Content
So how is everyone shaping up so far? I am fairly satisfied with my progress thus far.
I did not however realize that my nose was so unbalanced(I'm almost embarrased). But I guess if one takes into consideration the number of times I fell out of trees, off of bikes(over handlebars a few times more than twice), flipped snowmobiles, etc, etc, I'm lucky that it's still on my face at all.
As for the lighting which seems to suggest that there is an area of sparseness on my chin similar to the top of my head, fear not.
Beardinating the countryside.
I have returninated!
You know how you sometimes need a day where you don't do anything productive, just sit around and watch TV, play video games, surf the web, and sleep a lot?
Yeah, turns out I needed two of these. In a row. During NaNoWriMo.
My beard seems to have suffered a bit from either (a) my absence from here, (b) the lack of hugemongous sponsorship dollars toward my beard, (c) my natural inability to grow a lush manly beard, or (d) some/all of the above.
My t-shirt does, as you may be able to guess, read "Rock out with your guac out" and I have no apologies whatsoever about that.
This is me podcasting...not really. Actually, this is me posing as if I'm screaming at my mic, but in reality it's not even plugged into anything. I am, however listening to/editing a podcast, but you can't see that bit.
This time I'm writing WHILE editing Tome 119: Primal Power.
It's a pretty decent book for D&D 4e. It's well written. It has a good mix of new rules and role-playing fodder.
As with all times when much fluff is given there is also a good chance that that fluff won't mesh well with your particular campaign/setting, but it's not hard to adjust and modify or just take inspiration from.
Even if you aren't willing to take on the whole creation myth of the book and how the spirit world intertwines with that you can at least take on some ideas of different types of spirits existing in your world and find some cool ideas of how those intercept with the reality of you world and especially the characters in your game.
All in all, probably not a book you want unless you're running a Primal character in D&D 4e. But it's certainly the most mature (in terms of format and writing) power source book that has come out in years.
In my ears: The Tome Show
Beard level: Unshaven geek beard
Sponsor of the day: the blog At-Will
We are long overdue for the second part of my eleven twelve part series, Better Know a Beard, wherein I attempt to better acquaint you with the people behind the beards featured here at HoNoToGroABeMo and Beards4Boobs.1
Dr. John Cmar practices medicine2 at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where he does not work in the International Center for Limb Lengthening. Dr. Cmar is also an instructor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, so one would expect his average workday to resemble an episode of Scrubs.3
When not healing or teaching, Dr. Cmar enjoys syphilis. Actually, he enjoys syphilis even when he is healing or teaching; it's his most favorite disease ever.4 Dr. Cmar also maintains a number of blogs,5 including Saint Nickanuck of the Tundra Online Memorial Hospital and Gustatory Libation Front.
Dr. Cmar can also be heard on The Takeover and makes regular appearances as the Chief Medical Officer at The Secret Lair.
1Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to acquaint beards with one another. Beards, like dogs, have a long-established means by which they become acquainted with one another upon first meeting. Unlike dogs, there is very little sniffing involved.
2Non-beard-related.
3He's like Dr. Perry Cox, but with a ponytail.
4I'm not making that up. He is a sick, sick man. But he doesn't have syphilis.
5Between 1 and 100.
Still reasonably healthy and whole.
Almost exactly like our real Dr. Cmar, and by almost I mean almost nothing like since I am not a real doctor, I have been taking care of house and home while my wife Erin is down with cold and conjunctivitis (as mentioned previously).
So here I am, beard coming in, back at work coding. It's a nice break.
Growing, and growing, and growing...
You know, I just realized something. This may seem odd to some, or perhaps everyone. But, still, it was a rather odd mental picture that zinged into my brain.
What was this epiphany, you ask? Simply this: Mr. Potatohead has never had a beard. No, seriously. I've seen him with many a different type of mustache. I've even seen him geeked out as Optimash Prime and Darth Tater. But I've never seen him sport any chin hair! Not a goatee. Not a beard. Nothing!
Is this perhaps because taters can't grow it on the chin because it's so closely connected to their feet? Or because, if they come with a sporty shirt, it would be covered, so what's the point?
How odd...
EDIT: No sooner do I put this up then do I perform a search for a potatohead beard. And what is first and formost on the list? Santa Spud! Well, paint me surprised.
