How not to be cheap

Or rather, how How Not to be Cheap, Done Badly.

Today was hair day. New salon (LOVE it) and so, new stylist (LOVE her too!) New hair? Uh, not so much. I paid about double my *regular* fee for a 'do that doesnt *do* anything new. It's okay... I'm trying NOT to be cheap about this.

So... I sat down in Claire's chair and she asked what I liked about my hair. Today? Not much, hence the ponytail. Pull that out, along with a handful of hair (I'm shedding like a Golden Retriever right now.) Well, I guess I like the way my hair feels (soft, like kids' hair) and I *used* to like the colour. Beyond that, though, not much lately. I guess today wasn't Claire's day to take me absolutely literally - I told her that cut wise, anything was fair. So why, pray tell, did I end up with the *same* haircut, just 4" shorter?! It looks better, and she did layer the ends so it flips a little, all on it's own. Next time, we'll get braver, yes? Some colour, some shorter... oooh, can't wait. I think. First pic is before, second is after. Yes, I'm in the truck, and YES I was stopped at a light. Honest.

Cheap lesson number 2. I have resisted, and resisted, and resisted buying a new Olfa mat to replace the generic green mat I bought before the turn of the century when I started quilting. 1993 maybe? It's not a big outlay - it's just a small mat - 12 x 18 maybe. So my Joann flyer says that they're on sale this week, I'm in town without kids, maybe I'll just pop in and treat myself to a new mat on this, my DON'T BE SO FREAKIN' CHEAP day. Done. $10 later and it's in the truck on the way with me to Linen's 'N' Things to look at sheets (gasp! New sheets?! Sorry, didn't happen.) As I reached for my purse, I noticed the heat in the truck was causing the mat to curl a little, so I pulled it out of the bag and dropped it on the back seat - flatter. (Notice the "er" I didn't say flat.) Little more shopping, two more stops, and home I go. Well, when I get home, I notice my scores for the day, the "new" haircut and the rotary mat are both distorting a little in the heat. I took the mat and plopped it on the hood of the van, to flatten in the sun, and took my hair inside to unsweatify in the shower. The hair turned out just fine, but when I came downstairs, Scott was just on his way out the door with the van keys. Did I remember the mat on the hood? No. Can you see the hood of the van from the driver's seat? No. Did Scott happen to notice the mat on the hood anyway? Oh, baby no. Did it fly up, hit the windshield and land right in the middle of VT Rte 22A, at what passes for rush hour here? No? Sadly, yes. By the time I realized what had happened, I searched the garage, the picnic table, the driveway. Nothing. I did find it, and watched in horror as 3 more cars drove RIGHT OVER IT while I watched from the side of the road. Can it be saved? I dunno, it'll spend some more time in the sun tomorrow, but if it can, I have the PERFECT ruler to use with it. Don't ask.