Excuse me, aren't you ----?

Lorraine: "Who does your hair, Maggie?
Maggie: "A little Frenchwoman named Maggie Culter comes in every morning."
Lorraine: "You know, your hair *could* be so nice. I've always wanted to get my hands on it."
Maggie: "And I've always wanted to get mine on yours, Lorraine."

I get my hair cut from time to time. About twice a year, actually, much to the eye-rolling and sarcastic comment of Stephen the genius who gets to do those semi-annual clippings. One of the things I love about Stephen is that he's a director and a hair and make-up designer for several community theaters in the area, so I just tell him what show I'm doing and he makes me look beautiful and appropriate. (He got nominated this year for a WATCH award for the hair design in "Ragtime" at Rockville Musical Theater. Huzzah!) Only once have I ever said "Oh, I'm not in anything right now, so let's just make me look good." When I was working with Sally on "The Hen Gets a Flag," I said that I wanted something light, something fun, something "Cherry Ames, Student Nurse," something Laura Petrie. Snip, snip, snip, et voila! I showed it to Sally, we screamed like teen-age girls that it was *perfect,* and it was.

My hair is pretty thick, thank goodness, and has a decent amount of body, thank goodness, because I am completely hair incompetent. I can brush it and use a curling iron without hurting myself or others. I can put it in a knot on the back of my head and use a pencil to secure it (I've stolen more pencils from work that way......). I can do this weird sort of French Braid thing. That's about it. ( Stephen told me that he told the front desk to leave extra time for my appointments because it takes so darn long to get my hair dry and because we need the time for gossip.) It's also a really nice color that my genes can still take the credit for - a dark chestnut brown with red highlights. The more time I spend in the sun in the summer (last summer, approximately 20 minutes), the more the red comes out. I have a few grey hairs - what Leslie calls "crones" - and every now and then I flirt with the idea of coloring it, but I'm also bone lazy and coloring means upkeep.

So Tuesday was the day. I told Stephen that I'm playing Maggie again (1939, secretary). I said I planned on having a side part and pulling it back and clipping it just behind my ears with the ends curving under to make what I call a "hair tunnel." He cut off about four inches and it's now above my shoulders for the first time since I was 10 and it looks **beautiful.** It has shine! It has bounce! I look five years younger and 10 pounds lighter. I feel like Mary Tyler Moore. David said that when I told the story about getting pulled over on the Toll Road and hyperventilating (how I adore having a new audience), I was a perfect Laura Petrie.

I look - pause for modesty's sake, oh the the hell with it - Fabulous. Thank you, Stephen!