Haircut with a surprise

So I ventured to the Japanese barber shop around the corner today. I was really nervous that I would come out looking crazy, but those of you who know me know that almost anything is better than when my hair starts to form a fro, which it was (starting about 2 weeks ago).

All in all, it was a great experience. He spoke a little English, which made me feel a lot better. Then he started cutting my hair. He cut a lot off and then used the thinning shears all over my head. It made my hair look a lot lighter and kinda weird, but it should be fine.

Then several things happened that I did not expect. He busted out some shaving cream and a straight razor (Sweeney Todd style) to do my sideburns and neck. It was a little scary. Then he wrapped my whole head in a hot towel, which actually was nice. He took that off an put a ton of other chemicals in my hair that made my whole head tingle, but in a good way. Then he pulled out the two handled massager...

He proceeded to massage my head, shoulders, back, and sides while I leaned forward. Then he leaned me all the way back and massaged my chest, stomach, and legs (inside and out). The whole time I could not stop thinking about this clip from Friends.

It was actually a very nice experience. I think I will go back. I doubt it will be that weird when I know it is coming.

Other than that I have been very excited about how quickly we are settling in here. We have already made a few sets of friends and found a good church. There are definitely things that are not easy (like determining what kind of meat you are ordering in a Chinese restaurant), but overall we have had many more good experiences than bad here.

Things on the horizon:
- We are ready for our furniture to get here on Friday. It will be nice to have all of our stuff and really help us to feel settled in.
- We are going to a sumo tournament later this month. I am really excited about that.
- My family is coming for Christmas! They just bought tickets and I could not be more excited. Now we just have to convince more of you guys to come and visit.

Alright, it is time to be off to the grocery store to get something for dinner. Hope you all are doing well.