To Beard, or Not to Beard...

Or perhaps a better title would be "Hair Today, Gone tomorrow"

The last time I had shaved my beard or cut my hair was the beginning of October, 2011.  It was right around my birthday, and I was flying out west for a job interview.  I think many of you know how that ended up.  But that was the last time I had shaved my face.

I really don't know what spurred the decision to go unkempt for half a year.  Was it Movember to another level?  Perhaps some mild depression, and outwardly sign that I didn't care anymore.

I said it was to keep my face warm when riding outside in the winter, but really, I never did that.  Then I started using Barry-Roubaix as an excuse.  It was 17 degrees outside last year (2011) and I wanted the insulation.  That excuse help up decently until it was 90 degree the week(s) leading up to the race.

The day after the race I knew it was time.  I had known it was time for a while, but this was it.  I had people asking when I was going to cut it.  They went so far as to offer to cut it for me.  I am honestly shocked that my wonderful wife didn't chop it while I slept.  The months of trapped egg yolk and dangling foodstuff must have taken its toll.

So last Sunday, after a ride with Team Big Kahuna, the weather was nice enough to sit outsid and let the shearing begin. This is what I looked like to start:

I closed my eyes to keep the hair out.  Those gray ones are especially sharp.  Mrs. W9 got out the scissors (shears, hedgeclippers?) and began chopping off large swaths of hair.

After several minutes this is what I looked like (but maybe not quire as blurry in real life):

Then came the clippers.  After the fist swath carved from the back, my wife said "You know there is no guard on this" meaning it was gonna be short, but I already knew that.
[Note:  I either need to clean the iPhone lens, or it doesn't do well in this light.]

 Now, maybe I should have kept this look for a bit.  It has a certain appeal to it.  However, I dicided it was time to go, but maybe I could keep a goatee instead...

Hmm, maybe not.  However, if I want to dress up as a certain Mythbuster for Halloween, I think I am all set!  Keep going, lets finish it off!

And there it is.  More hair on my shoulders than George "The Animal" Steele!  Time to shower and shave, and get rid of the prickles!  The final results, in another poorly lit situation:

And the damage incurred:

And for those of you that were thinking, "Wow, that is a lot of hair.  I wonder how much it weighed" I have good news for you.  I weight myself before....

183.6 pounds

and after the cutting...

182.8 pounds

That is a solid 0.8 pounds of weight lost.  Something to keep in mind if you are on the brink of race weight, and need to drop that stubborn last pound!

I was extra careful to crop out all nipples from the photos... You're welcome!