Year of the Beard

Day 90: What’s Going On, Hair? March 31, 2009

Woah! Can you believe it’s already day 90 of Year of the Beard?! Time flies when you’re growing a beard. And while this is certainly an event to celebrate, I want to bring a few things up that may cause some concern.

First, my daily pictures. I have been pretty good about my daily picture. I’d say REALLY good. But I’ll be honest, I missed a day or two. I know one day I missed, and I don’t know how, but it was March 7. That date may be familiar in your mind because it was the date of the Year of the Beard Fundraiser! Luckily there were a few pictures of me taken that night so I can use one of those. For the other days… it was usually a weekend or something where I was thrown off my daily routine of wake up, shower, take picture, go to work. So, I apologize. I won’t have a picture “every day,” but I’ll be pretty darn close.

Issue number two, which is much more disconcerting, is the donations well has dried up! What happened? Sure we got the pledgers, that money is guaranteed once I make it all year, but the Facebook hasn’t seen a donation in a while! I know times are tough but seriously, a dollar here or there! The Domestic Violence Center needs our help all year so if you are able to donate anything, please do! I saw the other day, my friend was donating to a charity, and she said “I’m going to donate the money I planned on spending on going out tonight, and I’ll stay in.” That was just awesome. I mean, that’s a great idea. If you can do anything like that, it’d be fantastic.

Finally, another important issue, is what is up with my hair? The beard growth I’m fine with. It’s pretty burly where it does in fact exist. Someone told me today I looked like a Civil War re-enactor or something, which I’m totally down with. But my regular old hair is starting to concern me. It’s been 90 days and it’s barely grown at all! It’s about 2 inches long. That’s absurd! I’ve grown my hair for three months before and had a serious mop on my dome. This has been three months and it still looks like I got my hair cut yesterday. Maybe I’m just not noticing it because I do actively look at it every day, but if you ask me, my hair should be much longer at this point than it is. Maybe it’s having trouble growing because all the growth is being dedicated to my beard. I’m sure there is some sort of science that backs that theory up.

Anyways, happy beard growing everyone! Day 90 was a roller coaster of emotions.

- Year of the Beard

Next Up, Strength Training March 26, 2009

Well I think the interview with Year of the Beard – Dan Polito was a success! It was a little long, I probably could have edited it down a little, but why not let you view it in all it’s glory. For those of you who have been wondering, and asking, what the story is with the tires at the end, let me tell you a story.

The story is that right at the end there was a gigantic accident outside my house.

That story is completely not true.

So I’ve got the beard now, and on days when I comb it out it looks pretty big but on other days it looks just normal, but I couldn’t help thinking “What next? What else can my beard do?” And then I stumbled upon an AMAZING site, which is very inspirational. While Year of the Beard certainly seems like a big goal to me, this guy makes it look like child’s play.

I don’t know what else to say. This guy is quite an inspiration and the fact that he is doing his challenge for charity (as well) just makes it all the more awesome. So check out Things My Beard Can Lift. The fact that he reached his target fundraising amount is actually bittersweet, because now we won’t be seeing what else his beard can lift.

Year of the Beard Salutes You!

Interview with Cleveland Beard Legend Dan Polito March 23, 2009

You can watch the video here but it’s actually better if you go to the Vimeo page where you can watch it in sweet hi-def!

Year of the Beard Interview – Dan Polito from MyFriendCleveland on Vimeo.

We Call This a “Teaser…”

I’ll have the interview up later, but for now, enjoy this, done by Cleveland (bearded) artist John G! (and that’s a rootbeer he’s drinking, no funny business).

Mustaches and Smoothies Are Not Compatible March 20, 2009

I’ll put one thing out there, I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. I’ll go through kicks where I try to eat healthy, so I’ll buy some spinach, eat about two salads, forget about said spinach for a month, and then all of a sudden I’m eating Ralph Burgers and drinking Coca Colas again.

Well last night I made another attempt to “up my quality of eating,” and I thought “What better way to get my daily dose of fruits than a delicious smoothie?” The recipe seemed easy enough: one frozen banana, a cup of frozen strawberries, three little things of peach yogurt, and cup of orange juice. Long story short, it was awesome! However, with every sip, my mustache got coated in smoothie. While some people have called that a blessing, referring to the ’stache as a “flavor saver,” the Year of the Beard does not need to be saving any flavor. I’ll take my flavor now, and not later.

