From Dragonfly: The Finer Things in Life

For just one hour this morning, I almost felt normal - like I was not sitting in prison. It was my first haircut since I arrived. Carswell has a cosmetology school as part of it's educational offerings. The classes are always filled. The women in the classes start cutting real hair (not just mannequins) after about 6 weeks of learning every weekday. The school offers free haircuts and other hair services (braiding, highlights, color, twists, deep conditioning, etc.) for free to inmates. We have to buy our own products in advance. We must bring our own shampoo/conditioner. If we want color, we must purchase it at the Commissary and then have them pick it up (we can't bring it back to our units). That way our color is on hold in Cosmetology until our next day. The way it works here, is that once you are on the list, you are called in for an appointment every 3 weeks or so. Today was my first appointment, my next is October 31st. We can have only one thing done each appointment. Today, I had a haircut. Next time, I am going to do highlights.

The cosmetology school is right down the hall from where I work, but I'd never been down that hall. Once you enter, it is like a little bit of normalcy. There are chairs for waiting clients, shelves filled with different magazines, and even music in the background (I heard some Journey, John Mayer, and Pink!). We are brought into the salon area, once our name is called, and it looks just like any salon - well, any salon at any cosmo school. There were a lot of hair stations for the students and graduates to work from. There is a line of hair washing stations, just like at home. They put a cape over your clothes and towel around your neck. Everything is done correctly.

I decided to finally get my hair done because it was growing out in every direction. Just before my sentencing, Survivor and Faith talked me into getting my hair cut (yes, my hair was not so good then either). It was cut fairly short and in layers. I hate layers. I want my hair about shoulder length, now, but the layers are a nightmare - especially since my hair seems to want to be very wavy in Texas! So, my hair was cut to the hair line in a nice sort of bob. My bangs are still growing out, as well as some side layers. It sits better, though.

When cutting my hair shorter, I was actually conscious about how short I was wanting to go, for I did not want to be seen as a "boi" when it was complete (boyish hairstyles usually indicate the inmate wants to be "boi" - whether or not they are homosexual). I have looked like a boy much of my adult life and I don't care about it on the outside. However, in prison, if I want people to pretty much leave me alone, I don't want to stand out. Boi's, here, are usually sought after for relationships. I've made it clear that I am not interested in a "prison romance." Not only is it against the rules, but the sneaking around, making out in bathrooms, and other things are totally "junior high." I choose relationships that are mature, healthy, and leave me without any guilt. These could not exist within a prison environment. My friendships are enough for me.

An inmate just tapped my shoulder. They are from the same state as me and we root for different college football teams from our state. We enjoy watching Saturday Football and giving each other sh*t for their teams' behavior. Good, innocent, fun! It's nice to still have a little bit of normalcy with college football Saturdays!!

So football and haircuts... one is quite feminine, the other not so much... but they both give me moments of the finer things in life and are welcome distractions in a place such as this.