coming out of the subway, i was stopped by a tall, nice-looking guy in his late 20s/early 30s.

"are you from here?" he asked. i figured he was lost, so i made the "did you need help?" face that i've perfected from working at the library.

then he followed with "who does your hair?" which threw me way off. if i had the long gorgeous tresses of a movie star, it would be a reasonable question. based on my ponytail, however, i'm pretty sure the clear answer was "no one." i still managed to not say anything before he continued "cause i'm a hairdresser and i...."

finally managing to get a word in edgewise, i said "i'm sorry, i'm not from around here" and kept walking.

i was going to say something about belonging to a place and when we decide to be from somewhere and when we just want to be home (like for christmas). i could even say something about how i DO need someone to do my hair and if i were a more trusting person, i would have stayed to listen, but i'm suddenly i'm not in the mood for philosophical pleasantries...

that guy insulted my hair!