At the time, I was growing out my hair, and it was at the point where it was awkwardly long: long enough to be annoying, but not long enough to wear up. And most of my friends were quite adamant about my cutting, or otherwise applying scissors to, the mane. When I went on a distant vacation and announced that I had received a haircut while away, most assumed it would be short again. Very few were expecting it to be longer....