Goodbye Mr. Scruffy

And so we come to the close of a fun month. It's been an interesting experience being bearded for the first time. I've happily discovered that I can, in fact, grow a respectable beard and mustache, and I can also do my very small part to raise money for a cause that's unfortunately too near and dear to my heart.

We didn't quite make the goal, but we did make a decent show of it. Perhaps next year we'll get a corporate sponsor!

Many thanks to all who donated, and to Bob for making this all happen. Here's to the dream that by next November this won't be necessary.

Coffee? Yes, please.

As the beardy time comes to its end, I look back upon the advantages and disadvantages of my first beard:

Plus:

1. I look older
2. I look hip with shades and a tie.
3. I've been told it's sexy (albeit by a guy).
4. When I pop chewing gum bubbles, they don't stick to my chin.
5. Less grooming time in the morning.
6. I have something to stroke when looking thoughtful.

Minus:

1. I look older, and also somehow fatter.
2. I look like a homeless guy if I don't groom my hair and wear something nice.
3. It itches and pokes me, and often gets into my mouth.
4. Popcorn husks and boogers stick to my face.
5. One more thing for freezing Cleveland rain to hang on to.
6. It stabs the Mrs. when I gives her kisses.

I shall be glad to see it off.

Why is my left eyelid red today?

Coming back from a holiday weekend always blows. Today I'm trying to accomplish multiple things at once, as well as keeping an eye on the two or three things I will no doubt be scrambling to get done next week. Holiday weekends are always just a delay of the inevitable. Plus I seem to have developed some sort of inflammation in my eyelid... joy.

Scruffy Sunday!

We got up late and attempted to decorate for Christmas, but found that all of our lighted garlands had died in storage. No clue how four strands of lights all go at once. Oh well... we got three years out of 'em.

We met up with my folks and my sister to see "The Muppets" at the Chagrin Cinema. It wasn't the greatest movie, but it wasn't a major disappointment either. The humans were sort of unnecessary distractions, as were the musical numbers. It seemed like fifteen small plots all running in the same direction. Still, it had that 'Muppet magic' even if the script was weak. It made me smile and feel like a kid again, which is all I expect out of the Muppets.

Looking beardy at my wife's Aunt's place.

Today was another busy holiday day... visited with friends from high school who were in for the weekend (babies!) and then went to my in-laws thanksgiving at the wife's aunt's place for more turkey and stuffing. I'm going to be fat. Late-night board games and beverages. Good times.

The Orange Room - playing video games.

Today I played video games, did some stuff around the house, and generally was lazy. Took my wife out for a drink. It was a lovely Friday.

Looking beardy at my Aunt's holiday table.

I am thankful for the boobs.

Food Coma Rising

We had our annual office Thanksgiving potluck today. Oh boy. Mac 'n' cheese, deep-fried turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, all manner of desserts, veggies, sprouts, rolls... great stuff. My stomach has been given the foundation for the two additional Thanksgiving meals to come over the long weekend.

In other news, I stayed up until 3 AM working on a remix. I am really wiped. Going home to rest after work and then out again with friends in from out of town.

Sometimes I think the holidays are more work than work is.

The New Face of Face

Man. Yesterday blew. Not only did I have a bunch of crap to do in a rush, but then my computer got a nasty malware that stopped me from doing any of it for a full hour. Little bastard set everything on the computer to 'hidden' and 'read only' so it looked like my files were gone, and then tried to sell me a fake antivirus software. Good thing I'm smarter than they are.

Today all that's sucking is that I lost my Speedy Rewards card and had to get a replacement so I can keep earning gas points at Speedway, and that they keep running the leaf blower right outside my office window.

Fortunately there's a long weekend coming!

My hair in its natural form.

I discovered today that the web host which I was using that announced they were going out of business has begun shutting down sooner than expected. I have recent backups of the sites that need to be moved in a hurry, but the fact that I have to move three websites in a hurry when my to-do list already includes eight other things for the next three days (on top of my actual job) is really not making me happy.

Also, I've decided that as long as my face is going to be all beardy, I don't have to worry about my hair either. Going about without any product in my hair for the first time in god knows how long... usually that only happens on Sundays. If I'm not using any goop on my head I almost always have a hat on.

And in other news, my trio's music is now available in high-quality download at Bandcamp, and you get an extra bonus track for buying the whole disc!