Haircut

It has been three months since I last received a haircut (Will's wedding), so I figured it was time to get a new one. Please understand that I enjoy haircuts about as much a getting my teeth worked on (although at least there I can spit). Part of the apprehension is going into one of the franchise operations where the stylist is someone I do not know. Do I really want to put my hair in the hands of someone I don't know?
(An aside: I used to get my hair cuts from Roseanne in Puyallup. I used to see her every 8 weeks and she would fix me up nice. this went on for 6 or 7 years until she finally priced herself out of my league. I mean $28 for some snip-snip is a bit too much!)
Deb happened to score a freebie to the Aveda institute in downtown Minneapolis. This is the place where "world-class" professionals train and learn their craft. It is located in a 4 story building on the edge of the UM campus. walking in the lobby is like walking into a bus or train station prior to the vehicle leaving. The associates were immediately recognizable by their all-black attire. For a minute I thought I was at a "Goth" convention. After giving my name and waiting for a few minutes my stylist-in-training came out and escorted me upstairs to the main salon. Ali had been with the organization for about 6 months. As we entered the room, I was taken aback at the size of the place. There must have been at least 100 chairs in use. each trainee had his or her own station, and if they weren't working on a live subject, they were practicing on wigs. It was hustle and bustle the entire time I was there. Ali showed me to her station, got me comfy and asked how I wanted my hairs cut. We then went through the whole procedure of washing, cutting, and inspecting the her work(which included her instructor) at various stages of the process. This took about an hour.
When it was done, it looked like I had gone into one of the franchise places. Not too bad, but...hey it was FREE! And this should last me another 2 months. Meanwhile I will spit on occasion just to keep up the practice.