Nick and the mems

I have decided to call my musical outputs "mems".  This is a combination of the word "memo", discussed in the last post, and the word "meme" (pronounced meem), which is a sticky thing in culture, like a youtube video that goes viral.  The "memo" portion implies something more basic, down to earth, a small part of a large organization.  The "meme" implies a possibility that this music will spread and make people happy all over the world.

Mem 2

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Every week on Thursday, I send an email with events and other info to the grad students in Psychology. The following is the introduction to an email I sent today (has nothing to do with mems):

"Hi all,

In my ongoing effort to provide you with both on-campus and off-campus resources, this week I would like to highlight Nick.  Nick cuts hair.  He is a genius.  I first started getting my hair cut by Nick maybe three years ago, and it was obvious from the first snip that he had raw talent.  I will ask you now to do a little exercise to help demonstrate my point:  a) take your pointer finger and middle finger and put them together; b) then take your thumb and begin moving your two fingers and thumb up and down as fast as you can, this should look a bit like a little mouth chewing rapidly; c) now imagine that your fingers are actually in the holes of a pair of scissors and, at this grate rate of speed, you are cutting someone else’s hair.  This is what Nick is capable of.

Nick just moved across the street to a new Salon, “La Tour”, at 2941 College Ave., near Ashby (not far from campus).  The best way to reach him is by phone 510-848-8828.  Getting your hair cut with Nick is not inexpensive.  It’s around $50.  I realize this is a bit steep for grad students.  Honestly, it’s a bit steep for staff.  But if you space it out, say one hair cut a year, then maybe it gets more affordable.  Remember that old adage, you get what you pay for.  Well in this case, you get a damn fine haircut, that’s what you get (when you pay for it).  And if $50 is just too much, well maybe you can wait for a special occasion, like Commencement.

Nick is a family man, he has a wife and two kids, and he is a great guy.  He’s always got an interesting perspective on things.  He was born in China but moved here when he was young.  I think the genius haircutting gene runs in his family.  But I get the impression his talents surpass those of his other family members in the business, and there may be a little jealousy.  You can ask him more about that.

Now, some may observe that my hair currently does not have that “you spent $50 on a haircut” look.  True.  But this is no fault of Nick’s.  I haven’t been to see him in a while.  But when the time comes, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be returning to his comfortable chair to bear witness and watch the sculptor create.

Best,
Tony"

with additional love,
Anthony