Beard on Vacation - TBGP Return Update

Hey beard lovers, long time no see. I know I've been somewhat neglecting this little side project of mine. Keeping up with the BAFW is hard enough as it is. There just aren't enough hours in the day to keep up sometimes. But, I have some free time now, there's a beard on my face, and I'm about to go on vacation. "The Beard Growth Project" is set to make a triumphant comeback in December. I needs my face sweater for the winter months. Notice how I said it's not coming back for a month. That's due to the fact that I haven't sold the wife on the return of TBGP just yet. But she will relent. Nothing can stop the beard from coming back.

Where's the Beard!

I know. I sort of abandoned this blog for the summer. It's just too frigging hot to rock facial hair when it's damn near 100 degrees in Southern California. But, it might come back during the fall. I'll return to this in time.

My current facial hair configuration is pretty sparse. I shaved completely, and have been shaving on and off, and recently decided to go with a goatee based upon continuous requests from my wife. She's loving that she's getting what she wants . . . for once, when it comes to my facial hair.

I'll be back soon enough. Summer is almost over with. All the beard fans out there will get their fix in a couple of months.

Keep the dream alive.

Month #4 Starts

Month #4 started June 1st, and I have to say that it's definitely longer than I thought "The Beard Growth Project" would survive. I did get a haircut over the weekend, so at least something in the general head-area is shorter, much to my wife's contentment. Although, she keeps pushing for the termination of this scientific experiment. I've never let facial hair grow this long. You can see in the picture (thanks in part to the sparsity of my beard) where my chin ends and where the hair begins. I'm amazed by it. But then again, you can't use my beard as a barometer for hair growth. So, my "achievement" in beard growth might not seem like much to you. Anyway, June might be the last month of this. Enjoy it while it lasts kids.

Friendly Reactions to the TBGP

"The Beard Growth Project" has gotten some input from someone other than my wife lately. Over the long Memorial Day weekend, we visited some friends of ours that I hadn't seen since before the TGBP started. They all said pretty much the same thing.

"You look like you've been stuck in a cave/cage."

Fuck you guys. But, it's cool. Input is appreciated. Even if it's dick-ish. But, other than that, we all had a good time. Saw some friends I hadn't seen since November actually.

In other beard-related news, the wife is once again taken up the torch against the mighty beard. She started asking me to shave it again, once again dropping the "I won't have sex with you until you shave it" ultimatum that I've heard before. She puts up a strong front when it comes to this. But I know she's bluffing. She'll probably read this and get all up in my face about how she's serious this time. But the beard will win her over. It always does. *Wink*

Beard Survives Anniversary

I'm actually quite surprised that my beard is still around. "The Beard Growth Project" came under fire right around the end of last week. The reason . . . my wife and I's 5 year wedding anniversary. My wife had started hinting at the fact that it would be nice if I took care of the mutton chops and trimmed everything down to a nice goatee. Women. But, on the day of our actual anniversary (May 17th in case you were wondering), I guess we were pretty busy with a bunch of stuff, because she totally forgot. Or, maybe she didn't forget and is brooding about it like most women do. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime . . . the beard continues to grow. Almost 4 months now.

The Mother of all Beards

It's almost mid-May, and "The Beard Growth Project" is still alive. It keeps defying my expectations. Even though my wife has a love/hate relationship (more hate than love) with my facial hair, she is still not demanding me to shave it all off. Go figure. Work isn't getting in the way of my beard growth either. They can't very well tell me to shave. There's nothing in the dress code or anything else that I signed when I took on the job that says "no giant, stupid looking, sparsely follicle'd beards allowed".

It is starting to pose a problem with my eating though. The moustache part of my beard keeps ending up in my mouth when I go to eat something. So I'm constantly having to pick my own facial hair out of my mouth. Also, it tends to collect crumbs and condiments rather easily. After today's breakfast, I actually had egg on my face. But hey, this could be a blessing in disguise. Eating might become so troublesome that I might start losing some weight.

One can only hope.

3 Months In

Today is May 1st. I started "The Beard Growth Project" the 1st of February. This beard of mine is now officially 3 months old. I'm not sure if that can be recalculated into beard-years . . . you know, like dog-years. This is, by far, the longest stint of facial hair growth I've had. In the past, my beard would get about a month and a half old before it fell prey to my electric shavers.