So I will eventually need to start thinking of some sort of way to get past the ’stache without any problems. A straw seemed to do the trick, but for a thick smoothie, it required a lot of work. Luckily I still have plenty of ingredients so I foresee many smoothie expirements in the next few days.

In internet news, Year of the Beard has really climbed the Google charts. Google Year of the Beard and we come up as the second site! Google it in quotes (”Year of the Beard”) and we’re number 1!!! I’m really excited and I hope that maybe this will help generate some more cash for the Domestic Violence Center.

Keep those donations coming!

And Then There Was One… March 17, 2009

Hello beard fans. Can’t do much of an update today, a little busy. Here’s what I got.

Most of the people at work doing the beard challenge have backed off and let me continue on my own. Even Albeardo has given up: he was back to his pleasant baby face today. But I’m really not all alone.  I still have my roommate Jon, he’s got quite the facial hair. And there is also the “new” guy at my job, Charlie. He’s got a serious beard and I really doubt it’s going any where any time soon.

But what I really want to talk about is a great band I saw on Sunday night. Now, not all of them had beards. In fact, only 33% of them had beards, and that guy wasn’t even technically in the band, he was sort of just filling in on the drums. But hey, a beard is a beard, and a beard in a band is even better.

If you want to check out the band, head over Quote UnQuote Records where you can download the record. The name of the band is Cheap Girls. I can’t offer any sort of explanation as to what that means or what the deal is with that, but I can guarantee you that the band is great. If you need proof just listen to the song “Her and Cigarettes.” Solid gold.

In other beard related news I found this awesome website where one man is attempting to grow every type of beard that he can. I’d say this is even more ambitious than Year of the Beard, because this guy has been doing this for years. He’s got pictures of every successful beard style he’s accomplished, and he even gives a brief little description of what each one is. I highly encourage you check out The quest for every type of beard. It’s nothing short of spectacular.

And now, because it’s been a while. The Year of the Beard. March 17, 2009.

The Party’s Over… March 12, 2009

Greetings Beardos!

Here we are on March 12th. The Thursday following the big party and I can’t help but get the feeling that a lot of loyal readers are wondering “What’s Next?” In fact I am inclined to wonder that myself. The Year of the Beard Fun(d)raiser was an absolute smashing success and here we are, only in March, looking on towards the rest of the year. Most of my bearded colleagues have now shaved, Year of the Beard has again turned into one man’s mission against grooming. I still have Albeardo, of course, who will be growing his beard for a few more weeks, but after that, I continue on my journey alone. It’s sort of like in Lord of the Rings when Frodo and Sam had to go off on their own. Except I have no Sam.

I HAVE NO SAM!!!

Speaking of Albeardo, if you were at the Fun(d)raiser you saw my wonderful little montage of his facial hair growth. Not my best work. I’ve determined that the transitions were a little slow and the whole thing could have been a little faster, but I am pleased with it. Some people have posed the very excellent question “But why Surfin’ USA?” to which I respond with an equally excellent question of “But why not?”

Back to more pressing matters: Year of the Beard forges on. And while I currently do not have any more fun(d)raisers ‘officially’ planned, I do have some in the works. Also, never forget that I am accepting donations for the Domestic Violence Center all year. The gift we gathered on Saturday was phenomenal, but we can give more, and Year of the Beard plans to raise more! I’m still growing my beard, so if you are still able to help, check out the DONATE page to see ways you can do that.

As for future plans… well here’s some teasers. First up will most likely be the Year of the Beard t-shirts. These are being drawn by one of the most talented artists I know, and an all around great guy, Jeff Finley. I have been working with him lately and I expect to get the first draft of a design very soon. After that, I’m looking towards summer to have another fun(d)raiser, but this one a little less official. I’m actually going to use an idea I’ve had for a while, and turn it in to a benefit for Year of the Beard. That idea is the First Annual Cleveland Decathlon! 10 grueling events testing your mind, body, and spirit. More on that to come. Finally, we’re looking to throw another raffle-based fun(d)raiser in the fall or winter. Obviously there aren’t really any plans for that, as of yet, but there is no hurt in thinking ahead.

