Spa Day at the Empire Beauty Salon

Spa Day at the Empire Beauty School

            Donna stayed at my cabin for a few days. Every day we walked the dogs between 5:30 and 6 a.m. This morning we were headed back home when we passed Terry, one of my neighbors, on her porch. We stopped to chat and wish her good luck on her first day of cosmetology school.

When we got back to my cabin, Donna mentioned that last year she had spent a whole day at the beauty school salon in Flagstaff, worked on my students. When they finished one service, she’d ask what else was available.

After a morning of pickle ball and a little work (real estate for her, writing for me,) we decided to have a spa afternoon. We booked ourselves for facials for the first Monday appointment, 12:45 p.m. The salon opens earlier on the other weekdays.

We went to town and had a scrumptious lunch at Oscar’s Fiesta Burrito. Then off to Empire Beauty College salon at 1790 East Route 66. You take your chances as to the experience level of the students performing the services. I was assigned Paige, not very experienced, and Donna was assigned April, who was close to graduating. The student assigned to you performs all of the services you request. Both women did excellent work and were comfortable and fun to be with.

We stated out with facials. Both of us got the seaweed ones which were ten dollars. I added the treatment for another ten dollars. These facials come with free makeup applications afterward.

Donna had had a fill done on her acrylic nails a few days before, but she opted for the five dollar “nail art.” The photo shows the pattern she chose, Blackboard. April is quite the artist.

I chose to have my hair washed and styled. Then the two students applied our makeup. Donna decided to have her hair done while I had my gel nails taken off. This is the after photo. I owed $32 and Donna ran up a bill of $25.

This is what we looked like after our spa day

We felt like Queens for a Day.

One Out of Three Ain’t Bad

            I saw the movie Magic Mike XXL a month ago. It reminded me I like male companionship. I hadn’t dated since December when of the three dates I had, there were no-second-timers. I decided to join a “mature” dating site, Our Time. It cost some money and I anted up. I put in a minimal profile as I knew that most people just judge by your picture. I chose one from my trip East in June.

I got lots of emails and “flirts.” Most of the men who responded described themselves as politically conservative. I have conservative friends to engage me in discussions where I have to defend Obamacare etc. I didn’t want to do that with a date. So I sent those fellows an email saying, “I am not currently dating men with conservative political views.” One guy looked like he was in the cast of Duck Dynasty, definitely not my type.

I went back to the free site POF (Plenty Of Fish) and found more guys with conservative views but I also found three likely candidates and make “meet up” dates with them for the two days I was going to be in Scottsdale last week.

On the way down to the Valley, with my granddaughter Abby and my dogs, the car air conditioner quit working. I was so glad Abby had convinced me to start out at seven in the morning rather than at noon when I’d planned. She was a trouper and didn’t whine or complain, just kept on watching a Disney movie while we sweated our way to home. We unloaded the dogs and my stuff from the car and headed straight for the dealership. Showcase Honda got me right into a rental and we made the 11:35 showing of Minions.

I met Single Man # 1 that evening at the Houston’s near my house. We had two beers apiece and talked for a few hours. He was much better looking in person as he had a terrible selfie on the website. I’m not sure we have much in common, but he told great stories about his family and there was some chemistry. And he didn’t ask me to pay.

I met Single Man #2 at Z Tejas on Friday night. Since I still had the rental car since my car needed a motor mount (a casualty of the road construction on pinewood Boulevard?) I didn’t have the garage door opener and closer. I got caught in a sudden downpour as I got out of the rental car to close the garage. I arrived on time but wet and sweaty. I don’t think I made a great first impression. We sat at a table and ordered appetizers. When I ordered a beer he looked askance and declared that he never drank when he had to drive. I didn’t change my order as I planned to have only one. Right away he told me about the problems he was having with his troubled son. I could certainly empathize and knew his dilemma and conflicting feelings. We ordered yummy appetizers. No chemistry and I’m not sure I need another friend with a problem child.

My date with Single man # 3 was at a Starbucks in Mesa because I was scheduled for several other things that day in the east valley. I got there at a few minutes before nine, the appointed time. I ordered my large iced tea and a breakfast sandwich and settled in I wanted to finish my sandwich before he arrived so I would have time to check in the bathroom mirror in case some of the spinach caught in my teeth. I had neglected to get his phone number but I emailed him on the POF dating site exactly where the Starbuck was. At nine-thirty I emailed him again. I could see that he was on the site at that time and that burned me. My email said, “Guess you’re not interested. Sorry I wasted a trip.” The latter was exactly true but I was quite annoyed. An hour later I got an email from him apologizing and explaining that he had it on his calendar for ten o’clock. I, in fact, have done a similar thing to my hairdresser. I don’t check my calendar, sure that my appointment is for two p.m. and get a phone call from her that it was at one. When I check my calendar, I see that she was right. So I may give him another chance. What do you think?

So one good date out of three ain’t bad.

When I got today to my cabin, Chill on the Hill, I had many mails from Our Time men. Guess I’ll answer them, too.