Dentist vs hairdresser?

Today I asked myself, what is the worst, a visit to a dentist or a visit to a hairdresser? Maybe some of you have a very clear answer for it but for me it’s not that simple. Let me tell you how I experience both of those two visits. Maybe you will understand my confusion…

Last week I went to a dentist. It was nothing serious, just a simple check up. Still, I am feeling happy that the visit is behind me, at least for the next six months. Obviously, like many of us, I hate those visits. They can be painful, usually there is blood and, it’s not the cheapest thing. Besides, the fact that somebody needs to look inside my mouth and do some kind of maintenance is not really a liberating feeling. However, I do go regularly. Why? Because, the trade off is reasonable, i.e. I suffer for a couple minutes during the visit and that, next to regularly brushing my teeth, is supposed to get me healthy teeth for a couple of months. It sounds fair enough and… there is nothing else that we can do.

How about the visit to a hairdresser? It is not even comparable, you would think. Hm… let’s see. Yesterday I visited a hairdresser too (yeah, both of them in a same week). To avoid a long queue, I went early in the morning. I was third in the queue and with four hairdressers this translates to 10 – 15 min. Not too bad. It is just enough to read a Story article about why Jennifer Lopez broke up with her husband. I barely finished the last sentence from the article and it was my turn. Right on time, I was thinking. So, I had to go and sit in front of one of those big mirrors. Grrrr… Why? Why do they need those mirrors? I don’t want to sit for 20-30 minutes and look to myself. It’s not like I can see what they are doing with the backside of my head and then I can stop them doing it. Anyway, while thinking about the mirror mystery I heard those words: So, how do we want it? Hm, first reaction in my head was: Short! Both, your talk and my hair! But, of course, I could not say that. It is not polite. I got my hair short but here is the talk:

Hairdresser (HD): So, you are very early this morning. Are you always so early?

I: No.

HD: Last week I came back from holiday; now I need to get up early again. I am still not used to it. Will you go on holiday soon?

I: No.

HD: Not on holiday? You need to work?

I: Yes.

HD: Will you go later then?

I: Yes.

HD: When?

I: December.

HD: Where?

I: Don’t know.

HD: Where do you work then?

I: Hm…

HD: I mean what kind of work you do?

I: (in my head… we had this talk last time and you had no clue what TU Delft is but here we go…) Electronics.

HD: Wow, must be difficult.

I: Hmm…

HD: Do you follow the EK 2012 championship?

I: No.

HD: I do. Do you know who is in the finals?

I: Hmm… Okay, I follow.

HD: Are you Dutch?

I: Yes.

HD: But… you have this accent?

I: I was not born here.

HD: Where are you born?

I: Bosnia.

HD: Is it hot over there?

I: It can be 🙂

HD: I wish I could move from the Netherlands to some other, warmer, place.

I: Hmm…

HD: Do you know Monique Smit?

I: No.

HD: She is a singer and a little sister of Jan Smit. Do you know Jan Smit?

I: No.

HD: No? He is very famous. Part of “inburgeringscursus” should go about Jan Smit.

I: Hmm…

HD: She was visiting a company my husband works for.

I: Hmm…

HD: I mean, Monique Smit

I: Hm…

HD: They paid her €1500 per hour.

Custumer1: That’s nothing. Jan Smit got € 7000 per half hour from…

Custumer2: bla bla bla bla…

HD2: bla bla bla bla…

Custumer3: bla bla bla bla…

Everyone: bla bla bla bla…

HD: Do you watch soaps?

HD: bla bla bla bla…

HD: bla bla bla bla…

I think I switched off here, or fainted, or something else… Anyway I don’t remember it anymore…

So, what is the worst? Go to a dentist or to a hairdresser? Probably you don’t expect this answer but I still rather go to my hairdresser? Her picture would clarify my choice. 🙂

Senad Hiseni