beauty shop gossip

I got a haircut at Joe's over lunch. I was a bit early (a rarity for me) so I stopped at Spike's across the street for a coffee. There was a guy sipping his coffee and shuffling on the sidewalk. He was hot in a "dark room total power top fuck machine" sort of way. He was not very tall at all, but just oozing sexuality (although, for the moment, not literally). He seemed vaguely familiar. He had the whole leather/butch day look down to the boots, and I noted the carefully folded and carefully displayed hankies in his back pocket (left side, naturally).

I reflexively rolled my eyes and thought, "Really? Are we still doing that?" There were multiple hankies, carefully folded so that each color was displayed in the triangle folded out of the back pocket. Among the colors were dark blue and red. And I thought, "It's a little early in the day."

(Then again, "3:30's almost four..." for those of you who know that story.)

Danny (also) was waiting for me, and after I got in his chair, the guy from across the street came in and sat in Joe's chair opposite mine. He looked so familiar that I assumed I had seen him around at Folsom or Dore or the Powerhouse or the Eagle or some leather thing with Tony. Turns out the guy is a big leather/dominant porn model-actor. Although I do not recall him in that context. Overhearing their conversation is one of the reasons I love this town. Whatshisname (I tried to find his profile on the Falcom site to link to but no luck) was in town for a shoot/some event and was staying at the Falcon Studios apartment (site NSFW). He came to Joe to get a "halfhawk" (a shorter, limp Mohawk).

Among the topics: leather and whips and how long it takes to condition a good whip, thieving airline people who have stolen incredibly expensive whips, whip/leather skills, etc.

On the topic of stolen whips and the burden of replacement: "It's not the $700 even, but the year it takes to condition the thing." (I may have misheard the cost.) "And you have to lie to get another one--it's for my sister. In Montana. She's getting married and they are getting their own ranch..."

Apparently, one cannot order a handmade, super-special whatever kind of whips these are with no questions asked. I thought, "You can't just order a whip from the leathermaster and have it shipped? You have to explain yourself?"

I also thought, "Some of us are actually members of the rodeo. We wouldn't have to lie. How is it possible that I am butcher than this guy in any respect?"

The best line I overheard from the barber's chair: "I can't believe [some guy broke it]. I only got to use it for one shoot. Man, after that, I just fucked him like a baggage handler."

I don't get it, but I love it. (Are you the baggage handler in this scenario because they always screw people over so badly, or is the bottom the baggage handler, and it's a revenge/punishment sort of thing?)

But still.

Only in SF.