What's Your Favorite Color? Living Colour

As gut-twisting as I was about using relaxers, I'm as stoked to be doing haircoloring. At this point, there are a few mannequins who've endured roller sets, perms, virgin relaxers, touch up relaxers and now I'm coloring their hair.

From a training prospective, they're super effective for their purposes of simulating/practice so when it comes to performing services on people, it goes well every time... or at least is supposed to ;) From a personal perspective, if they weren't so expensive to replace, I'd be on another one, but I already replaced my first mannequin. Anyway, I've done a virgin tint by the books now, and this last week I learned how to highlight with foils, using a technique called weaving, another technique called slicing, balayage: all of which can be combined as "foilage"

Meanwhile, last week Thursday was the first CUT⚡️BUZZ Collaboration with Happy Day Tavern, and while it was a bit more quiet while we were cutting, my crew had a great time as we partied afterwards until way too late for a school night :)

So happy my crew included fellow barber students Kenny and Erick, and former barber student Ari.

Learning color and investing in clinic time practicing and setting up and cleaning up after color work means I took a few less cuts in the last week or two. Also, doing solo-popups at Portage Park made it impossible to capture my cuts last weekend (this Saturday, today, the weather's been too wet/rainy to set up). That said, I did four haircuts in the park last weekend: an adult fade, one cut that was all shears, an under two-year-old that co-opted my tripod to watch cartoons while I trimmed his hair from covering his eyes, and a young woman who needed a little trim on her blunt cut.

This past week, I added a new night of activity to my weekly schedule: Glow Golf League Night at Proksa Park in Berwyn. Most Wednesdays (sometimes a Tuesday or Thursday) is disc golf league night and to ensure I get some regular discing in, I joined the tags league. So on Wednesdays this summer, if it's a league night, I plan to be at Proksa Park after barber school, around 4pm - 7pm giving free haircuts by Hole 1. Glow league starts at 8pm and it's 20 holes. My feet and calves were burning by 11:30pm on Wednesday. I can't wait for that feeling to come back.

Otherwise it's been a solid couple of weeks with me accomplishing more and more fades independently and accomplishing some very crispy linings for clients both in and out of the shop.

Thursday, June 11 - 6pm - 9pm @ Cary's Lounge
A few weeks ago, I told a story at"The Wild Night" from my early defense contracting days of a very wild night I experienced in Taiwan in my last stint in my first gig with the now-defunct Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative. Pete Valavanis, owner of Cary's Lounge followed my story with an incredible tale surviving a night out in Chicago. Andrew Huff, organizer of The Wild Night among other things connected the dots that we should be talking and... now we're popping up at everyone's favorite Chicago classic on Devon!

Saturday, June 13 - 10am - 2pm @ Portage Park
With four Saturday pop-ups at Portage Park I feel very comfortable supporting men, women, enbees and kids of all ages at Portage Park. I have a couple of regulars and have even done a house call based on meeting someone in the park. It's always weather-dependent but I'm locked in on serving the Portage Park neighborhood.

Thursday, June 18 - 10am - 3pm @ Dan Ryan Woods
To help folks ready themselves for Juneteenth, I'm supporting my classmate Zendeja on June 18th with a pop-up all day Thursday in Pavilion 3 at Dan Ryan Woods on the south side of Chicago. She'll be collecting $10 for cuts and I'll help with an expected solid demand for cuts in the park, as well as crack my grill out to jerk some chicken for hungry folks. I really hope to have some help drinking down the beverages in my cooler.

Saturday, June 20 - 1pm - 4pm @ Tips & Toes, Bellwood
My favorite bbq spot on the Northside (or the westside.. however you want to qualify it) hosting free cuts just in time for Father's Day on Sunday the 21st? it's gonna be too good a time to pass up. Chicken tips, Chicken links, sauce with a tiny bit of heat, parmesan broasted potatoes that are cooked to perfection? AND A CRISPY FADE? Join us for the party!

Thursday, June 25 - 7pm - 10pm @ Happy Day Tavern
That's right! We're gonna have a monthly pop-up at Happy Day so please join us Thursday night, June 25. DJ Silencio mixes a killer latin/hip-hop and EDM mix that will have you dancing all night long, and before he gets started, you can get freshened up by the CUT⚡️BUZZ crew and/or enjoy the many super affordable specials from Kristina, the amazing bartender on Thursdays at Happy Day.