October 31. My normal clean-shaven face, and the tuxedo I always wear to the office.

It's on.

I have only ever had facial hair once or twice before, back in my twenties. For those of you who didn't know me back then, it was not particularly pretty. My sad little goatee hasn't been seen in about a decade, and I haven't really missed it. I never have attempted to grow anything beyond the lip and chin area, so I can't begin to guess what the rest of my facial follicles might have planned.

We'll see...

To those of you who do know me and wonder why I'm attempting such foolishness, it's all in the name of science and health! My very good friend Bob, whose mother Ann passed away a few years back due to breast cancer, created the Beards4Boobs project to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. A growing number of friends of his have been joining in the annual project, eschewing the razor (with the exception of general grooming so no one ends up on a terrorist watch list) for the month of November, and asking for people to sponsor their beards with donations. It's kind of like 'Race For The Cure', but for lazy men.

Last year the Beards4Boobs project raised nearly $4k for breast cancer research, and since "all the kids are doing it", I decided to help out this time, despite the knowledge that I'm likely to look pretty silly for a few weeks. Fortunately, I'm already married.

I hope you'll click here and donate any amount large or small to the cause in my name. My beard is bound to be creepy and/or pathetic, so please make all the embarrassment worthwhile!