Balding Men And Ponytails

I was driving home this afternoon and I happened upon a fairly regular sight in that part of LA: a middle-aged guy driving an expensive convertible with the top down, his chrome dome shining in the sun, his graying ponytail waving in the breeze.
   It's a common enough sight that I almost didn't notice. But then I got to wondering... does he really think that ponytail looks good? I mean seriously? He rolls out of bed in the morning, brushes his teeth (let's hope), takes a good look at himself in the mirror and thinks 'yeah, this extra-long ponytail sure distracts from my baby's-ass bald head.'
   Umberto Eco - who has a web page - would argue that every decision we make, from the car we drive to the clothes we wear to the hairstyle we sport is our effort to communicate with others. We're always trying to get something across. So what's a man old enough to know better trying to say when he keeps what's left of his hair too long and gathers it at his neck with a rubber band? Is he trying to say he's a cliche? Because that's the message I'm receiving.
   Then, as I drove further, I thought about what I might look like with a pony tail. I'm not going bald, and if my father and grandfather are any indication I probably won't, but that shouldn't stop me from growing my hair long as Rapunzel and tying it back. I need a haircut now, what's to stop me from just letting it go for a couple of years and seeing where that takes me?
   I'm ready for the adventure. I'm going to start growing my hair... now.

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