I hate looking for hair salons/stylists and I stick with the same person forever if I like him (or her). When I first moved back to DC in 1996 I started seeing a guy named Billy at a place called Sanktuary in Rockville, Maryland, on a friend's recommendation. Then I decided that was too far to go for a haircut. On another friend's recommendation, I started seeing a woman named Andrea at Trim Salon in Adams Morgan. After a while, Andrea had a baby and moved with her family to Fredericksburg, Virginia. So I went back to Billy. He did a great job, as always, but Billy's prices have gone up, and up and up and up. And he's still in Rockville. Last week, disgusted with my unkempt mophead but unwilling to drive to the suburbs or pay $75 (it went up again!) for a haircut, I looked up Washingtonian's 'best salons' online and found out that funky Bang Salon on U Street is not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be: $30 for a woman's haircut! ($35 with blowdry.) I saw Heather and she did a fine job.

In house-hunting news, we have, for various reasons (expense, crime, schools, E's commute), changed our focus from DC neighborhoods like Brookland and Petworth to (are you sitting down?) northern Virginia. For me, as a native Marylander, and E, who loves living in the city, this was not an easy step for us to take. But it's the only reasonable step at this point. In particular we like the Fairlington community which has an interesting history, playgrounds, tennis courts, and a pool.

What else? The baby is napping in the crib! Sometimes. At our 4-month checkup last Friday (13 lbs 11 oz, 25 1/4 inches) the pediatrician suggested just trying it for a week. I went home, folded up the swing and put it away, and started putting him down in the crib for his naps. I let him cry a little, and he didn't always fall asleep, but he's much better at it now than he was a week ago. As I type he is lying on his side, arms splayed, his cute little feet poking out between the slats, a shiny trail of drool running down his cheek.