I ripped off the band-aid and got my hair cut. (Getting a hair cut involved hopping on the subway and going to my old nieghborhood, which is much busier, and far younger than current one. Also wearing a mask for about two hours (I know there are folks wearing them all day long six to seven days a week)and having another human touch me.

But I did it. And it was glorious. Nerve-wrecking at first - even though, technically I'm safer from the virus now than the last time I got my hair cut. The irony of that never fails to amuse. For those not keeping track - the last time I'd gotten my hair cut was February 29, 2020. A day before the first case was announced in NYC. By now, my hair was well past my shoulders, and the dye gone. (I did not get it re-dyed, mainly because I had no interest in sitting in a salon for three hours with a mask on, when it was pretty outside.)

The salon was spacious. It was just me and the stylist, the colorist was in the back. Only really three people in the salon, and it's not a small salon - it's big enough not to require partitions. The stylist wore a mask, and had received the first dose of the Pfizer, I'm fully vaccinated.

I didn't realize how much I missed human contact. To finally have a person that I knew touch my hair, wash it, and massage the skull, also to talk to...was a joy to behold. Also no waiting - since I picked the first slot. The stylist was apparently booked today - so I had wisely booked last week.
I'd gotten there before they were open, so I walked around a bit, and came back on the dot.

Below is a picture of the new haircut, on the subway ride home.



The stylist, Amber, who has tattoos up and down one of her arms, and a thick Southern Accent, she hails from Maryland, told me that she'd been unemployed for four months. The salon had been closed down. And now, that things were opening up again - NY had requested that she send back her unemployment payments. (Seriously??) But she had managed to start another business - making onesies for babies - via Etsy, and was doing rather well - also her husband is in construction, so that saved them.

Amber: You're wise to not dye it. It's easier to keep the natural gray than add gray to the hair - because what a lot of people don't realize is gray is a toner, it washes out in three weeks.
Me: Wait a minute. People want to add gray to their hair?
Amber: This was beginning trend prior to the pandemic, but it's even more so now. Everyone wants to go natural or add gray.

I found that hilarious. I'm going natural because I'm a wimp - I hate dying my hair. The dying process doesn't make my scalp happy, it dries out the hair making it fizzy at times, takes three hours, smells funny, and costs a lot. (I refuse to do it myself - "wimp". I am not brave when it comes to hair.)

ME: I kept worrying about my hair thinning.
Amber: Well the longer it gets, the thinner it will appear on top. When it is shorter - it's thicker on top, less pulled down by the weight. So more volume. That and the fact that people were losing hair because of the stress of the world we're living in - don't worry as the stress lessens it grows back.

After I got my hair cut, I decided to walk to the Carroll Gardens subway station, as opposed to the Bergen Street one, which was closer. It was a pretty day and I wanted to stop by the wine store and Planted, to pick up CBD, and THC (if available).

The street that had been completely vacant prior to my appointment, was now bustling with people. Also the Bagel shop had even more people than before with folks waiting outside. (I wanted to get some Gluten Free Bagels - but it was impossible. Too many people. I fled.) I might, if it isn't raining tomorrow, venture to the Farmer's Market for them. If it is, I'll just make flat bread instead.


[Note the skyscrapers aren't Manhattan but Downtown Brooklyn.]

Outdoor dining in Brooklyn - this was brunch with two restaurants next to each other, and a line. I had to walk through the restaurants. Outdoor sidewalk dining is somewhat problematic because the restaurant has to work around the people who need to use the sidewalk to get by - now they have their outdoor bit in the street - where cars used to park.

The other problem is in some cases its not really outdoor dining at all - but little wood and plastic sheds on the sidewalk, with partitions and evenly spaced tables.

I'm grateful for my own residential area - that has very little of this, maybe four restaurants nearby if that.














Street filled with outdoor dining sheds.



