Subtle Hints

I took the twins to Top Road Barber shop yesterday morning. Tab and Daniel both had their hair cut a few weeks ago, but Stephen and Matthew are overdue. Their hair hangs in their eyes and gets caught in the straps of their goggles when they go swimming. Besides, on Monday morning they will be going to St. Ann's to be assessed on their readiness for kindergarten. I decided that I didn't want them looking so scruffy for that appointment.

There were no other customers in the barber shop when we got there so Stephen got right in Tony's chair. I pointed out Stephen's ragged bangs. "He tried to give himself a haircut last week," I told Tony.

"You don't want to do that, Stephen" Tony said. "Leave it to us professionals."

Tony cuts their hair in the classic, short-all-over haircut, the style that boys have been wearing for decades. I'm not a fan of bowl cuts or other haircutting fads for boys. Trends come and go so quickly; I prefer a timeless style. Besides, that bowl cut reminds me of Moe from The Three Stooges.

Tony is quick and efficient. Soon the boys were done, both looking like little shorn sheep. After a haircut, they always appear much older. It makes me realize yet again how quickly they are growing up.

As we were driving to Princeton this morning, I was skimming the entertainment section of the Philadelphia Inquirer. (I download the online version of this paper to my Palm every morning.) I was excited to see a glowing review of the new Russell Crowe movie, Gladiator.

"The Philadelphia Inquirer calls it 'a stunning Roman triumph.' The reviewer even compares it to Saving Private Ryan," I told Tab, knowing his fondness for that movie. "Listen to this: 'The dizzying virtuosity of Gladiator's action sequences ranks with the storied first 25 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, and they share the same elegiac quality.' "

Tab grunted noncommittally.

Later in the day, Tab and I were talking on the phone.

"Anything in the mail?" he asked.

"Not much of interest, except Russell Crowe on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Whoo, baby! EW gave Gladiator an A-, by the way. Oh, and there's a Private Ryan reference in this review, too," I said, flipping open the pages. "The review compares the hero to Tom Hanks's character in Private Ryan. Here it is: 'They're decent men forced by circumstance to perform extraordinary feats, faithful husbands who just want to go home, but who take up arms instead to fix a broken world.' What do you think of that?"

"Hmmm," said Tab.

When I picked Tab up at work, I told him I'd bought a copy of Time today. "Guess what? Time loved Gladiator, too."

"OK, OK, I get the message! We'll see it." Tab said.

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