I know what you’re thinking, just get over it Laurel, as if you didn’t know this place cost a fortune just to walk in. And I learned in about the eighth grade that being female – from clothes to makeup to grooming – can be terribly expensive. Unless you have a friend who happens to work at Aveda, but that’s not helping me now.

“Oh hang on,” It’s as if a demon inside me has taken over. “I just want to grab this.” I reach across and grab the hugest bottle of sap moss shampoo they have. Now I feel like I won. I plop my Visa on the glass expanse and flash a huge smile, as if spending large amounts of money on barely noticeable personal grooming was something I do every day. Duh.

Which is exactly my problem: I’m a Midwestern girl, born & raised in a small town in the middle of “the dairy state,” and I’m living at the moment in a medium-sized college town that has a huge reputation for being liberal and fun.