Monday, September 02, 2013

Center part

I think it all started when I parted my hair down the middle last Monday.

Before Monday, I don't think I had parted my hair down the center, well, probably since I was 11.

Sure, I've swapped which side my part is on. And over the years it has progressively gotten further and further from center. But it has been years since I went with a symmetrical center part. A side part has just become habit. 

(As a side note, give or take 6 inches, and minus a brief stint with bangs and some auburn hair dye, my hair has been the exact same for 15 years.)

So, I was standing in front of the mirror Monday morning, and I was feeling restless. Restless with my boring job. Restless with my waning Portland social life. Restless with my apartment on hipster alley. And restless with that stupid side part that's inching towards my ear. In what alllllmost felt like an act of rebellion, I took my comb, lined it up with my nose, and slid it through the center of my scalp, painfully separating hair that hadn't shifted direction in years. After some blow dryer coaxing, I walked out the door. 

Now, what I want to write next is that this center part looked amazing and changed everything. That it somehow reinvigorated my life with meaning and connection and hair identity. 

But instead, it looked awkward. Like D.J. Tanner (circa 1992) meets Kristen Stewart pre fame kind of awkward. I was incredibly conscious of it the entire day, trying to catch glimpses of it in mirrors and windows to assure myself that it wasn't actually that crazy. And it seemed to act as a catalyst for the weirdest week ever. Like a friend put Baby on in the car [yes, I'm talking Bieber], and it felt like my jam, and I sang every word passionately [it's amazing how those words just flow back to me], and I went to a movie by myself for the first time, and I've been eating a really odd amount of Chex.

It's been a week, and I think normalcy is finally coming back around. I'm back to a side part for the time being.

3 comments:

Kim said...

Oh D.J. I love this post.

Also, I've been rediscovering this thing called reading recently and it really can be so delightful. Two of my most recent books have reminded me of you (Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Wild) both for totally different reasons (Let's Pretend because I feel like some of the chapters could've been written by you, minus all the weird animals; and Wild because I can think of only one other person besides the author who would be crazy enough to hike the Pacific Crest Trail alone). Have you read either of these?

Elisa said...

Show us a picture of the 2013 middle part!

What movie did you see? In recent years, I've come to love going to movies by myself.

Kristin Lowe said...

Kim, I wrote them both under pen names, obvs. JK, I haven't read either! I've actually been trying to get back into reading too. My much needed two-year reading break after my masters program is coming to a close. It's time to get educated again. I'll put them both on my list!

E, I can't post a picture. Even though in my mind the center part doesn't actually look that different/weird/crazy, there is something about it that feels SO wrong on me. I need to give it some time. The movie was Kings of Summer. It was really lovely to see it alone. It will not be my last solo movie.