The Word for the day is "Beard"

So, over the break I decided to grow a beard and mustache. Now, it should be noted that I tried to do this once before about 10 years ago and ended up with a beard of such amazing redness as to make my mother call me "Redbeard" for a month... The thing is; I don't have red hair! I have no idea why my beard decided it needed to be red, it just did.

Anyway, I figured since I was on summer vacation, I'd grow a beard.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that whatever gene made my beard red before has been damaged by cosmic rays and this new growth seems to be blond-ish brown like my head-hair with salt-and-pepper grey (Of course). It actually looks kinda nice.

So, Maia doesn't really like the beard thingie, so part of the reason I grew it during the vacation was because she was going to head back to America to visit her mom, I figured no one was going to kiss me during this time, so no one could complain! It was perfect!

I was wrong (Not about the kissing... but about the complaining...)

I go to Kyudo and Sensei takes one look at me and cracks up. Totally looses it. "Guy, that's no good!" he says, between gafaws... "The Mustache can stay... but the beard... no..."

I smile at Sensei and explain the why of it and go into practice.

Now it's a month down, and I have trimmed my beard neatly (I do not believe anymore in the bushy soupcatcher that men often wear. I like my fathers' beard; very neatly trimmed), and it actually is looking rather complimentary.

Maia comes back... and she likes it. So, I decide to keep it for a little while longer.

I go to class and Sensei starts laughing at me; "Guy," he says, "This is no good; you look like a foreigner."

Woah...

There's an interesting thing...

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As a side note; my kids love it! I run into a bunch of girls in the hallway and they start squeeling and only Junior High girls can do, saying "it's so cool!" then one suddenly says in English: "Beautiful!"

They all giggle and run off...

Ah, such simple lives they lead.

---Me.