Another Addition of Brain Smatterings

I had a conversation with a fellow blogger and she reminded me that I have not been blogging enough, so here is a conglomerate of things rattle around in my head...(I hope you are happy)

• HBM and Beard update: still have both, just trimmed everything even though I want it all longer and better. Just started to wax the 'stache again, even did a new run of homemade wax. Beard is now long enough that I really have to pay attention when eating food that requires no utensils or I am eating the beard too
• Frustrated with getting communication established with my daughter's school. I may be separated by distance, but that does not mean I am not active in her life. Do your job, because I am definitely going to try my best to make you do it.
• The country I am living in is going down fast, we have no strong leadership, and they are supported by people that are not awake enough to see what is happening. 
• Racism and bigotry is still alive, it is just now out of the closet once again. And I have friends that want to defend it via the 1st amendment. Maybe you people need to also look at the 5th and STFU, just saying...
• I bought a bicycle. This summer I have made a valiant effort of getting back into shape, round is a shape BTW, and have been good about getting out and exercising. I have tried running, but the knees are just not into it (too many years of officiating and long seasons of plate work), add in that I am over weight and old (once again too many years of plate work). So let me see if I remember how to ride a bike...what is that old colloquial?

'Nuff for now, until next time...

Pipes and Beards

A few months ago, a question on a page I follow on FaceBook asked why do a lot of pipe smokers have beards? There were various answers and conversations bantered about. I noticed that a good part of the members of the local pipe club I am active with, have beards or some sort of facial hair.

I have been thinking about this and decided to express my own reasoning.

A beard will pick up scents from the environment, mine does all the time, but I don't go smelling it looking for any lingering aroma from smoking my pipe (that is just weird in my opinion). In fact I wash my beard daily (sometimes more than that) so that it does not have any residual odors, aside from the fragrance of my Castile soap.

Beards are associated with manliness and I guess pipe smoking is too. So I guess smoking a pipe and having facial hair is an increased sign of pure manhood in some odd equation. But again, I do not have or do either to be more of a man.

Beards and pipes are on a resurgence with the 'hipster' movement, but then again, I do not consider myself a 'hipster.' There is the Tolkienians (spelling?) and the wizard thing, but still not my thing. The swarthy sea captain would be the next stereotype, maybe an distant imagine for me, but I don't own a boat (but it is in my Irish roots).

I guess the reasoning that fits closest to me would be the intellectual (psuedo or not) connection. You know, the bearded professor type that smokes a pipe. When asked a question, it is relaxing to take a sip from the pipe, clench it in your teeth, and lightly stroke the beard before answering. Usually nothing profound because I am not that good, but at least I can pretend it is going to be a worthy thought out response.

So, why do others have a beard and enjoy a pipe at the same time? I don't know, why don't you ask them, I sure they will have an answer.

Milestones and Updates

It has been a while since I have done a milestones post, so here is a short synopsis of the stats of this blog and of course what is going on with the facial hair...

• 200+ posts, 4500+ views in 3+ years
• I recently trimmed over an inch off the beard, while I can still wax into a handlebar, I rarely do currently.

That is it for now.

Colorado-isms

So far my travels to see my daughter has truly been an adventure. So here are some things I have come across while in Colorado so far...

• This is the land of the bearded, I have much competition, not that it is a competition.
• If you think following self involved people on the sidewalk is annoying, try downtown Aspen, they are now self involved wearing and walking in ski boots. (Raise the ante because some are carrying their skis and poles and have no special awareness)
• They do not use cardinal directions or map position here, up means up in altitude and down is down in altitude. I am used to down meaning south....so you go up to Aspen even though it is located south of Glenwood Springs.
• There are many old time cigar ads still on the sides of the buildings in Aspen, but it is not a cigar friendly town.
• The people here a very friendly and the locals know everyone and their business...
• Their idea of snow removal is a lot different then back east, roads are made passable and sidewalks are not salted, traverse with caution on both.

Will post more as I come across them.

Random Thoughts Vol 17 2016 Edition

It has been a while since I just spit out the dribble that has been bouncing around in my noggin, so without further ado here it is...

• It is that time of year when students start to take practice tests for the upcoming Common Core standardized testing. I sat in classroom the other day and watched the kids conjure up their own anxiety (I am sure this is more parent driven) over the practice test, then later in the day overheard a conversation from the same group of kids about staying up late and trying time and time again to unlock the next achievement in their latest video game, after they got home from their travel sport practice...if they can compete at highly competitive levels of sports and video games, they can handle the stress of a standardized test. IMHO
• No Shave November is still going well from last year...love living bearded and of course still doing the HBM.
• Yesterday (11/16/16) I got a picture from my daughter of her sitting by the pool (hot springs) in Colorado eating dinner in her bathing suit, today (11/17/16) they getting snow.
• Finishing up a project, I am happy with the outcome, and everyone involved is excited to see this phase come to close. They are also satisfied with the end result. Good job me.

Well that is it for now....

HBM and Beard Update

About a year ago I stopped shaving to get a jump on No Shave November. It was an experiment to see if I could grow a beard along with maintaining my handlebar mustache.

At the end of the November, I decided that it was going well and I would extend it out to the end of the year. This led to winter and I opted to keep it through the frosty months, of course by now it was getting thick and St. Paddy's Day was upon us, so it stayed.

By now I was into the early signs of spring and it was going well and I didn't have the heart to shave and ruin what I had going. Before I knew it, summer was approaching and I wanted to see if it was going to be hot and bothersome in the heat of the summer. Turns out that being bearded is not that bad in the heat.

So now I am at the one year mark and like the 'stache, I have grown attached (literally) to being fur faced. Now it is how long I can tolerate and winter is coming...

{The beard has been trimmed and shaped several times, but the length is getting there, not ZZTop length, yet}

Just Like That, It Was Gone

I had (key word is 'had') what I thought was a great post in my head yesterday. But I was too busy to stop and write it down. Didn't even jot down some simple notes; let alone scribble the whole premise on a piece of scrap paper.

This morning woke up and can't remember what it was at all, not even the topic.

Maybe it never existed at all and I only think I had something to write about. But I remember doing this a number times before, a few times the thought has seeped back to me, so maybe I will get lucky and it will return. I am blaming old age and the early onset of senility.

So in the mean time here are some random brain musings, quick before I forget them...

• I found my old shaving mug with soap and boars bristle brush, trying to decide if I should pack it or not. Currently I have no use for it, as I am 'stached and bearded, but this may not last forever.
• The weather has been good so far this summer, no prolonged heat waves yet, could use some more rain for the gardens, hope it holds for when I have to travel.
• Yesterday I shopped at three different places, all three transactions ended in even dollar amounts (50.00, 11.00, and 24.00), not sure what the harbinger of that is...
• Struck the nerve of someone I respect the other day. Not sorry that I did it, sometimes something needs to be said, and based on the reaction, what I said bothers them too. I do feel cheap that I went there, but they were trying to pin me in a corner, so the animal instinct kicked in and I used it.

Well here is to that other post idea coming back to me, Cheers