September 23rd, 2004

I forgot to mention this earlier, and doubtless it’s something everyone has deduced by now, but Ivan was pretty much a non-event around these parts. We didn’t get any rain at all. None, not a drop, and I may have to water my lawn to keep the grass from dying if it doesn’t rain soon. There was some ominous cloud activity, and a little wind, but that was really all. I guess the west side really is the weaker side.

However, it did put my mind to thinking about whether in an older non-instantaneous news time, people standing under strange yellow clouds 100 miles from the hurricane eye had any idea that they were being missed by a hurricane. Is there a now lost skill of weather sensing without instruments? How much could they know with any certainty and how little? Did they just think it was a somewhat unusual summer thunderstorm? I’d love to know.

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These are the things that my hairdresser said to me, when I went to see her about four weeks ago:

• That my hair is unmistakably falling out, by the handfuls, as she put it.
• That she didn’t think shaving my head was a good idea and that she would prefer to take me out and buy me alcohol to forget my worries instead.
• That she needed to cut two inches off the bottom of my hair because it’s just too noticeably thin.
• That there is new growth visible in the bald spots, so apparently there’s some hope.
• That I need to be taking biotin.
• That if my hair is still falling out this much in 6 weeks when she sees me again, that she’s going to tell me to go to a doctor and make sure they check my thyroid.
• That I should buy a satin pillowcase and sleep on it.

She’s a good person and she looks after me. She’s one of the many, many people whom I will miss when I move away. I let her cut the two inches, and to be completely honest, I hardly notice the difference. My hair is now about two vertebrae up from my waist instead of waist-length. It’s not a deal and no one else can tell and I could only tell the first couple of times I braided my hair and got to the end sooner than expected. I bought a hair, skin and nails supplement that has biotin among some other nutrients that people have suggested that I take. When Sophia sees me taking the supplement she says, “Mama, that’s to make your hair grow up.” Indeed. The satin pillowcase I’m waffling on, even though I’ve read about it on a number forums and websites and it’s a supposed must for people who have long hair. It seems so extravagant, so 30’s movie star, if you know what I mean. It’s possible, even likely I guess, that a satin pillowcase isn’t even very expensive compared to a high count cotton thread one. I don’t know. I just know I’d feel like I was putting on airs to shop for one. I don’t even know where to shop for one. So that piece of advice is still under consideration and not yet acted upon.

I’m still losing an amazing amount of hair. However, it seems to no longer be a colossal amount of hair. At least, I hope that’s the case. These things are a bit difficult to judge, though. I really, really don’t want to go to a doctor over this, so I certainly hope the next time, possibly the last time, I go see my hairdresser that she will tell me that my hair loss situation has improved.

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