonight was kind of no different. I haven't seen him in 2 years; Andy for probably closer to 4. First, Bob wanted to talk to us. He introduced us to his wife, which I guess was nice but he HAS to know I don't like him and I definitely don't care. Then he asked us a few times how we were and what we were up to (HOW DARE HE). Then "Call Me Maybe" came on the radio in the tax place and even though we hadn't spoken to him in a few minutes, I remarked to Andy that I had just gotten that fucking song out of my head. Bob inserts himself into the exchange and says: "It can't get stuck in my head, because I've never heard it before."

He's that type of guy.

So more than death and taxes are guaranteed in this life, especially if you have ever had co workers and you participate in social networking.

*I really thought he was gay, but that he would never come out because he is so crazy religious. Aside from that, assuming he is straight, I can't imagine what kind of woman could put up with his shit. She didn't look happy to be there, but doing taxes isn't exactly the most exhilarating thing ever.

The Fresh Prince Was a Bogus Premise.

I've been thinking about this for a week or so now.

Bullshit.

I had to go back and watch the whole thing over. Very little context is given, but my inner book critic is telling me that his mom just got sick of him and kicked him out, passing his wall-tagging ass off  on some richy-rich relatives. She wasn't concerned for his safety. What mother sends their child from Philadelphia (at the age of like... 16? is that how old he was supposed to be?) to fucking Bel-Air? 

I'm with Affleck on this one.

I get it. It's supposed to be your classic fish-out-of-water plot premise that somehow managed to last for a few years and is still etched into the hearts and minds of my fellow children of the 90's. It was ground-breaking, I guess. What other tv shows before it had shown a wealthy family of black people taking in a hoodie from off the streets of Philly, and were shown in a positive light? Sure, the whole family had that Uncle Tom-esque generic Oreo feeling about them, but at least on the surface they were good people. At the same time, you had other odd barriers being broken by Urkle on Family Matters (ever seen a Blerd before? I didn't think so) and having both shows being marketed to youth to show (hopefully) equality across the board. 

What I have the problem with is  the titular character in the first place. Maybe it's because I'm not a mother, but really, who just sends their kid off to the West coast? Just... sends him! "I begged and pleaded..." WTF? Moving sucks. Mom, why? Why did you send your Fresh Prince to Bel Air? You make no sense. Your logic is flawed. 

To make peace with this, I like to think that maybe she had bigger dreams to chase so she sent her kid off. But why wait so long? He was clearly able to take care of himself, yet she didn't toss him out on the streets. She made sure he was taken care of, and well. Maybe she couldn't take care of him herself, but there we are getting back into dangerous stereotype territory. Maybe she was just sick of him. We can just go with that.

This bothers me more than it should. I am annoyed and sometimes even kept awake at night over the success and resulting lasting fame this thoroughly mediocre and ridiculous show basis has been given. I for one don't lament it's cancellation nor its star's slow decline into Scientology. But it's still annoying.