The Barber Shop Haircut

It's amazing how something so simple as a haircut can make a person look/feel better and I mostly attribute that to the Barber Shop that I went to earlier today. Yes, you heard me right I went to a barber shop not some flashy salon, but a good old traditional barber shop with a spinning pole outside it's door. It seems like this day and age young men don't appreciate a good haircut or the services one can recieve at a barber shop.
Many guys in my area tend to go to unisex salons where the atmosphere is very impersonal, they're rushed between women's hair appointments, and in many cases pay an obnoxious amount of money for a half ass-haircut because Men's haircuts usually mean less tip $ and just sometimes the stylists at these salons don't specialize in men's haircuts beyond the regular hack job. On the other hand, at the Barbershop everyone seems to know everyone elses name, I'm seen as a welcome member of the family, I'm able to sit, relax,and talk about "guy" things. Since many of the barbers have been cutting nothing but men's hair for years on end, they tend to know what a guy wants and how a good haircut should look. I'm not given any weird looks when I ask for a "High and Tight", "Ivy League", or even the "Moresssy" style Pompodor I sometimes tend to adore LOL. Most importantly, a haircut with and outline razor shave costs only $10.00 at my barber shop which is $2-$5 cheaper than those unisex salons
When I'm online sending pics/posting pics, Guys usually compliment me on my haircut. When I tell the individual that I went to a barber shop he's usually surprized. I then take this as my que to reccomend my local barber shop, and it seems as if every guy appears apprehensive about it and just stick to their regular salon even if it means a crap haircut? With one individual I've even put my $ where my mouth was and said I'd pay for his next haircut if he were to go to my barber shop. Sadly, he wimped out and continues to get his salon hack jobs.
I guess I was just wondering when did going to a barber shop become such a taboo thing with young men? All I can say is if I want to look good and feel good, I'll gladly go to the barber shop and especially after a long day at work I couldn't ask for a better way to relax than to chill with barber shop "family".

From the Dating Pool to the Ski Slopes

On the weekend of January 14-16'Th my friends and I had a little road trip to Carroll Valley, PA for a weekend of skiing adventures. I'd say the ski trip was a nice break from my normal routine of work/dating, but it was a shame my friends and I didn't hold out a week or so.
When my friends and I went skiing, it was an unseasonalby warm week with temperatures near 70 degrees. With the temps being so warm on the days before our ski trip, there wasn't any snow in Carrol Valley other than manufactured snow which only covered half of the ski slopes. This weekend my hometown would recieve four inches of snow while Carroll Valley would recieve 8-12 inches of REAL snow. Despite the fact that I was unable to ski on real snow, the trip was still fun. I can now say I've been skiing and although I never made it past the bunny slopes, I sorta caught on with going downhill and stopping, but I just couldn't figure out how to turn without falling on my face?
Since I suffered no major injuries and from the looks of it there will be REAL snow in the area for a while, I'm definitely up for going again and hope to go in the next month or so even if it's just for the day, but until then it's back to work and back into the dating pool.

Swimming or Sinking in the Dating Pool

It's a new year and I'm starting it off swimming in the dating pool, but I'm starting to wonder if the water is full of pollution or maybe the water is a bit too "cool". Anyway, I had a date on Friday with an individual I've been talking to online for quite some time, but have not had the chance to hang out with until recently. I'd say the date went fairly well, we hung out in downtown Annapolis, ate some dinner, threw back some beers. Afterwords, we'd come back to my place to cuddle and kiss : )But sadly all good things come to an end and we'd have to part ways for the evening. We sorta tossed around the idea of hanginng out the following evening, but sadly he was unable to hang out. When talking to him on the phone, I thanked him for the previous evening and said how I enjoyed the company. I got just the reply of "cool". WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? I was expecting a reply more along the lines of "yeah, I had a great time as well, I can't wait to see you again" Althougth I was annoyed, I didn't let it bother me too much because there are others.
You see last year I learned that when it comes to dating, I don't just put all my eggs in one basket, but I'll talk to multiple people at one time and from that take it slow and try to get to know different people and then weed out the good from the bad.
Later that evening I get a call from another one of my potential dates, the date proposed that I drive up to Arundel Mills and we go see a movie. We decide to meet up at 11:15pm in front of the movie theater. We both meet up on time without any problems and we try to decide what movie to see. My date said it would be "cool" with anything and wouldn't mind talking to me. We end up just walking the mall and talking for a LITTLE bit. My date wasn't much in the way of conversation and EVERYTHING was met the a reply of "cool". Then I'm told that, my date needed to go home because "it was important to talk to the father". Anyway, if talking to yoru father was so important, why the hell did you make the date with me? Anyway, being someone who has heard BS before I didn't believe it and well, I let the date end.
It sucked that I drove all that way up there for nothing and I'm not gonna hold my breath if I ever talk to date # 2 again. As for Date # 1, There still could be a chance. Maybe the individual is just wadding in the waters of the dating pool as am I. Anyway, maybe my next date will say afloat LOL now that would be "cool"
UPDATE 2-17-05
It appears all wasn't "cool" with date # 1 becasue I'd later find out online, he wasn't interested in me because there wasn't a "spark". Although it sucks to be rejected again, I'm glad it happened early and that he and I are still friends.