Hitting the Wall
on a Wednesday

By midweek I'm burnt out from working/mom-ing/wife-ing/attempting-but-failing-to-friend-ing, so my self-care comes in the form of hot fresh white rice with whatever banchan (side dishes) I have in the fridge. The HFWR (hot fresh white rice) is the key component to my grade school child's comfort meal that is also known as my "I love you, but please don't talk to me for the rest of the night" meal. After the kids are in bed, I need to shut my brain off, not talk to anyone, take my HFWR in front of the TV, go inward, and transport myself to a simpler time. Then I'm ready to jump back into do mode.

When life feels like one big puddle of middle from birth to death, it helps to catalogue other middling things: Any day at 3pm. Strangers. Middle children (Bella Hadid! Britney Spears!). A manicured lawn. Staying up. All this beautiful ceremony.

I think I've forgotten what part of the week I'm in lately. As a hairdresser, entrepreneur, and artist, my hands are pretty full. When do I stop working? After a 12-hour day at the salon, I come home and either get creative or turn my mind off from work and look for inspiration. I started doing more videos in my salon and learned Premiere Pro, so some nights I'm watching the footage at the same time. Yes, my work consumes me. It's just so colorful!

My girlfriend Nicole Reber is a luxury real estate agent and my partner in creative endeavors. A lot of nights we're trading pictures, developing new products—it's usually a blend of hair inspo and long-haired dachshund videos. I am starting to get to sleep earlier to make myself ready for an early-rise hike. I live next to Griffith Park Observatory where my brother, stand-up comedian Steve Hernandez, shows me medium-to-hard hikes to kick off my mornings. My focus now is to get this body moving in the morning before the salon. Stability and routine feel like a recharge because every day at work is so different. I'm working on the balancing act and investing in my health.

My days consist of watching our two small daughters while my wife works full-time as a teacher. When she gets home I immediately go to my studio and work all evening. During the week, we are ships passing in the night. One day a week, I will forgo the studio and stay home to cook a nice dinner. Prep and cooking must always be accompanied by a cocktail. (Gin or tequila to start, no sleep-inducing whiskey until the belly is full and the kids are asleep!) Usually I will cook some variation of simple comfort food. A whole roasted chicken that has been salt-cured in the fridge all day. Butter-basted pork chops and mashed potatoes. Broccoli rabe in creamy garlic-tomato sauce with lots of home-baked sourdough bread. Lately I have been enjoying grilling marinated morsels from Kris Yenbamroong’s instant-classic Night + Market cookbook (an L.A. restaurant I have desperately missed during COVID). I love setting the grilled bits out on the table to share with lettuce, herbs, homemade pickled chilis, cucumber salad and lots of jasmine rice. One good meal together in the midst of our hectic schedule helps us reconnect as a family and keep our priorities straight.

My midweek pick-me-up is a manicure. I missed going to salons so much and they're cleaner than ever. Kesang at Chillhouse and I are on the same vibrations—all about the waves.