dianaschnuth

I bought the first Wii Fit game and balance board back in May 2008. I used it for a while, but eventually got tired of not having the option of doing an entire workout — just individual exercises, one at a time, even when the game suggests several specific exercises to do together. (“Is that a yoga pose or a strength exercise that it thinks I should do next? It doesn’t say…”)

Today, I picked up Wii Fit Plus for $19.99 — not a bad price for a new game! Despite the “Plus” moniker, which might suggest you need Wii Motion Plus to play, it seems to only require the normal balance board (as far as I can tell). So far, I’ve only had it re-weigh me (I’ve gained six pounds since the last time I played, earlier this year), so I can’t speak to the game’s new features (including customizable workout routines), but you can bet I’ll be talking about them later.

What was particularly fun, though, was getting Aaron back on the balance board. I made him get on it back in May of last year, to record his weight and input his info, and he hasn’t touched it since. It’s been 508 days, and he’s lost over 67 pounds:

It took his Mii from looking like a Weeble-Wobble to looking like a normal, cute, superdeformed Aaron. Awesome!

The last time I got my hair cut was late September, when I got a much shorter ‘do than I’d requested. It took four months for the front of my hair to finally grow out to where I’d wanted it in the first place. Meanwhile, the back was growing out all funky and ragged, and the layers I’d been given were atrocious.

So, this evening I headed out to my long-awaited appointment at Attitudes, per the suggestion of Kris’s girlfriend. I knew going in that my haircut was going to be literally four or five times more expensive than my discount cut, but I was perfectly fine with that.

As Connie had promised, the receptionist asked if I’d like a beverage, and offered to take my coat for me. (Fancy!) Shortly thereafter, I was ushered in by my stylist’s associate (read: understudy). When my stylist Kristie arrived, I explained to her the debacle of my previous haircut, and gave her an idea of what I wanted — basically, to shorten the back and to have the whole style generally cleaned up.

Now, to anyone who regularly goes to a “real” hair salon, the whole salon experience will seem like no big thing. For me, though, what followed was such a 180 from the discount place that I absolutely fell in love. First, I got an awesome shampoo and scalp massage. Incredibly relaxing. It made me realize how much I neglect my scalp when I wash my own hair.

When I came back out for my haircut, Kristie was especially attentive to details — down to checking the hairline at the nape of my neck BEFORE cutting it too close and realizing that I have a bit of a cowlick. She also showed her associate what she was doing and why, which was informative for me, too.

The proof is in the pudding, though. Here we have my before and after shots:

It’s tough to see in the Before photo, but the back of my hair was horribly scraggly and long. Kristie cleaned it up fantastically, and, like I said, with exquisite attention to detail. The final outcome is a little rounder than I’d been thinking originally, but she didn’t steer me wrong. I like it.

If you’re looking for a hair salon in south Toledo, I highly recommend Attitudes. Everyone was very friendly and professional, and I came out with a hairstyle that I absolutely love. (Their shampoo and styling products also made my hair smell fantastic!)

I tipped Kristie 20%. I hope that’s sufficient to express my appreciation.