The tools of the trades

This week was camp at our church. Not only were the kids thrilled to be immersed in activities, but I got 3 1/2 hours off each morning. It has been so long that it was almost disorienting - so many things I could do that I often squandered time just trying to decide. On Monday morning I tempted the fates and called my salon. I must have sounded desperate - they said they could take me right away.

Two hours I emerged with highlights and a haircut. Nothing too drastic; I asked for natural and low-maintenance. I tried to not choke as I signed the receipt ($120) but I felt good and it's been well over a year. And it's a local business in the neighborhood. Etc. etc. Add your favorite rationalization here. I walked out, feeling pampered and sassy. And waited for everyone to admire my new-found fabulousness. And... waited.

I have now ascertained that the placebo effect is at its most potent in the health and beauty industry. My proof: no one noticed my hair.

Okay, not quite no one. My extremely gifted massage therapist who I haven't seen in months complimented me - but that's mostly because my hair was notably longer since my last visit.

The other entity that took heed of my time at the salon: Mint.com.

In case you haven't heard the buzz (nice write-up in the NYTimes) Mint.com is a website that you enable to keep tabs on all sorts of financial happenings in your world - at no charge. You link it to your investments, banking, credit cards, mortgage debt etc. and it allows you to set budgets and track spending. The e-mail message I received said "You have exceeded your budget in personal care." Aw, thanks for noticing.

The e-mails sent out don't have too much detail, and refer you back to the secure website where you log in and check your accounts. Last week we got one that said "We noticed you had a service charge. We hate those. You might want to check it out."

It's a good, accessible way of doing some personal accounting that keeps it in the forefront of your mind (and in-box) and we find it a useful tool. it's a little weird to see your personal wealth arrayed all in one place. In general I'm not very concerned about security in the virtual world - but I do know that they are growing criminals much smarter these days.

So, you might want to check it out.