"Those who tan... tan... tangle with Don Juaaaaaaannnnnn...."

Seriously... what a day. Like, not only am I getting a sinus thing which is making me all stuffy and sore throaty, but like, everything I voted for or against at the polls went the other way, and this beard is starting to get itchy as hell.

Perhaps this will cheer me up... or creep me out.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Hopefully I'll start feeling a bit more like myself by then, and my whiskers will have lengthened past the pokey stage.

The last of the warm autumn days.

I think perhaps my beard has stopped. I can't tell much difference between today and the last couple of days. Maybe this is all I get?

Anyway, a few more donations came through, so I guess I can deal with that. As a great band once said, "Hooray for Boobies".

Just another manic Monday.

I've started to really 'feel the beard' at this point, particularly when my lip moves. Also, last night I had the first opportunity for a piece of food to get stuck to my face - in this case a bit of popcorn husk. And so it goes.

It's a Monday and my sinuses have begun acting up. Also, that ingrown still hasn't decided to reach a state in which I might actually do anything to correct it. All in all, I'd rather it was still the weekend.

The Day Off

And on the 6th Day, I rested. Played a crapload of Uncharted 3 and did laundry.

I think the beard goes nicely with the tie.

If I was a dermatologist dalek, I would say "exfoliate! exfoliate!". That's what I did. Had to give the neckline a trim so I could look presentable for a funeral this afternoon, and also scrubbed my neck thoroughly to try and ditch the ingrowns that were threatening me. Seems to be doing ok though.

Also, I finished my initial playthrough of "Uncharted 3". There's an annoying lag in the controls which makes the gunplay feel sluggish. It didn't ruin the game for me, but it did make things problematic towards the end, and I hope they're able to patch it. Otherwise, great stuff. Can't wait to launch into my re-play on the 'Crushing' difficulty.

Starting to look like an action hero.

The inevitable side-effect of not shaving is that I get ingrown hairs. I've got one little red bump on my neck which I'm sure is going to get ugly if I let it. Hopefully it'll sort itself out!

Otherwise, the beard is coming along. I'm pleased to see actual potential for "connection" on the cheeks. I was a little concerned that I might end up with a bare patch between my sideburns and my chin, but I appear to have gained more hair in that area since the last time I let anything grow. Guess that's what happens when you get older.

Looking a little scrappy. Perhaps it's from playing Uncharted 3 until 2 AM.

Sam: This is it.

Frodo: This is what?

Sam: If I skip shaving for one more day, it'll be the farthest from smooth my face has ever been.

Frodo: Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, raising money for tatas. You stop shaving for a few days, and if you don't actually have much facial hair, there's no knowing how foolish you're going to look."

There was only half a cup of coffee left in the pot at work. Son, I am disappoint.

I have begun to feel vaguely scratchy. It's not yet visible from a distance I don't think, so I look more "unclean" than "rugged". No one will be hiring me to do commercials for tools or winterwear just yet.

My general disheveled look is probably partly to do with staying up until 2 AM last night playing the stunning new Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, which I picked up yesterday. The game is nothing short of magnificent. It's like watching a new Indiana Jones movie where I get to control Harrison Ford myself. I expect to lose many more hours of sleep playing it over the next several months.

Le smewth.

The first day feels... well, a lot like a Sunday. I often skip shaving on Sundays. Of course, I gave it a last-minute shave before bed last night, so it's pretty much a normal 'afternoon stubble' right now.

Since there's not much to say about my facial hair today, I'll use today's post to promote my jazz trio's brand new CD which just hit the shelves this morning:

http://www.melocoton.us.

While I'm sure you're planning to donate some money to sponsor my beard to come, I hope you'll also consider spending some cash on my music as well, and perhaps rating the album on your favorite music retail website! It's already up on iTunes and Amazon MP3, but should be spreading to most other major web song sellers as the month proceeds.

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!