Now, I can't guarantee that this beard will survive to see June. It might. But I'm a little uncertain. There's pressure from my better half to get rid of it, or at least trim it down to a goatee. I'd lose all that awesome mutton-chop'y-ness I've got going on right now. Also, people at work are starting to look at me funny. That's a minor concern though. I don't care much for what they think. But when the Site Lead raises an eyebrow as I walk up to receive an Award of Excellence, I get a little antsy.

Anywho . . . "The Beard Growth Project" will keep fighting the good fight until it can no longer do so. Signing out for now. See you in a couple of days.

TBGP - Still Pondering

I'm still pondering the ultimatum my wife gave me a couple of days ago. Which explains this rather pensive picture. I have to say, having a beard to stroke while thinking is very relaxing. Actually, some of my best ideas have been sprung forth due to some intense beard stroking. It's like I'm masturbating my brain and the climax is an idea. A little dirty, but that's how my mind works sometimes. . . .

So, still thinking on what to do with this. She likes it, but she complains about it. Maybe I can start conditioning or moisturizing my facial hair. Make it smoother. Anyone care to leave a comment as to what I should be using? Anyone even reading this blog? Haha! That's OK. I don't do this for popularity. Rather my own innate curiosity.

TBGP vs. The Ultimatum

So, my wife has handed down an ultimatum. Either shave the beard . . . or no sex. She claims it's a bit "rough" down there. I don't think I need to go into specifics as to what she means. So, I'm debating whether the temporary loss of sex is worth getting to the 3 month mark of "The Beard Growth Project". I'm going to need a couple of days to think this through.

In other more beard-centric news, you can make out the errant white hair that is growing on the side of my cheek. It's longer than all the other facial hair that surrounds it, but the web-cam on my MacBook is not picking it up all that well. It's a bit blurry, but if you've got sharp vision, you can make it out.

Beard Growth - Still Weak, but Bushier

Normally, someone without my lack of facial hair growth proficiency, might grow this much hair on their face in about a week or so. My weak facial hair genetic makeup has grown this much beard in just about 2 and a half months. "The Beard Growth Project" has actually lasted longer than I thought it would. But, I might have just learned when the project will come to an end. My wife, who is actually pretty good at predicting the future, said that this is only going to go on for another 2 months. Now, I can be defiant and all and try to extend the life of this scientific experiment, but she's very persuasive. She even told me that she'd shave me in my sleep. So, if this blog is still going past the month of June . . . then consider it a miracle.

Still Relaxing, Beard Still Growing

This vacation that I'm currently in is just what I needed. I work too damn hard, and I never enjoy the fruits of my effort. So, just sitting back, sleeping in (until 9 AM . . . whoa crazy!) and not having to do anything is just bliss for me. My wife and I have been going around spending money lately, looking at stuff that we need, and also getting some paperwork together for my immigration appointment on Friday. She was stressing about not knowing where her birth certificate was, but she found it today. We also went through some ridiculously easy study questions because they might just decide to give me the test when I go, rather than wait for another appointment. I swear, the only way one could fuck up this test is if, right before the appointment, you suffered a blow to head and developed selective amnesia. It's that easy.

As for beard-related stuff, the subject of "The Beard Growth Project" is still doing well. I'm probably not going to go through with the trimming of the goatee and the shaving of the sideburns. I've grown attached to them, and they're starting to grow on my wife (pun slightly intended). The sideburns kind of do what they want though. The facial hair on the right side of my face just sticks out in random directions while the facial hair on the left side of my face points down like it should. Also, the right side of my face grows hair faster than the left side. It's weird. In non-beard related, but right-bodied specific, random factoid . . . my right foot is actually just slightly larger than my left foot. And, I'm right-handed. So, I'm speculating (with all of these facts), that the right side of my body is the actual dominant portion of me.

But, enough about that. My wife and I are headed out, possibly to spend more money. We need to hit up a custom furniture store in Pasadena and the Old Navy. I need me some shorts for the summer.

Beard on Vacation

Hello everybody. New post up, finally. But then again, there's not a whole lot of change now that is visible. I don't think this beard has reached it's zenith yet, but any changes now are not all that recognizable. I should be able to post more often this week. I am currently on vacation from my day job at the bank, which explains the picture being taken of me pretty much relaxing in bed. There might be a radical change to my facial hair towards the end of the week though. I might have to get rid of the sideburns and trim the resulting goatee a little bit. I have an appointment with the Department of Homeland Defense about my pending citizenship (yeah, I'm a dirty foreigner, taking up all the best blog jobs), so I might have to make a good impression to them. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll be chilling at home, growing my beard. "The Beard Growth Project" will live on.

