Can I Trim Your Sideburns And Talk Your Ear Off?

Most times when I go to get my haircut, I just like to sit in the chair and relax. I'm not one to strike up big conversations with whomever is cutting my hair. It's nothing against the girls at the place I go, it's just how I am. If they talk, I'll answer, but most times I just want to zone out for the ten minutes it takes to craft my very low-maintenance 'do.

In fact, I usually close my eyes during the haircut. It's so relaxing, plus it keeps stray hairs out of my eyes. One time, even nodded off a bit in the chair. I woke up bald.

Kidding.

Part of the reason I don't like to talk too much, is that I usually get my haircut on weekday afternoons -- when most normal people are working -- so that inevitably brings up the question, "So, do you have the day off today?" I usually just say that I am taking a late lunch, or that I'm on a sales call, or that I'm a homeless, crack addict just killing time until my next fix down under the bridge.

I could tell them the truth -- that I work at a radio station from 5a - 1p, but then that opens up a whole can of "Oh, cool, what do you do?", and, "I've never heard of that station", and "Is the pay really as bad as they say in small-town radio?" I'm not ashamed of what I do, I just don't like talking about it that much.

I realize that they're just trying to be nice, act interested in their customer, help get a better tip, break up the monotony, etc. And, don't get me wrong, if they start talking to me, I always respond and do my best to keep up some halfway decent conversation.

In fact the other day when I got my haircut, oddly enough, I was the only one in the shop, and there was only one hair stylist visible. I felt like I was walking into a scene from a Cinemax: Friday After Dark movie, or a Penthouse Forum letter. Sadly, it ended up just being a cut.

As the cut was underway, maybe the silence in the otherwise empty shop was deafening. The stylist started talking to me -- thankfully it wasn't about my job -- and the discussion turned to IKEA, and her decorating plans for her apartment. Usually snooze city, right? But, I actually paid attention, and tried to offer my opinions where warranted ("Yeah, red and black colors in the living room really do make a statement!").

So what is your stance when it comes to conversing with your hair stylist? Do you like the mundane conversations about work, weather, and interior design, or do you prefer to risk baldness by closing your eyes and staying quiet?