That’s all the news for now, beard fans. Keep checking out Year of the Beard for updates, and don’t forget, the Domestic Violence Center needs support all year, so donate early and donate often!

And now, a picture that comes up when you google image search “year of the beard.” In fact, the first picture. Looks like someone took on this challenge before me.

Oh What a Night March 8, 2009

Last night was the big fundraiser, but we probably should have just called it the FUN-raiser. I believe a great time was had by all and Year of the Beard properly shut down the bar.

I don’t think such an incredible night would have been even remotely possible if it weren’t for the extreme generosity of my boss and friend, Glenn Frates. So Glenn, if you are reading, I just want to thank you again for all the work, time and support you have given over the last few weeks to help make yesterday a reality. Although your beard is probably gone by the time I am writing this, Year of the Beard won’t soon forget all your help. Thank you so much.

I also want to thank everyone who donated a prize for the raffle. It was a huge success and although the night in general was a fun, great time, I don’t think we would have raised nearly as much money if we didn’t have the 20+ amazing prizes that we had. Again, to those people who helped out by donating a prize, I really appreciate it.

I want to give one more thank you to my parents, who organized the whole raffle. When the idea for yesterday came up, we initially thought we would just rent out a bar and have a bucket or something available where people could drop some donations. My parents instantly approached me and said, “You want to raise some money? We’re doing a raffle!” From getting donated prizes to making sure it ran smoothly last night, my mom and dad (and their wonderful friends!) were responsible for the most exciting part of the evening. So thank you so much mom, dad, and their close friends Jan, Mickey, Bob and Linda. 

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… “How much did this Year of the Beard fundraiser actually raise?” The grand total of what we raised, from donations and raffle tickets is…

One thousand, four hundred, and twelve dollars!

This is absolutely amazing and I’m completely overwhelmed. When I started this whole I thing my personal goal was to raise $1,000 and we were able to do that and then some in one night! I am so grateful to everyone who came out and to everyone who donated, it is just so surprising and wonderful and I can’t even begin to thank everyone enough.

Thank you everyone for a fantastic night and for this incredible gift we can now give to the Domestic Violence Center.

Raffle Is At 10:30, Don’t Miss It March 4, 2009

You read that headline correctly. The raffle this weekend at the Fundraiser is at 10:30, sharp! There will be some people there who like going to bed before the crack of dawn so we’d like to get them in on this. So it’s at 10:30. Doors open at 7 so just get there on time if you plan on buying tickets for the raffle (which has some pretty awesome prizes, I might add).

But on to more beard related things. I’ve noticed this for a while, but I addressed the issue today. My neck beard has this weird pattern. On the left side of my neck it goes down and sort of swoops under my chin. In the middle it continues that flow and swoops towards the right side of my neck. The right side sort of swoops back and then up, and creeps up on my cheek. It gives the illusion that my right cheek is much more full than my left, but the reality is that the neck beard is actually just doing some sort of weird comb-over on my face.

Well today I decided I had enough of this, so I started to comb the right side of my beard straight down. My thought was if I can train it to go down, it’ll look more normal and even on both sides. However, as you may know, training takes time. So instead of the hair going up like usual, or down like I want it to, I spent the whole day with the hair on the right side of my neard sticking straight out. I kept seeing myself in reflections and thinking “Wow you look like a weirdo.” But hey, that’s life when you got a sweet neck beard.

In other awesome news, I got an email from a website today called Beard Community and they informed me that they have this thing called the Year Beard challenge. Basically if you can grow your beard for a whole year without shaving or trimming, they send you (what I imagine to be) an awesome certificate. They said they were aware of my site and if I do make it the whole year, I’ll get a certificate. As if raising money weren’t enough, now I got this. There’s no way I’m quitting.

Okay. Remember, the Fundraiser is this Saturday! Check out the “Events” page for directions to McCarthy’s Ale House in the Flats. And don’t forget, it starts at 7! Showing up on time is the new fashionably late.

Year of the Beard Flashback

Thanks to my roomie Jon for hooking me up with this awesome video.