What is with Women and Multi-tasking?

This will clearly be classified as a "cranky" post and it will surely get me in trouble. But I have to ask: What is it with women and multi-tasking?

What ocassioned this question was today's visit to my barbershop. On most Saturday's all five chairs are full with five barbers (4 women, 1 man) cutting like crazy. There is a steady stream of chatter, mostly about the ballgame on TV. Today, by contrast, I was the sole patron with 3 lady barbers to choose from.

I walked in, selected from among the 3 ladies and sat down in the chair. Apparently, an impromptu business meeting was in progress at the time and several conversations were going on at once. So many topics, alternating from sentence to sentence, that I wasn't even sure they were paying attention to each other.

More importantly, my barber wasn't paying attention to me. She was in automatic pilot as she dressed me in my neck tissue and sheet/apron. She emerged briefly from the inane shop dialogue to acknowledge me long enough to ask what kind of cut I wanted. Then it was back into meeting mode as she cut. "What kind of combs did you want to order?" Snip. "I don't remember what they are called." Comb. (3rd barber) "Where do you want these receipts?" Snip. "Have you looked through the catalog". Comb. "Has anybody ordered dinner?" Snip, snip, snip.

Granted, I was grouchy. I had just come off a tantrum battle with a raging 6 year old about a stupid broken 50 cent toy. And my next task was to stop on the way home to get some super toxic corrosive power chemical to unstop the unstoppable clog in our bathroom sink. All I wanted was some quiet and a nice haircut and maybe a glimpse of a game for a few minutes. But now, suddenly, all I wanted was some sense of reassurance that the person cutting my hair for my important business meeting this week had some level of attention to the task at hand - cutting my hair.

I almost - almost - got up from the chair with some dramatic statement like "Can we wait and start this haircut when you are actually ready to cut my hair? Is that too much to ask?" I didn't. I have to get my hair cut here two weeks from now.

But I'll ask the question here: Is that too much to ask?

I know. I know the answer. "I can do both at the same time"

But why would you want to? Stop the meeting and cut my hair!

I know. I know. They cut hair all day every day and can probably do it in their sleep. That would make a great sign out front - "We can cut hair in our sleep!".

Oh, well. It worked out. I told a joke to get her out of meeting mode and struck up our own conversation so that at least she was present at our chair.

And I got a nice haircut.

Now, it's time to work out my crankiness on that sink clog......