Hell Week Over - Beard Survives

Hell week is what I'm currently referring to the last week of the month where I work. It's when everything is coming to the wire, we're scrambling to get collections, and the managers start to ride your ass just a little bit harder. I guess the big thing is that our dept is currently second in place (and we pretty much ended that) as far as the regions go, and we were pretty close to nudging out our competition. From what it looked like today, it looked like Brea (the other site) will win out and Pasadena (where I work) will have to concede defeat. It might change over night though. There are a lot of payments that have not as of yet cleared because they are going to be part of today's numbers. All week long I've been working my ass off, trying to not tear this beard of my face in frustration. But, it's still here. And it is, officially, 1 month old. It's adorable to say the least. Tomorrow is a new day, and a new month for "The Beard Growth Project". The sky's the limit . . . or in this case, my genetic predisposition to not grow hair on my face would be the limit. Genes schmenes. I might think about using some of those products on the Google Adsense advertising that's on the sidebar . . . hmmm . . . feel free to click to learn more if you're looking to grow a mighty beard like this one.

Wednesday Update - Beard is Back in Business

As I said in my last post, it might be a couple of days between updates right around now. And hey, look at that, it's been a couple of days since my last beardy update. But, I'm back, because this beard is not stopping for no one or no thing. Work is keeping me pretty busy up until Friday, so I might just wait until then to give you the latest on all of what's going on with my face and the hair that grows upon it.

Puberty is Finally Hitting

It looks like this beard of mine (at least that's what I've been calling it) is finally looking like it might turn out semi-OK with this latest entry into this scientific project of mine. Now that it's there (yeah, you can count the hair follicles individually) it just needs more length. I keep battling back the neck beard, which for some reason grows faster than my face beard. Fucking weird genes of mine. I might not post for the next couple of days . . . might . . . no need to burn down the internets . . . . due increased work-load at the office and me not having a real day off until next Saturday. In March. Check your calendars, it's still February. So, if I'm too tired to type something and come up with a new way to photograph my face without looking too much like a douchebag, then forgive me. I do what I can.

Lack of Posting Won't Stop this Beard

I know I haven't posted in a couple of days. Since Tuesday, and even then, that wasn't a beard-related post. What can I say? The stresses of work and life bear down on me towards the end of each month as I rush to meet deadlines. This means more overtime, and when I get home, all I want to do is hang out with my wife and veg-out in front of the TV. But, even while all of this is going on, the beard keeps on growing. Nothing can stop "The Beard Growth Project" at this time. But, much like in real life, sometimes the wheels of progress move slowly. It's almost the end of the 2nd full week of growing a beard and this is all I've been able to muster. In my defense, it looks slightly better in public. But not by much.

The Literate Beard Review - Monster Nation

I'm not all-beard all-the-time around here. When I'm not busy cultivating a rather weak set of hairs on my face I read books. Books that have no pictures in them. David Wellington's "Monster Nation" is my latest literate target. Did I like it? Should you read it? All of these burning questions can be answered if you head out to Analog Medium. And, in case you want to read more about things and what I think about them, they have a conveniently cordoned-off section with all of my reviews. You can find that here.

Saturday Beard Update

It's Saturday, and I think we're 2 weeks into "The Beard Growth Project". The sides of my face are starting to show some growth and more fullness. OK. My "fullness" is a couple of hairs here and there. But I never said that this beard would be strong like bull. Anyway, just wanted to throw up an update since I won't be posting anything here tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

My Furry Valentine

Technically, I'm my wife's furry valentine. We have some plans tonight. I heard the word "naughty surprise" bandied about for later in the evening. As for our immediate plans, we're headed out to a fancy (for the price, it better be) dinner at a local eatery called "Camilo's". We had some plans to head out to Whittier for equally expensive dinner fare with some great musical accompaniment, but our schedules could not coincide with their availability for reservations. This place was a back-up plan. I also did not forget to get my wife some flowers . . . almost doesn't count. If everything goes right tonight, this beard of mine should get a stroking worth replaying in my mind for days, even months to come.

Good Morning Beard

I woke up this morning to this little surprise. A slightly fuller set of facial hair. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with this project. It might just be the lack of clear lighting this early in the morning, but whatever. "The Beard Growth Project" is just starting it's 2nd week with a nice stubble-y foundation to build upon.

A Week's Worth of Weak Beard

So, this is what a week's worth of growing out my facial hair gets me. Evidently, The Beard Growth Project will have to be a long-term project. I am in it until the end though. I'm going to grow this beard if it kills me. I'm really hoping that it doesn't. In other non-beard related news, the hair on the top of my head is gone. You can kind see the difference in this picture as opposed to the picture previously posted (not the one of the book cover). Although I'm not tracking the growth of the hair on the top of my head, this does let keep tabs on how long it takes that segment of hair to grow until I need another haircut. The hair there grows a little quicker than the hair on my face, but it's not that much quicker. You could say my hair grows at a turtle's pace as opposed to my beard growing at a snail's pace. I'm really not this into hair by the way. I don't want any random people ending up on this website thinking I'm some sort of freak. That said, here's another picture of my blossoming beard.