Did I see a request for crazy eyes?
And so we have arrived at the midpoint of our journey. As with most tasks, the starting is harder than the finishing. Most of us can cruise from here on out, our beards practically growing themselves thanks to the financial fertilization of our generous sponsors.
No one gets between me and my Interwebs...
This post nearly didn't happen. For some reason our Internet connection keeps dropping out. First they said it was the modem. Then they said it was an external problem with the neighborhood amplifier. Now we're back to "It's the modem" again. Anyway, we're on the air again, for now.
In non-beard related news, finally got to play Reiner Knizia's Spiel des Jahres winning game Keltis. It's a 2-4 player boardgame version of his 2-player card game Lost Cities and has been further remade into an English version called Lost Cities: The Board Game. Whatever it's called, it's a fun little card collecting game where you're progressively building sequences of different card suits. There's also a board where you track progress and have additional scoring opportunities. Mur and I tried it with 2-player. It think it would be fun with 3 or 4 as well. Highly recommended.
Finally, in manly news, took the Pink Tornado (our daughter) to see a hockey game today. Her luck was good -- the Carolina Hurricanes managed to squeak out their first win in 15 games. No fights, though one of the 'Canes got knocked out of the game by stopping a potential goal with his body. Now that's manly.
Relaxed. Cooled off after the sauna.
For the wicked is what they tell me. No rest that is.
I, of course, did many manly things to help fertilize follicles. Alright, I'll admit that they had to be done beard or no beard.
Positive am I though that doing manly man things does help things along.
I did however have to trim the neck area for the ladies. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
On a side note: If the hair up there grew as fast and voracious as in my nostrils I think that it would be getting in my eyes by lunchtime.
Beard Zen.
Sunday. A day of worshipful contemplation for many Abrahamic and other religious faiths, and a day of rest for most before diving back into the grind of the work week.
And for us, on Day 15, it is a day of focus and meditation on facial mane thickening. We are the Bearding Monks of HoNoToGroABeMo, and we follow the Zen path.
Today is also an excellent time, as we end the first half of the month, to meditate on the amazing donations we've received thus far for breast cancer research. As I type this, we've hit $1530, which is less than $1000 away from our goal. I continue to be blown away, and if you haven't donated, please consider doing so. The greenbacks fertilize these jaw-lawns!
Sensation: the face complains not about it's thickening hair-coat
Palpation: feathery softness is transitioning into scruff in some areas
Personal satisfaction rating: 3.5 (out of 5 Norsemen)
I can't do this all by myself, I'm no Superman.
Today I write while, again, watching TV. I spent the afternoon working on teacher stuff. Grading essays that I've taken too long to get to. Prepping a lesson for my elective on podcasting...that reminds me, I need to review and publish student blogs tonight.
But in the meantime, I'm watching season 1 of Scrubs. Greatest. TV Show. Ever. It manages to be hilarious and poignant in every single episode. No show has consistently touched my heart before.
Plus there are so many inside jokes that appear in later seasons that don't mean anything during season 1 but are all the funnier in the rewatching because you've seen the later seasons.
Here's my confusion. Rewatching the season points out all the more that this is a show about J.D. more than any other character it's almost entirely about J.D. So how are they going to do the next season without him? I don't get it? I almost wish they had just ended at the end of last season anyway. The last season was, after all, the least good season of all of them all (which means it was still head and shoulders better than everything else). But at the end J.D. left the show and they say they'll just continue on without him. How? I demand to know, is it humanly possible for the to recapture the magic without the main character?
I mean, what next, Batman comics that don't have Bruce Wayne behind the cowl?
In my ears: Superman by Lazlo Bane (theme song to Scrubs)
Beard level: Half way to unimpressive
Sponsor: Who's got two thumbs and is still waiting for the next sponsor to show up? This guy!
Not to be confused with the "Sparkly Eyes" Technique, which is something else entirely.
