Short Cuts

Your Boulevardier paid a visit to the Village Barbershop this morning for a trim. It was a good morning to do so; many youngsters were there, getting their pre-Easter haircuts. We must look good for the grandparents!

Upon arrival, Your Boulevardier found two of the three working chairs occupied by clients on booster seats -- brothers, it turns out -- one of whom received a certificate from Al Proietti acknowledging his first official haircut. The cuttee admired a picture book about the Pixar movie Cars as his mother asked the preternaturally patient Al to take a little more off the bangs. The older brother, a blonder chap a few chairs away, carefully scrutinized his new haircut and declared it "good." Both boys received lollipops for their exceptional behavior and were treated to a dance by an electronic rabbit singing "I Feel Good."

Later, when Your Boulevardier was under the scissors of the indefatigable Limbo, another rookie arrived, accompanied by his father and a younger sister in a stroller. This young fellow also got to be Al P.'s patron, and got his trim as his proud father snapped photo after photo. All of the waiting patrons -- most of whom appeared to be six or eight decades past their own first haircuts -- observed the process with avuncular grins on their faces. Watching them was almost as much fun as watching the haircut itself. As this went on, the Other Al, the Bicycling Barber, arrived in his space-age outfit, rolling his Bianchi into the back of the shop.

After his haircut, Your Boulevardier and the Trusty BoulevarDog retired to Peet's to read and watch the comings and goings of Castro Valley's Caffeinated Citizenry. A blonde lady parked a bright yellow Smart Car immediately in front of the shop, and the vehicle was the talk of the town for a while; people peered in the windows and asked questions -- how much did it cost ($17K), how long did you have to wait for it (6 months), who makes it (Mercedes Benz). The weather may have been taking a turn for the cooler, but the hint of impending spring glowed in the generous, curious, friendly attitudes of the people of our town.

Welcome Visitors

Your Boulevardier received a flattering email that he will reproduce here in its entirety.

To Our Boulevardier,

I recently discovered your blog entirely by chance through a Google search (interestingly, a Google search for "Castro Valley falafel" hits your July 2007 posting). I love your blog -- thank you for writing it!!

I thought of you and your blog when I heard an interesting inverview on the "Living on Earth" radio program on public radio. Will Self talks about the allure of exploring a city on foot and discovering things one ordinarily wouldn't experience in a car or other means -- much like you do in your blog.

Brief quote:
"So there's this marvelous sense that one gets of being cut off from the mass of humanity in this very, very simple, very self-directed way. You don't need any equipment. You don't need any fancy accessories. You can just get out of your chair and do it and you're instantly exploring in that way. You're finding out new things about your environment."

If you're interested, you can listen to the 9-minute interview or read the transcript (here).

Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Jim

You have our gratitude, Jim. Your Boulevardier welcomes such praise, and is happy to hear about -- and post links to -- interesting resources on the Internet for those interested in walking about.

Alas, not enough walking about has been done by Your Boulevardier of late. Work pressures have, unfortunately, coincided with the current spate of fine spring weather. The trees are blossoming (the apricot at Chez Boulevardier is loaded and lovely), to the bane of those with allergies but to the delight of those of us who are visually oriented. One wishes he had time to spend nosing about. Soon, it is hoped.