Year of the Beard

BMV Beard February 28, 2009

At the BMV and there is a SERIOUS beard. Why I chose to go to the BMV 5 minutes before close on a Saturday I am not sure. I will try to snap a pic but this guy looks like he doesn’t mess around.

Wow What a Week! February 27, 2009

I had a pretty rough week, and I’m looking forward to this weekend where I can just let my beard grow free without any stress. I think my beard needs a good decompression weekend.

I have been conditioning and combing it on a semi-daily basis. I haven’t seen any dramatic difference yet, but I’m sure something like that takes a little time. It might be a little softer but that could also be my mind playing tricks on me.

Speaking of work, it’s crazy right now. Walking through the office, 75% of the men have just given up on grooming. I personally love it but someone else said that it looks like a team of homeless men has taken over. Oh well, I guess no one is as down with the beard look as I am.

All right, I’m off to enjoy a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold and relax. If you’re bored this weekend, check out Beards.org to learn all you can about facial hair. I don’t want to give anything away but there just might be a pop quiz at the Year of the Beard Fundraiser next weekend (but honestly, there won’t be).

Can’t Grow a Beard? February 25, 2009

Are you like me, and you can’t grow a nice, full beard? But also unlike me, because you’re somewhat embarrassed about it?

Or are you a lady who feels like she’s missing out on the bearded fun? Well then I just found the solution for you.

Just check out Beardhead.com for a winter hat that not only keeps you warm (probably, I did no actual research into this product) but also keeps you in on all the beard-loving good times we’re having!

Two of the Best Bearded Drummers I Know February 24, 2009

This is an old one I found…

Happy Beard Day to Me! February 23, 2009

Saturday was a big day for me. Not only was it day 52 of the year, but it was also my birthday! (or as a few of my friends said, “Happy Beard-day!”) I got together with a few friends, some bearded, some not, and had a pretty awesome time. Highlight of the night was one of my favorite past times: Bar Bowling! Little known fact: my dad once bowled a 300 at bar bowling. As the night got later bar bowling turned into: Trick Shot Bar Bowling. I’m dangerous with the under the leg throw. 

But back to more pressing matters, it’s now less than two weeks until the Year of the Beard Fundraising Bonanza at McCarthy’s! Have you RSVP’d yet? Do you know what you’re wearing? It will most likely be the fashion event of the season so make sure you’re bearded up and ready to go. There are also some plans in the works for some additional fund raising at the party, but nothing has been finalized as of right now. I will keep you in the loop as soon as I hear more on that.

And now a very entertaining video that was passed on to me by my friend Mike. In this video, we not only see a fantastic beard, but for some reason we watch a man put 2,222 toothpicks in it. Odd? Certainly. Entertaining? Definitely.

That’s all for now, beard fans!

ps – I’d like to thank my very good friend Mary Katherine Riley for being the first person who donated over at the Facebook page. She got the ball rolling and started the trend and we’ve seen some good donations since. Thanks again Katie!

Checked Out the Party Space Last Night February 20, 2009

Yesterday evening I headed over to McCarthy’s Ale House with some other bearded folk to see what the place was all about. As soon as I walked in I noticed how big it was, and that was a good sign. I thought the bartender may have snubbed me at first because I look like such a freak with this neck hair growth but I quickly came to the conclusion that it was actually pretty busy for a thursday night so she just happened to skip me over. Eventually I had a few beers and a burger and it was all generally very good.

We also got a chance to look at the “private room” where the Year of the Beard Fundraising Bonanza is going to be held. The room is huge. Honestly it could just be another bar on its own. They must keep it closed all the time because to run utilities and what not in that room probably costs about as much as it does to run it in the main room. But I’m very happy with it. I assume we’ll probably be able to have a huge group in there with no complaints about space, and we’re more than happy to invite others in. It’s certainly not a private party or anything.

So get ready. We’re about to throw the best (and probably first) bearded fundraising party this city has ever seen!

ps. – If you haven’t yet, head over to Facebook and RSVP at the event page. You can link to it through my profile badge on the right side of the screen. And while you’re there, you might as well join the Year of the Beard cause, which is the easiest and quickest way to donate money to the Domestic Violence Center.

Day 50: The UK Doppleganger! February 19, 2009

Day 50! 13.5% of the way through the year. My roommate was talking to our friend out in New York today and he kept asking about my beard. He was asking “Is his beard just crazy?” and “I mean, is it out of control?” and even “His beard has to be HUGE at this point, right?!”

The answer to all of these is, of course, no.

It’s still pretty tame. The beard hair I have is rather long but it’s just not full everywhere. The neck is getting rather bushy and the mustache is starting to creep over my upper lip. I think the mustache might turn into my greatest enemy. It’s already annoying and I have to sort of brush it to the side when it starts to get to me. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in June, let alone December!

The biggest news of the day is that Year of the Beard has gone International. I was doing a little research on the site (basically I wanted to see where it comes up on Google) and I found a british Year of the Beard. This guy is pretty much doing the exact same thing as me: Not shaving for a whole year and collecting money for charity! It’s like Bizarro-Andy, except not bizarro! More like British-Andy. I was really hoping there was some fun British term for beard, like face’air or something, but it appears he just calls it a beard too. Oh well.

And since it is day 50, it’s probably time for another photo update.

“But Why Should I Grow a Beard?” February 18, 2009

Why should you grow a beard?

Well why don’t you check out these 10 Very Good Reasons why you should grow a beard?

I don’t know what this was created for. It appears to be some sort of dating service. I encourage you not to delve too deep into the site, just go and check out their little pictures of people with beards for fun, and then go back to your facebook or whatever site you frequent.

Minor, slight change to charity February 17, 2009

I wanted to be 100% honest with this because I don’t want it to come across as weird. So, here’s the deal. The Domestic Violence is a partner agency of the United Way, and while they certainly are affiliated with the United Way, it is actually probably in my best interest do be sending all of our donations directly to them, not through the United Way. This will kind of just streamline the whole process, and it’ll just make me feel a little better about knowing that the money is actually going right to The Domestic Violence Center. I know the whole time I’ve promoted this blog I have said “The money is going to the Greater Cleveland United Way Domestic Violence Center,” and it still is, but that organization is actually an independent group, and I don’t have to spell it out like that all the time, I can just say “Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland.”

So, the money is going to the Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland. You can learn more about them here.

If you have any questions about this, about where the money is going, please feel free to email me and I will answer your questions. Sorry about the confusion, but I assure you everything is fine.

Events page now up and running February 16, 2009

Good news for all the party loving beard fans out there.

The EVENTS page is now ready to go. You’ll notice it in the upper right hand corner of your screen, right next to “About” (fascinating) and “Donate” (probably a good idea, you should go to that page). There it is, EVENTS.

And don’t think I just made an empty page. Nope. Click that and you’ll see information on the year’s first big event, complete with clickable hyperlinks. All the who/what/where/when/why (no seriously it’s there) is on the Events page, so rather than me posting the whole thing twice, why don’t you just head on over there to see what’s up.

See you on March 7th!