Eyebrows & Mountains

What is it about fantastic eyebrow waxers? For at least 10 years, every time I've found a great one, she's pretty quickly left town or moved to a different salon (one located as inconveniently as possible for me) or just disappeared like a thief in the night. I call to make my supposed-to-be monthly appointment, which is inevitably more like an every-six-weeks-or-so appointment and I hear, "Oh, sorry, she's no longer with us." Infuriating. I hate having to explain what I want ("as thick and arched as possible, you know, normal") to someone new whose personal eyebrows are all too often a pencil-thin crime.

Anyway, the most recent vanishing esthetician was too good to lose (and smart and kind enough to let me know where she went). And Las Vegas isn't as big or as spread out as Chicago, so I decided to follow her to her new digs. Of course, people here think I'm crazy - who would drive 25 minutes each way for a 5-7 minute appointment? Well, I did just that today and discovered that it's ridiculous how little it takes to make me totally happy. The drive was a pleasure - all 80 mph on a brand new road with no traffic (I picked my time carefully), and simply incredible mountain vistas as I drove north. We had a few clouds today and reddish-brown desert mountains are even more spectacular when there are clouds to contrast the light in the ridges and dips. I was listening to a great mix CD (Ben Folds and assorted country - thank you, Annie). As I drove, I realized anew how much I love my new home in the Silver State.

I routinely drove much longer than 50 minutes round-trip for things in Chicago and the scenery never made my heart sing. Well, ok, coming down Lake Shore Drive with that gorgeous skyline spread out before me and the lake on my left was pretty sweet, but I'd lived there too long. I'd stopped reveling in the beauty. Mostly, I tried to contain my irritation at the traffic and to avoid both the potholes and my tendency to scream words I really shouldn't use. But Nevada is still new. The scenery, in addition to being amazing, is so different from what I spent my first 50 years looking at. Sunshine and mountains and novelty are apparently going to take longer than 2 years to fade into unnoticed background for me. I like that I'm constantly struck by my surroundings and I like seeing things from angles I don't see every day. Hard to believe that driving seriously out of my way for an errand would prompt a singing heart, but it did. And my brows look great, too.