I did stop into the Wine Shop, and was able to pick up canned wine (which feels a little blasphemous to me - but the wine store folks didn't think it was at all. Saves the environment. They are moving away from corks now - and don't believe they are needed. I picked up Resiling, Rose, Cider, White Wine Spritizers, Red Wine Spritzer from Portugal, and a Pinot Grigo. Wine is apparently a good anti-inflammatory - or so I'm telling myself. From Planted, which is a cool little cafe - with plants everywhere. She handled the pandemic, by filling the dining area with plants, putting tables outside on the sidewalk, and only three small seats indoors. It's mainly a pick up or take out coffee shop and CBD/THC health food store anyhow. Everything is gluten free, vegan, and sustainable. I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie, a brownie, and three truffle balls coated with coconut. (Matcha, Vanilla, and Beet.) Also picked up CBD (10 gummies) and THC -- Delta 8, which is strong, but doesn't have the side-effects of Delta-9, and legal via a loop-hole.
It's purer THC apparently. I got gummies, she advised splitting them in half. Since they were potent. 15 mg each. Gave a nice high, with energy.

I got it - partly as a pain reliever - my back has been hurting lately, and partly to reduce depression/anxiety - I'm better than before though. I've had a lot less CBD this year than last. Ran out of the gummies awhile ago, been occasionally having a Happiness CBD pill - which works, kills the brain fog and picks up the mood.

I asked the owner if the pandemic had hurt them - apparently not all that much. She'd stayed open all the way through it. But they'd lost people, and she had to close some of the businesses. So it did hurt them. Hair stylist told me that a friend of hers had lost her job because of the pandemic and was almost evicted.



The subway ride home was uneventful - and remarkably empty. Clean too. My experiences on the subway post pandemic have been pleasant - but also, when I think about it...worrisome, in that so few people are using the subway now. And that's going to hurt ridership. Prior to the pandemic we had over 6 million people using it, now it's barely a million.

I stopped by a table outside the Wallgreens, operated by four women of varying ages - providing information on supporting the "community food pantries" that had been set up around the neighborhood. There was community fridge, a pantry, and a wooden pantry set up on two different side streets. These are to feed whomever needs them. You can bring stuff into it, or take stuff out. They were also taking up a collection - to buy items to put in it. I donated ten dollars to the effort, and snagged a refrigerator magnet.

I've donated funds to it before. I like the idea that my community had set up a group to help others shop, make ends meet, and survive during COVID-19 and were attempting to extend that beyond. I thanked them for everything they'd done.



As you can see, the tulips are in full bloom.

Upon arrival to my apartment building, I ran into my new neighbor - apparently they've turned over that apartment again. I swear no one stays in the apartment across from me for more than a year or two. It's had five different tenants since I've moved here. At least I assume he's new - he's friendlier, taller, wore a mask, and had a bike. He turned to me and greeted me as if he'd never seen me before.

Guy with bicycle: Hello neighbor!
ME: Oh, hello. (I was busy opening my door.)
Guy with bicycle: Look what I picked up. Apparently they actually have a Pandemic Game now.
Me: Cool. Now you can find out whether or not you'll survive a pandemic.
Guy with bicycle (confused then light bulb goes off as he studied the game): :Laughs, oh right. Good point.
Me: Have a great day - nice meeting you.
Guy: nice meeting you too.

I don't know when the other one moved out, or he moved in. I was clearly oblivious to it. I did see when the others moved in and out, so they somehow snuck that one by me. Unless he's the same guy, grew two inches, slimmed down, and got a better attitude?

My brother got the side-effects with the second Moderna Shot - per mother. Apparently he was running a fever until 4 am this morning, felt horrible, and is slowly coming out of it. So his wife went alone to get hers today, and so far just has the sore arm. They still don't know why some people get the side effects and others don't. Talked to the stylist - and she can't take the flu shot - because she got really ill with it. Pfizer and Moderna are different - in that they don't have any virus in them, her doctor had told her the opposite, which makes me wonder about various medical personnel.

While my niece is still doing brilliantly at school - yet another teacher wants to use a paper she wrote as an example on how to do a bibliography, or to write a research paper. (Making me wonder about the other kids going to her school? Apparently she was taught how and they weren't?)