Month #3 Starts Off

I bet one or two of you thought that I was done with this experiment. After all, no posts since March 26th, and already we're into April. Rest assured, that as long as my facial hair continues to grow, "The Beard Growth Project" will be around. Like any other scientific endeavors, I hit a little snag with my last week of work for March. I work as a collector for a major bank's credit card division, so the end of the month is really hectic. Long hours and general exhaustion suppress not only this blog's posting regularity, but also my main blog's entry volume. It also affects how much I am available to do the funner things in life that are non-blog-related. Like videogaming, reading, etc. But, now that it's a new month, and work will be a little more relaxed, at least for the next couple of weeks, I should be able to post more.

As far as the facial hair goes . . . My moustache is looking fairly strong. The spot where the sideburn turns into beard is appropriately bushy. The goatee area is looking a little fuller than usual. It's just that stretch of beard that connects the mutton chops to the goatee that I will forever have a problem with. I just don't have the hair follicle quantity that I need to have a nice manly beard. Other than that, I think I can actually see progress. Anyway, off to work. See you people in a couple of days.

Pre-6 AM Beard Update

I realize I am wearing the same shirt as I was last update. That was like 3 days ago. No, I have not been wearing the same polo since then. Can we focus on what's important here? My beard, the subject of "The Beard Growth Project", is actually getting compliments lately. Things like "Oh, I doesn't even look that bad". And "aww, you almost look like a grown man". I don't do it for the praise, mind you. I do it for the science. The compliments are just encouraging.

Easter Beard Update

It's been a couple of days since my last post. Well, more like 5 days. So, more than a couple of days. What can I say? Sometimes, there's just no time to keep track of my beard growth. Yesterday (Saturday), I had to work in the morning, do a couple of chores at the house, and attend a baptism. But, excuses are like assholes. They all stink. Keep on checking to see what's new with my facial hair growth. Even if there are no new posts, "The Beard Growth Project" continues. For the foreseeable future.

Week 6 Starts

It's Monday, officially past the mid-point for the month of March. "The Beard Growth Project" is officially 6 weeks old. After numerous posts and hair growth updates, it's starting to finally look like an actual beard. In pictures at least. In person, it still looks like a random conglomeration of confused hairs that somehow managed to congregate upon my face. It's a mess. But, I'm not doing this to look good. No way. This is not a vanity project . . . OK, maybe a little bit.

Up Close and Beard-sonal

Hey there, people that somehow stumbled upon this rather weird (and some may even argue pointless) blog. Just dropping in an update as to the progress that's currently happening with "The Beard Growth Project". As you can see from the latest picture, I'm almost looking like a grown man. A grown man with too much time on his hands and strange interests. Nothing much more to say today. I'll just keep this beard going for as long as possible. See you in a couple of days.

Mid-Week Beard Report

I'm not sure if it's the lack of appropriate lighting, or just the fact that my beard is just not growing at a rate that can be seen by the naked eye (ooh, naked . . . rawr), but I just don't see any difference at all from my last update. My wife did notice that my one gray (well, it's more white) that grows on my face actually sticks up and goes against the grain, making it fairly visible to beard on-lookers. I might take a picture of that to show the internets people what old looks like. In the meantime, I'll just keep growing this beard . . . for the sake of science and "The Beard Growth Project".

Monday Morning Beard Report

I know I said I would be posting every other day from now on, but since this particular day happened to fall on a Sunday, I had to wait until today to post. Because, as you remember, I don't post on my day of rest. But, never fear, Monday is here. And with Monday, a new post in "The Beard Growth Project". Starting week 6 of this experiment in weak facial hair growth. My face looks appropriately bushy. I wonder what this would look like if I had an average amount of hair on my face. Probably like a roadie for ZZ Top. No point in dwelling in the "what if's". See you folks in a couple of days.

Friday Follicles

It's been noted by my wife, and quite accurately, that when I take a picture showing my whole face, I look extremely tired. And it is true. Most of the time, I am fucking beat. So, we're going to focus on the follicles from now on. I'm also moving to a more sustainable "every other day" posting regimen from now on. It just doesn't make sense to me to try to post every day because now, you can't really see the difference from day to day. As for what you can see in the picture above. It's looking a tad fuller. "The Beard Growth Project" is officially 5 weeks old (close approximation . . . what? You have a problem with that?).