A beard? Who, me?! A felt creature cannot grow a beard!

One interesting side effect of shaving off longstanding facial hair is the number of people who realize something's changed about me, but aren't exactly sure what. The most popular comment among those who don't recognize the follicular absence has been "Wow, Dr. Cmar... have you lost weight?" (don't I wish a notable number of pounds were shed along with my whiskers) followed closely by "Are you feeling ok? You look run down..." (true, given my current recuperative state from an influenza-like illness, but not precisely what they were meaning).

Since today, in addition to being Day 7, is also National Bookstore Day, Laura and I headed to Constellation Books to celebrate. There, I tried to find a better disguise than merely "shorn." Unfortunately, I don't think that "bearded muppet" is something I should be attempting to pull off.

Sensation: that thorny neckline itch means manly growth

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

Personal satisfaction rating: 2.5 (out of 5 Norsemen)