Haircut

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Made plan to walk with Mary—didn't happen. Unpacked suitcase. Spent time planning day. Short nap. Renewed vehicle registration. Ordered gifts for Sage, Deaken, Koa. Went downtown to check out coffee store. Stopped by The Barbers, made haircut appointment. Suds for beer and wings. Came home briefly. The Barbers appointment—Lolo was barber, pretty sweet, new hairstyle interesting, will take iterating. Squirrel's for beer. Tried "Nightmare Before Christmas History Tour"—no prepurchased ticket, no one there. Lucca Taverna for supper. Watched Ancient Civilizations—Han and Roman bureaucracies. Binge-watched Hogan's Heroes. Played with Gemini—visualizing appearance possibilities, New Zealand planning.

Playing Around

December 21, 2025

These notes describe the events of Friday, 12/20/2025.

Made a plan to go for a walk with Mary later today, though we weren't able to get together. Unpacked the suitcase—the final piece of travel gear to process. Spent some time planning the day, organizing priorities and sequence. Took a short nap, recharging midday energy. Renewed my vehicle registration, completing the administrative task and keeping legal requirements current.

Ordered Christmas gifts for Sage, Deaken, and Koa. Three grandchildren handled, the holiday shopping making progress.

Went downtown to check out the coffee store, then stopped by The Barbers to make a haircut appointment. Exploration of local businesses, scheduling time with the professionals to address the growing-out hair project.

Went to Suds for beer and wings, then came home briefly before the haircut appointment.

Went to The Barbers for my appointment. Lolo was my barber. She is pretty sweet. The new hairstyle is interesting. I think it'll take some iterating to get it dialed into something that I really like, but she did a good job. The first professional cut since starting to grow it out, the styling revealing possibilities, creating foundation for the look I'm aiming toward. Not quite there yet but progress made, understanding what works and what needs adjustment.

Went to Squirrel's for a beer, then tried to attend the "Nightmare Before Christmas History Tour" in downtown Corvallis. Got there and realized I was supposed to prepurchase a ticket. No one was at the meeting place at the appointed time—guessing no one purchased tickets. Went to Lucca Taverna for supper instead. The Mediterranean restaurant, the evening dining circuit adapted to circumstance. Got an Irish Coffee to take the chill off, some prosciutto toast that wasn't quite toasted, and an excellent lamb kabob. The warmth and food restoring equilibrium after the failed tour attempt.

Watched Ancient Civilizations—this episode explored the Han and Roman bureaucracies, the administrative systems that allowed vast empires to function. Binge-watched Hogan's Heroes for a while, the familiar comedy providing mindless relaxation. Played around with Gemini, visualizing how I might look with a little effort—experimenting with AI-generated images showing different styling possibilities. This lapsed into New Zealand planning, the tool helping explore and organize ideas for the upcoming trip.

This could be me, hah!
The whole hair growing appearance and style playing around is interesting. No one really cares what I look like, though it is a little disruptive altering what I look like. It's fun to play. Old man entertainment I guess—finding amusement in experimenting with appearance, using technology to visualize possibilities, treating it as a project worth attention even if it doesn't matter much to anyone else.

The day moved through domestic tasks, administrative requirements, holiday shopping, personal care, social activities, and evening exploration. Morning combining plan for walk with Mary (though we weren't able to connect), suitcase unpacking, day planning, and nap. Vehicle registration renewed. Christmas gifts ordered for Sage, Deaken, and Koa. Downtown errands checking out coffee store and booking haircut appointment. Suds for beer and wings. The haircut with Lolo—good work creating foundation for the growing-out project, styling interesting if not yet perfect, requiring iteration. Evening circuit through Squirrel's, attempted "Nightmare Before Christmas History Tour" (no prepurchased ticket, no one showed), then Lucca Taverna. Ancient Civilizations on Han and Roman bureaucracies. Hogan's Heroes for relaxation. Gemini experimentation visualizing appearance possibilities, then sliding into New Zealand trip planning. The pieces of daily life moving forward—responsibilities handled, progress made, experiences accumulated, future possibilities explored, some plans not working out.

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