Un-related Beard Post

When I'm not busy growing my beard, I have a semi-regular reviewing gig over at "Analog Medium". I'm doing it for the promise of a free t-shirt. I know, lucrative. My latest review of David Wellington's "Monster Island" has been up there for a couple of days now. I would have linked to it sooner, but you know, growing a beard is a full time job. So, check it out here or visit their blog using the link in the sidebar for the review and whatever other craziness they're up to lately.

Let Your Voice be Heard

I added a new survey/poll to the sidebar of this blog. In case you're "Stumble'ing" or "Next Blog'ing" it through a bunch of pages, take a couple of seconds of your busy schedule of browsing to make a choice. The poll is up until the end of the month, so make sure you vote. It's the way of Democracy. If you don't vote, the Commies win . . . even though the Cold War ended years ago. And I think we won that one. So, to recap, vote or it's going to be all "Red Dawn" up in this piece.

The Scruff is in the Building

After a week of painfully slow beard growth, the "scruff" has finally arrived. It's still a little prickly, but I can't sand stuff with it like it felt like I could a couple of days ago. I've had to fight my neck beard growth. That shit's stubborn as all hell. I just have to keep fighting the growth. That's pretty much it for now.

The Dangers of Growing a Beard

I know that today (6th day of "The Beard Growth Project") there's no picture. I'm tired, I do a lot of overtime at work, and I just don't feel like getting all pretty for you people. Moving on. This comment caught me a little off-guard today. To all the ladies out there that might be seduced by this weak inkling of a beard . . . I am married. Happily. To a wife that, even though thinks this is pretty much one of the nerdiest things she's ever seen, still will let me stay married to her. So, the answer to that burning question is "No, you cannot stroke this beard unless you want my wife wailing on you". Any more questions, please . . . drop 'em in the comments section.

And no, "joanhotmommy9" is not one of my split personalities. I'm pretty sure it's a real person. I think. You never know on the internets.

The Mighty Beard Quest Continues

OK, day four has hit . . . and the stubble has grown a little bit. I think it gives me a somewhat weak-ish hipster look. Just a little bit though. I ain't no damn hipster. Oh, and these pictures look like the type weirdo shut-ins (like myself at one time) would post on social networking sites to make themselves appear to be ambiguously good looking. I need to find a better way to take these pictures.

Where's the Beard!

New rule! I'm not posting on Sundays. It is the day us non-practicing Catholics like to call our "Sit around the house and do nothing" day. If the lord could rest on the 7th day, then so should we. Moving on to more beard-centric news/update. Here's the subject of "The Beard Growth Project" on day 4 of this scientific experiment. It already looks like something a boy just getting through puberty would have on his face. But I do see a nice base developing. Unfortunately, you can actually see every hair growing on my face individually, so already I'm losing faith in the fullness of my quest. But, I must carry on.

5 O'Clock Shadow Arrives . . . Finally

You know that fine stubble that usually shows up at around 5 PM the day that you shave? Well, it's the 2nd day into "The Beard Growth Project" and that 5 o'clock shadow is finally here. I don't know if you can make it out in the picture above, but I can feel it. It's a little sandpaper'y, but it's there. The beard is on it's way. Now, just a couple of days and it will actually start looking like a beard of sorts.

The Aftermath

It took damn near a half an hour to shave for "The Beard Growth Project". And I don't have the best of electric shavers. Quite frankly, I keep doing this to myself. I buy an electric razor once every couple of years. Every time I do so, I try out a new brand. I've gone through Norelco, Panasonic, back to Norelco, and now I have a Remington. The problem is . . . every time I buy one, I cheap out. So, I go from shitty electric razor to just as shitty electric razor. While this current Remington can hold it's charge pretty well, when my facial hair gets long like it was, it tends to pull at it every so often. This becomes specially painful when I have to clear the moustache area. It's almost as bad as having to pull out slightly-too-long nose hairs (hey, fuck you, people get older and have to deal with shit like that).

So, above and below are pictures I snapped of the painful mess of what was left after the shaving was completed. Yeah . . . I'm fucking weird.

Not Pubes

The Beginning

"The Beard Growth Project" is something that I've been thinking about for a couple of weeks now. I have a notoriously slow facial hair growth rate. And even when it comes through, it's fairly weak. It's been looking fuller lately. I think I'm finally reaching puberty at the tender age of 28. Well, I'm almost 29, but this blog is not about how old I am. The picture below is me beardless. I had been growing a beard pretty much since mid-December. Partly because I'm too lazy to shave my facial hair every couple of days. But also because beards come in handy in the winter times. It's like wearing a sweater on your face. Albeit, a not so effective or warm sweater, but it helps on those cold mornings when I have to show up at work at the ungodly hour of 5 AM.

There are couple of rules to "The Beard Growth Project". Starting today, February 1st 2008, I will not shave the hair on my face. That does not include neck hair. That I will keep a regular shaving regimen on. I don't like neck-hair. It's kind of itchy and rather unsightly. I will take daily pictures of my facial hair with the webcam on my MacBook. It's not the highest quality or the best resolution per say, but it does the trick. And there's no clumsy shot after shot of trying to get the right picture as if I were to use my regular digital camera. And, that's pretty much it for the rules.

When it finally comes time to bid a fond farewell to my facial hair, this blog might end. Or it might evolve into something completely different. Maybe I can showcase different facial hair configurations. Whatever. I'm not even thinking that far ahead.

I know, I have the "deer in headlights" look locked down.