Neal's

The place looks like it was taken right out of the 60s, left intact and never dusted.

There's a clock movement on the wood-grain panel-covered walls, and its red second hand with crescent moon shape at the short end glides smoother than the most expensive Rolex. It points to no numbers; there are none. It’s power source remains unknown.

On either corner of that wall are speakers that could have come from a Montgomery Ward hi-fi. Only one works and there is a layer of dust on top of both. There’s bright lighting to illuminate the lucky subject; there’s just enough for those waiting.

A picture-less and back-less frame is hung to the left of the clock. Tonic bottles of every shape and size are stored in a cart that, to my knowledge, has never moved. As always, a sign is posted above the cash register announcing when Neal will be on vacation—so you can plan your next haircut accordingly.

One blog post cannot accurately describe the place. But this is where I wanted Anthony to get his first haircut.

Welcome to Neal’s Barber Service, a small shop in Bellflower, CA on Lakewood Blvd. Everybody knows Neal and vice-versa. Neal’s assistant Billy is just as sharp with names and faces. And for $9 ($8 for kids), you get one hell of a haircut and an ambiance that you only see in movies.

Combs are still kept in that mysterious blue liquid. Neck trims are done with warm shaving cream and the blade sharpened on a leather belt. When you are through, your neck is given the Pinaud Clubman treatment. You may not know the product but trust me--you've smelled it before. And it's awesome.

Neal and Billy always know what you want. There’s never any question about it, unless it’s been awhile like it was for me. I can set my time to my new haircut, better than anything I’ve ever gotten at Supercuts.

As for Anthony’s new cut? He struggled a bit but he pulled through. Neal even awarded him a “First Haircut” certificate that I will fill out in calligraphy tomorrow:

This certifies that Anthony has graduated from babyhood having received his first haircut on this 21st day of May 2005.

Neal’s Barber Shop
16111 Lakewood Blvd.
Bellflower, CA

Man, it doesn’t get any better than that.

This'll Come in Handy...Somewhere...

So I was walking through Target the other day and came across something a bit curious.

Now I'm all for convenience. Especially with computer stuff. Case in point: USB flash drives.

I first got one of these for Ann when she was in college where she had to share large files with her fellow students. (To show you long ago it was, that drive cost me $40 for 32MB. I recently bought 128MB for $19.99.) They would work on PowerPoint presentations on their laptop and when someone finished their portion, they would save it to the USB drive and let the next person work on it. Like I said, cool.

But when I saw this, I literally stared at it for at least a few minutes, wondering why:



That's right, folks. A genuine Swiss Army brand pocket knife with file, scissors, knife, and a 128MB flash drive.

Because you never know when you'll have to back-up data. Or kill a bear.

Feelin' Lousy

The thermometer on my desk clock reads a balmy 79 degrees. To combat the warmth that is permeating through the office I have my fan blowing right on me.

Weather: overcast.

Just what I need when I am fighting off a cold.

This sucks.

Back from Vegas

Well, the trip went as expected: gambled, broke even. It's the same ol' story.

I managed to take over 200 images and videos but am having trouble transferring the videos. Methinks it's time for a new computer soon because there's just no reason for it to be doing the things it's doing.

One of the more fun parts of the trip was taking a break from it all. There is a survey place in the Aladdin's marketplace where they pay you fifteen bucks to watch a pilot episode of a TV show. Mine was this horrendous one called "Early Bird" where the main character is faced with the problem of selling his dad's condo in a senior citizen housing complex. It was just awful.

We hardly shopped and what we did buy was for Anthony. Well, except for the Alien Fresh Jerky:



More pics later. Off to bed. Long trip.