Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a reasonable alternative to soap and water for killing bacteria and viruses. Uh, on your hands.

I wouldn't say that I'm "paranoid" about germs, or anything.

Instead, I prefer to think that my chosen line of work has left me with a wealth of detailed, not at all obsession-inducing, knowledge about bugs and our bodies. For instance: the total number of bacteria estimated to live on the skin of an individual human is upwards of 10¹² organisms, depend on the collection method used. The influenza virus, when coughed onto a surface, can remain alive for hours, or even days in cold and wet conditions. 1 gram of feces can contain from 10⁹ to 10¹¹ bacteria. The primary way that viral respiratory infections, from the common cold to influenza, are contracted is not by inhaling particles out of the air, but rather by touching an infected surface and rubbing your eyes, nose, or mouth.

As such, the best thing anyone can do to prevent infections is to wash your hands at appropriate intervals. Not that I have a compulsion about hand-washing, of course. Or washing other things. Like my insides. Where all those bacteria are. But alcohol does, in point of fact, kill germs...

One thing that alcohol does not do is cause hair to grow, or else this Day 6 photo would feature a multi-foot chin beast, resplendent in the sun. Or, failing that, the fluorescent office lighting.

That said, lady and gentlemen, there is growth marching forward on this face of battle, and it cannot be stopped.

Senasation: neckline tickle-itch is now a less-comfortable bristle-itch

Palpation: soft but firm globally except for the anterior chin, which remains roughly stiff

Personal satisfaction rating: 2.5 (out of 5 Norsemen)