Finding A "Place" To Get My Hair Cut

When most people's hair gets a bit shabby, they decide it must be time for a hair cut.  Some people put it off for various reasons.  I do that.  I put it off as long as possible until my hair is so shaggy, there's no choice but to get a hair cut.  For most people, getting a hair cut is a nice experience, and they see it as the picture above.

My hair grows really fast.  It doesn't just grow out fast, it grows thick.  There's a little part of my hair around my ears that eventually grows out too long and just annoys me to no end.  For most of my life, this means getting a haircut at a rate of once every 4-5 weeks.  When I was little, it was one of my most hated regular events.  I disliked going to all these different hair places, not knowing who would cut it or what would go on.

I didn't have a regular barber shop at all until I was about 10 years old.  Then a barber shop opened up just down the street from our house.  I went there and we liked them.  They cut my hair quick, and they did it right.  It no longer became annoying to get a hair cut.  I knew what to expect.  They didn't do things that all the other people had done at other various places: nick my ears with the razor, stab me with the scissors or any of that other stuff.

 How I Generally View A Barber Shop Chair

I went there from the time I was 10 until I was 22 and moved to WV.  One of the first things I thought about when I got here is, now what do I do for a hair cut?  I first tried the closest place to where we lived, George's Barber Shop.  I lucked into getting George himself to cut my hair.  I was told how good of a job he did.  He didn't nick me or cut me or hurt me in general.  However, the hair cut just didn't work.  It was as if he didn't listen to anything I said.  He cut off my sideburns completely, he basically shaved my hair down to stubs and I just general came out of it looking like, well like my dad's hair cut would look.  Next.

So I tried Walmart.  Yes, I had to give Walmart a shot.  It sounds like you would think.  I got a haircut at freaking Walmart.  I had almost never done that in the past 23 years of my life, but I was new and didn't know where else to try.  After a few random hair cuts and one really bad experience, I decided I could no longer subject my hair to this kind of torture.  Next.

We were out and I needed a hair cut.  I saw a Fantastic Sams.  I remember how when I was 3 and 4, I had gone there and don't remember completely hating it.  I thought it couldn't be any worse.  I went in and got a hair cut.  The person did a satisfactory job.  She listened to what I explained I wanted, and she did it.  My hair looked good.  

There were some downfalls but they are just general downfalls with getting a haircut for me.  For instance, they always insist that I have to get my hair washed.  I hate having the hair cut people wash my hair.  Maybe everyone else likes it, but I can't stand it.  One of my biggest pet peeves is having people touch my face.  I can't stand it.  That's one of the things that makes getting a hair cut anywhere annoying to me.  Secondly, they make you sit in the world's shortest chair with no backing.  Then you lean back on the world's hardest sink, and as a person with a slightly deviated septum, at this point breathing is a struggle.

I usually just deal with it, but it is really annoying.  I put up with it because, this place finally gets it right.  It's been a good hair cut all four times with four different people.  I like going here.  I think I finally found my hair cut place.  It's good that after 4 years I finally have my place.  

A year ago when I went back to Fort Smith on vacation, I decided to wait and get my hair cut at the old place.  Kim was still there and I got right in to get my hair cut.  She did none of the annoying things I listed above.  It was a perfect hair cut experience and for a good price as always.  Hair was perfect.  I don't need a $400 hair cut, I just want it to look neat and combable; oh and mostly be shorter so that wearing hats isn't so suppressingly tight.

It may not seem like a big deal, but if you have a "place" where you always go and they always get it right, this can certainly be a minor inconvenience when you move out of the area.  Some may not think about it, but it was on my mind when I got here.  It's just good to know that I finally have a new "place", but it took a lot of trial and error to get there.

My Official Tim Tebow Rant

So I am taking this time to just get some things out that make me mad that pertain to the NFL.  I'll start with the #1 thing that makes me upset: Tim Tebow.  I'll try to keep this short and try to keep my thoughts about it together as best as possible; although, I might just get mad and go on a long-winded "angry typing" spree.

Tim Tebow "burst" onto the scene in Week 6, after Kyle Orton had the Broncos sitting at 1-4.  He got to start Week 6 @ Miami because fans were throwing a fit and even paying for billboards like the ridiculous one above.  John Fox repeatedly stated from even training camp this year that Tim Tebow had not shown anything that proved he belonged anywhere near the #1 slot for QB on the team.  In fact, his ability to even make the roster was in jeopardy early on before he secured the #3 spot.  Tebow even threw a fit about being the #3 QB at first.

Above: What happens when you are not a passing QB in the NFL

Anyways, after he got to start that game, the Broncos went on that "miracle" 6-game winning streak between weeks 8 and 13.  This put the Broncos in playoff contention and everyone was riding high on the Tebow bandwagon it seemed.  Did people not realize that he sucked through most of the entire "streak"?  It seemed like everyone was glorifying him like he was an elite QB.  He was on magazine covers, a constant top trending topic on Yahoo and blowing up Twitter and Facebook.  It was really making me mad.  I even saw two or three people where I live in West Virginia wearing Tim Tebow jerseys this fall.  This one lady wears it like once a week to pick up her kid at Kailee's school.

