I decided to get a haircut during my lunch hour today. Before I left, I looked up salons in the phone book and decided upon Great Clips. Normally I would never set foot in such an abomination, but I didn't have time to schedule an appointment and it was either Great Clips or Rhonda's House of Braids.

I walk in and the lady asked if I ever had a haircut there before. "No," I responded, almost proudly. She made me give her my name, address, and phone number in order to get a freakin' haircut. Is this normal? Are we in a society where we have to divulge personal information in order to partake in minute transactions? For a $10,000 loan I will give you my address and phone number, but not for a $11 haircut! I asked her why and she said it was for marketing and research purposes. Every time I have given out that response "marketing and research" always meant not only "advertising" but "the kind of advertising where we sell your information."

I walked through a Kroger parking lot and saw smaller scale billboards advertising Western Union. Billboards, shopping carts, special cards in order to get sale prices (no doubtedly used for "marketing" purposes. You have to give them your name, address, and phone number for that as well) Wal-mart now has commercials that play on screens when you pump gas. I'm so damn sick of it.

I see I've gone too far. This wasn't supposed to be a diatribe on the evils of advertising, a profession I once wanted. By the way, the lady at Great Clips was noticeably balding and sporting a mullet.

I'm afraid.