KJToo

As we approach the middle of november, the beards on display at HoNoToGroABeMo.org are…well, I don’t think words can really do them justice, so here are a few of my favorite photo submissions from the first half of the month. Many, if not all, of the photos below can be clicked for embiggening.

Day One: Bob kicks things off with his Creepy Stare theme, which has continued through the first two weeks.

Day Four: Is this really the face of democracy?

Day Six: Chris has already gone over to The Dark Side of The Beard.

Day Eight: I am convinced that David has only two facial expressions. This is the other one.

Day Ten: Nev shows off his pearly whites. In the United Kingdom, “jammyknashers” is common slang for “teeth”.1 English is a beautiful language.

Day Eleven: Wesley survived this vicious gargoyle attack, but just barely.

Day Twelve: Emo Jeff is emo.

Day Twelve: Gus is more beard now than man; twisted and evil.

Finally, we have an honorable2 mention from Day Seven, featuring far, far too much Jeff.

1. No. Not really. [back]
2. ”Honourable” for you, Nev. [back]

Posted November 14, 2008 Comments(2)

I have been tagged by Jason Penney, and that makes me “it”, I suppose. To comply, I must do the following:

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs
4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I’m going to ignore rule number four, just because I don’t like leaving comments that aren’t related to posts.

Seven things, eh? Random and/or weird. Oh, I can handle that.

1. FACT: I can cross my eyes independent of one another.
   
2. FACT: The first compact disc I ever purchase was from a group named Holiday Ranch. I split the cost of the CD with my friend, Eric, because I didn’t own a CD player at the time. I have no idea where that disc is today.
3. FACT: I created my first web page in the early 1990s while working as a “lab consultant” at the Center for Computer-Assisted Language Instruction at Michigan Technological University. The only content I can specifically recall was a scan of an Arlo and Janis comic strip. Yes, my first web page prominently featured copyright infringement.
4. FACT: I am a founding member of the Benevolent Order of Scrimshankers.
5. FACT: I do not like cold Swiss cheese.
6. FACT: I once dreamed that I was being pursued by Darth Vader, who was driving a white van and intended to cut my legs off when he caught me; it has been at least twenty years since I had that dream, but I still remember it quite clearly.
7. FACT: I have never seen any movies in the Godfather or Rocky series. I actively avoid the latter. There is no rational reason for this; I just do.

Now, to the tagging of others.

1. Chris Miller. This one is a total cop out, as Jason already tagged him.
2. Nycteris.
3. The Bearded Goose.
4. Greg Howley.
5. Sam Chupp.
6. Technohippybiker.
7. The Cynical Optimist.

Posted November 11, 2008 Comments(13)

Oops! I went to bed early last night and completely neglected to post anything here, which means that—two days into the month—I failed National Blog Posting Month! Boom! Done!

I suppose I could back-date a blog entry (WordPress certainly has the capability), but that would be cheating, so I’ll just bow out with what little grace and dignity I can muster.

On the bright side, not feeling compelled to post something here every day will give me more time to blather over on the How Not To Grow A Beard Month site, something I’m sure everyone is looking forward to.

As of this writing, there are a total of seven official participants in HoNoToGroABeMo, six of whom have actually posted on the site. An eighth individual has expressed interest, but I don’t know if his ID has been created yet. These are the men whose chins will transform from barren to lush in the coming weeks:

1. Me. Yeah. Still.
2. Bob. The Cynical Optimist.
3. Wesley. The Cyclical Apologist.
4. Chris. The Optimal Synergist.
5. Jeff. The Subliminal Optometrist.
6. Nev. The Longitudinal Psychologist.
7. Gus. The Duodenal Cosmologist. 

It’s not too late for you and your facial hair to get in on the action! As official arbiter of the event, I will allow late entries, especially to braggarts who claim that they can grow a full beard in a week or less. It’s time to put that boasting to the test, gentlemen! Drop me a line and I’ll see that you get an account on the site!

Posted November 3, 2008 Comments(6)

November is upon us and the month of blogging and beard-growing has begun! Over at the HoNoToGroABeMo site the first handful of photos and blog entries are already up; the amount of freshly-shorn cheek and chin on display is…mildly disturbing, to be honest. The question of whether the faces of the participants can survive the chill of November has led me to wonder whether the event ought not be moved to late spring or perhaps even early summer, but the die has been cast and the liability waivers signed, so the rest is left to chance, Mother Nature, and the responsible utilization of scarves.

Here’s a quick rundown on the roster so far:

• Me. Originator of the event and first to shave.
• Bob. The cynical optimist and creator of the HoNoToGroABeMo website.
• Chris. My co-overlord at The Secret Lair, whose face has not seen the light of day since before the Clinton administration.
• Wesley. Mastermind responsible for such podcasts as Volcanicast, Stargate Cafe and The Log of the Crimson Lein.

There are rumors of additional participants to come, but I don’t want to put anyone on the spot until they have officially cast their lot in on the site. If you, too, would like to get in on the hot, beard-growing action, leave a comment and I’ll see that you get an account on the official site. We’ll have an invitation system in place shortly (I hope), but as with any newfangled web wonder, there are a few kinks to work out before everything is running smoothly.

Posted November 1, 2008 Comments(1)