Laura and I went to the cinema last night for the express purpose of watching the motion picture show The Men Who Stare at Goats, starring George Clooney (whose beard has appeared in Syriana), Ewan McGregor (who sported a fine beard in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), Jeff Bridges (whose beard in Iron Man was nothing short of stunning) and Kevin Spacey.1
It was a fine film, though not anywhere near as good as I would have expected a film featuring actors of such high caliber.2 I don't blame the acting; they were all quite good,3 but the film as a whole seemed somewhat disjointed. It was laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and there's an entire level of meta-humor in the "Jedi Warrior" references, but I was expecting more Still, I give it three and a half out of five stars, just for the sheer absurdity of it all.
Oh, and Laura isn't too keen on an "accentless" Ewan McGregor.
1Who has never, to my knowledge, appeared bearded in any film, which makes me seriously question the range of his acting ability.
2And the aforementioned Keven Spacey, who seems to have no trouble at all with moustaches, by the way.
3Spacey's character was underdeveloped, but now I wonder whether that's due to the writing or the fact that the guy portraying the part is apparently deathly afraid of beards.
How're you doing?
Yeah, it's 4:30am on the 15th.
I think I look rather grizzled today. Perhaps it is because I spent the evening hunting men.
Some friends, specifically, in Halo 3.
I killed 'em lots and lots. It warms the heart.
Energetic.
Sew I was here and there, but not everywhere. Had some fun and did not have to run.
As of daylight in the morning the rifle season for deer hunting "officially" opens in Michigan.
I will be attempting to do something about putting some meat on the table sometime between then and when the muzzle-loading season ends.
Emmitt Kelly, eat your heart out
Well hey, we made it to two weeks. So why the sad face? Because happy clowns are creepy, that's why. See, sad clowns represent the pathos of modern life. We see them and think "Hey, my life isn't as bad as this sad sack. All is right with the world." But happy clowns contradict that -- they're far too jolly given all the bad things that happen to them -- pies in the face, etc. It's like the uncanny valley of comedy.
What does this have to do with beards? Not much. I just needed a justification to put a silly hat on and make a frowny face.
Happy Holidays!
It may be mid-November, but that doesn't mean that we can't get our holiday spirit on a bit early. At this point, most Christmas decorations have been out in stores since well before Halloween, and it's about time for the consumables to catch up. Hence, it's time for the best part of the lead-up to the season: beverages!
Troeg's Mad Elf Ale gets the honor of posing with me on this Day 14, not only because it is a holiday favorite, but also because my leaving it at someone-who-may-also-be-participating-in-HoNoToGroABeMo's house for them to quaff the night before an important job interview without them realizing it's alcoholic strength is partially responsible for my name being turned into a cry of vengeance. Verily, it is the stuff of legend.
Also, I'll take this opportunity to declare November 30th to be Beardmas, for it is the day our follicular gifts will have truly ripened, and deserve to be celebrated! And we are just about halfway there! Huzzah!
Sensation: virtually nothing out of the ordinary, meaning I'm inching closer to "default beard" stage
Palpation: increasing feathery notes, especially in the submandibular region
Personal satisfaction rating: 3.5 (out of 5 Norsemen)
What could I be looking at? Oh, it's Glee...yeah, sorry about that.
Today's beard was grown while working on our upstairs bonus room. It's going to be a game room some day. Couches in front of the TV where the game consoles are set up. Bookshelves full of game books around a table for playing with my buddies.
I mean, we've only lived here for 8 months or so now. Why would you think that we would have already unpacked and organized such an important room. That's just silly.
And hey, with another week or two I think it might actually be done and we could actually move game night out of my dining room and into, you know, the game room. :-)
In my ears: Dancing With Myself (as performed on Glee...yeah, I know)
Beard level: Smooth and groomed
Sponsor of the Day: Them. Not you. Them. They donated, did you?!?
It's the day I get to sleep a lot between watching movies, playing the PSP and/or the DS, and eating while recuperating.
And for those who were curious, yes, I got neutered.
Boo!
It was a cold and dark Friday the 13th that November. The night was deadly still, even the stars seemed not to twinkle.
I'm not even sure what I saw next. A flash of scruff, a scraggled chin, Satan's very own whiskers affixed to a visage so ghastly that Hell itself had spit it back upon the surface of the Earth.
Then I realized.
It was my own reflection.
We were very busy at work today. Not necessarily because of an abundant amount of customers, but because we were short of people.
Never the less we got thru the day and must now take on tomorrow.