Rob, Rambling - A lot of things interest me...

Evidently people just don’t look at my face, as nobody (save for the girlfriend) has noticed without prompting that I shaved my beard off over the weekend. Seriously, I’ve had a goatee beard for nearly 9 months, but nobody has commented that it’s missing.

I’m starting to understand why women get pissed off at their men for not noticing a new hairstyle.

I’ve had a beard for over 7 months now, and I’ve forgotten what my chin looks like. I think I’m getting a little bored with it now, so might get rid of it in the not-too-distant future.

I’ve got some new glasses being delivered next week, so it’s probably time for a new look…

The last time I was clean-shaven was over 5 months ago. This is probably the longest I’ve ever worn a beard for, because I usually get bored of styling it and so shave it off in a huff. Admittedly, the beard has gone through a few minor changes in this time, but I’ve had facial hair throughout.

Currently, I’m rocking the goatee with a chin-strap kinda thing going on. You can see in the GPOYW I posted earlier how it fades back from the chin, but you can’t see that my sidies gradually fade down to the corner of my jaw and meet the beard there. I think it looks OK for the time being, better than a normal goatee.

I just looked back at some photos to see how long I’ve had a beard for this time round, and I barely recognise myself when clean-shaven. I reckon I look a lot better with some sort of beard on my face, as without it I look about 16. Having said that, a full beard is a bit much…

I’ve no idea how long the current beard will hang around for. I don’t mind trimming it at the moment, but it’s a little fiddly to shave the rest of my face and not make a mistake each day. I guess I’m just not yet fully committed to a long-term relationship with a beard.

EDIT: I’m not surprised that I already have posts tagged with “beard“…

I’ve started noticing this week that there are a lot of fledgling moustaches in my office. Movember is in full effect.

We had a few friends round for dinner last night, and between the eating and the Wii golfing, one of them commented on my renewed facial hair. It makes me look like Edward Norton, apparently.

Usually, that’d be no bad thing: he’s a handsome chap, quite striking and I’d be happy for that kind of comparison to be made.

Unfortunately, the Edward Norton she was referencing was his appearance in American History X, where he plays a violent, racist neo-Nazi murderer with a swastika tattooed on his chest.

Can’t win them all, I guess.

I was listening to Kevin Smith’s latest SModcast on the way to work this morning, and one of the tangents the guys went off on was concerning your facial expression when you’re getting a massage. Do you smile, look like you’re enjoying it, or maintain a stoic distance from it all?

I remembered it at lunchtime when I went for a haircut, given by a fairly pretty lady in a salon just near my office. As I was cocooned in the gown and being trimmed, I found myself staring at my reflection, realising just how serious I looked. And then it hit me that I always look like this when I’m getting my hair cut, unless I’m back home at my mate’s barbershop and we’re shooting the shit.

The thing is, I actually quite like getting my hair cut. It’s very relaxing, and it’s one of those rare moments when I don’t have to think about anything else whatsoever. Unfortunately, it seems that my drifting off face is remarkably similar to my stern, don’t fuck with me face.

So, to all of the people that have ever cut my hair over the years, and thought that I was pissed off at them, I apologise.

One slight drawback of having a beard is that I can no longer lick the lids of yoghurt pots without smearing it all over me.

I learned this through experience, rather than deduction.

You know, in just the right wrong light, the odd hair in my beard looks a little ginger.

This is highly troubling.