It seems to me like if he wasn't as openly Christian and trying to make himself the Christian sports superhero, about 80% of the people in his corner wouldn't be supporting him.  For the season, Tebow finished with statistics that make Kyle Orton look like Joe Montana: 120/249, 1,669 yards passing, 48.2% completion, 6.7 yards/pass, 12 TD, 5 INT.  I know that INT # looks good, but seriously, when you throw 15 passes a game, you're not really putting yourself at risk.  Also when your passes are that ugly, really nobody can catch them.

Even ESPN got into the mix, declaring their unbridled love for him.  Many analysts blasted him at first, but just because the Broncos won, they were all suddenly moved to declare him great.  So what if the Broncos win?  That almost had nothing to do with Tim Tebow.  First of all, Matt Prater is the best kicker in the NFL this year.  He nailed so many important kicks after Week 6, that he should win whatever awards they give kickers(if there are any).  

Secondly, Willis McGahee did a LOT of the work to get the Broncos to stay in games and keep possession while ticking down the clock and helping to play the field position battle.  You also can't say that the defense didn't have a huge hand in the wins they accumulated.  They kept the Broncos in every game score wise so that they could do these "miracle" end of game rallies.

Tebow's best game was against the Vikings.  The Broncos scored 35 points and Tim Tebow was 10-15 for 202 yards and 2 TDs vs no INTs.  The Vikings won exactly 3 games this year.  During most of his "rise-to-stardom", he found himself facing teams that weren't going anywhere.  He defeated exactly ZERO playoff teams.  He defeated a bunch of teams who were either bad teams, underachieving teams or teams in transition.  Against New England and Detroit, the two best teams he faced this year, his stats were atrocious: 29-61, 1 TD, 0 INT and being outscored 86-33.

Meanwhile, ESPN and other news outlets have been asking is Matt Ryan an elite QB.  A Sports Nation poll recently asked if he was and the fan vote was 55-45% that he is NOT an elite QB.  Another poll from a previous week asked if Tim Tebow was a good QB with 51-49 YES.  So by those two polls, it can be put together that ESPN viewers think Tim Tebow and Matt Ryan are equals, that they are both "Good" QBs.  

Matt Ryan's stats this year were: 341-557 for 4,071 yards, 61.2 completion %, 7.31 yards/pass, 27 TD/12 INT with a 90.7 QB Rating.  Matt Ryan, that I know of(correct me if I am wrong) hasn't been on a cover of any of the major sports magazines like SI, ESPN or anything else that I have seen on a news stand.

Above: A real QB that runs a real passing offense

What is the deal?  Seriously, I just don't get it.  Both guys made the playoffs, in massively different ways.  The Broncos made the playoffs by being lucky that losing today to the Chiefs 7-3 still allowed them to get in via a Raiders loss.  The Broncos went 8-8.  The Falcons went 10-6 and beat playoff teams.  All I have heard in the past few weeks and even on TODAY'S broadcast were people questioning Matt Ryan's ability to be an elite QB, while simultaneously hearing that Tim Tebow is somehow great at QB.

The Broncos also lost their last three games of the season and looked horrible.  Tim Tebow may have single-handely cost his team the win today by fumbling at the 10 yard line.  Yet, I am sure people will still praise his holy name that he got the Broncos into the playoffs.  Meanwhile, the Falcons looked great and scored 45 points today while Matt Ryan was on fire.  Matt Ryan's worst statistical game of the year was against Houston when Ryan went 20-47 with 2 picks and a TD.  You know, REAL NFL QB statistics when you are actually taking chances and running a real offense.  For further evidence of how great Ryan has been, he had to contend with having the wide receiver with the most drops in the NFL this season, Roddy White, and still put up these numbers.  People might say Ryan has a lot more talent to throw to, but wouldn't a good QB MAKE his teammates great?  All the greats do.

I just want to end this with three points I am trying to make:

Point #1:  HE IS NOT A GOOD QB OR AN AVERAGE QB.  HE IS A BELOW AVERAGE QB WHO HAS A TEAM THAT ROSE UP TO MAKE PLAYS TO GET WINS THAT THEY HAD TO GET, VS BAD/EQUALLY TALENTED TEAMS WHO THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BEAT.

Point #2:  HE IS ONLY POPULAR BECAUSE HE OPENLY FLAUNTS HIS CHRISTIANITY, WHICH ACTUALLY VIOLATES MATTHEW CHAPTER 6, AND IS A NON-FACTOR IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT HE IS A GOOD PLAYER.

Point #3:  QBs WHO ARE ACTUALLY GOOD ARE BEING QUESTIONED ABOUT THEIR ABILITIES WHILE THIS GUY GETS A FREE PASS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, AND THAT IS JUST PLAIN BOGUS.

While it's not his fault what people say about him, it is his fault that he doesn't quell them, that he doesn't ever admit that his teammates do most of the work and that he doesn't just flat out say "support me because I play well and not just because I am a Christian."  His silence rings as arrogance and want for attention and praise over being realistic and saying that it's hard work and teammates who got the Broncos to this point.  Just today, I saw many Broncos fans on NFL.com's Live Game Tracker saying they wish they had a 'real' QB going into the playoffs.  I even saw people saying they wish Brady Quinn could get a look or two next week.  Even Broncos fans are jumping ship.

The biggest winner in all of this may not even be Tebow though.  It might be Kirk Cameron, who surely will find a way to get a movie about this made, starring himself.  He's good at working the Christian Movie Production Studios apparently; and here's the movie poster:

Above: A Christian movie starring a huge douchebag