Movember 29 & 30

This will be my last entry, considering the paper gets printed today (Nov. 29).

What have I learned over the course of this adventure?

Well, first of all, I still look nearly prepubescent without a beard. I have been getting ID'd everywhere, and I'm really, really old (I have two kids for Christ sake).

Second, that 'staches aren't so bad. They can be kinda cool if done right (I'm lookin' at you Tom Selleck, keep trying John Waters).

Thirdly, I really miss my beard. My round head appreciated the lengthening it gave me.

Would I do it again? For sure, but I think I would join the vast majority of people I've seen and cheat something fierce (by not starting clean shaven). Mo 's can be fun, but when it takes you 28 days to grow a decent one, Movember is just too short.

Movember 28

In the home stretch now.

If I'm perfectly honest, I'm a little disappointed by my mo. It's only in the past day or so that I've been able to do anything great with it (curling the tips).

There is a temptation to keep on growing it, but I I've a stronger temptation to grow the beard back, so I continue to live in my house.

Movember 27

I was debating not shaving, giving the beard a head start on its way back, but decided that would be contrary to the spirit of Movember.

Instead I not only shaved, but waxed the Mo.

Much eye rolling and "seriously"'s came from the wife.

Movember 26

Someone commented the other day that my moustache had finally crossed the threshold from perv to dad.

I was shocked. I thought I crossed that line weeks ago.

Movember 25

Buy nothing day and I'm all out of moustache wax.

What is a dapper gentleman to do?

Movember 22, 23 & 24

It's getting close to the end, and I'm still undecided about what I'm going to do with the 'stache.

The beard is most deff coming back, but will I shave the mo, or let the ward grow in around it.

Decisions decisions.

Movember 21

I never realized how much I enjoy shaving until this month.

It's a rather satisfying process. I'm even impressed with the scum in the sink, and how easily it washes down the drain.

Movember 17, 18, 19 & 20

Lots of 'staches out there, but beware, many of them would be disqualified under the Movember rules.

The rules clearly stated that participants were to start Movember clean-shaven.

When I see a particularly nice moustache I'm always sure to ask "when did you start?" and the answer more often than not is "oh, I had a beard and just shaved everything but."

Cheaters!

Makes a mockery of those of us who started with bare skin, and worked our way to being dapper gentleman.

Movember 16

Clean-shaven except for the 'stache.

I've been wondering about that axiom about hair only coming in darker and thicker after you shave.

Maybe this will be the best thing for my beard.

Movember 15

Moustaches everywhere. I have no idea whether people have real moustaches or if they are just celebrating Movember.

Movember 14

The moustache has become a part of me. It is no longer weird or strange.

My resolve is buoyed by F1 hotshot Jensen Button and his 'stache.

Movember 12 & 13

Spent yesterday with a fellow 'stache sporter. His soup-strainer put mine to shame, but in my defense he's been growing his for a year and a bit.

Cheater.

Can't wait till the end of the month, when this thing will be at its prime.

Movember 9, 10 & 11

Missed two days in a row.

Moustache is coming in nicely. Actually looks like something an adult would grow.

Can't wait till I can twirl the ends.

Anyone know where I can score some
Moustache wax?

Movember 8

I still catch my reflection and lament the loss of my beard. It's so easy to forget that as a beardo I stood out, and as one of the clean shaven I now blend in.

Well, almost.

Movember 7

Morning time in Winnipeg, and Movember 7 has brought with it a blanket of snow.

The moustache is taking over; I no longer think about it as something weird, and I'm not self conscious.

I've also started to notice all of the lovely 'staches around me.

Movember 5 & 6

Ack! I missed Saturday.

Full commitment yesterday. I went to a wedding with my new 'stache. Complements were lacking but once I told people why I looked like a stereotypical '70s biker their disgust morphed into slightly-less disgust.

Today I'm hoping to go to the country to be a bit of a redneck. Finally, somewhere where my bold upper-lip will be accepted and celebrated non-ironically.

Movember 4

Four days. Still have a moustache.

Trying to decide whether to start shaving the rest of the face.

Movember 3

My moustache is finally starting to come in. Thank crap.

Now I have three or four days of looking like _that kid_ from grade seven before I can show my face in public.

Movember 2

I look like a 16 year-old. My face is cold all the time. Why would anyone ever go beardless?

I miss you beard.

I'm also disturbed by how long my facial hair is taking to grow. I shaved yesterday at about 4 p.m. and I don't yet have 5:00 shadow.

Maybe I am 16?

Movember 1

Haven't been without a beard in more than a decade.

My face is furious for thrusting it into this cold bright world unprepared.

The wife has cancelled our date for later this month, stating that she only wants to be seen with an attractive person.

This is not the start I was hoping for.

Facebook-Free, day three, four & five

I'm combining day's three, four and five because

A) I forgot to post something on sunday

and

B) This thing is a whole lot less dramatic than i thought it was going to be. So far we're about 96 hours into this adventure and I really have nothing to report.

Has my life gotten better? Worse? Is it the same. I really couldn't tell you, which is perhaps the most surprising result of this whole thing.

At this point, it appears that Facebook — the place where I interacted with the majority of my friends, and spent probably an hour of each day — really had no impact on my life what so ever.

Luckily — for the sake of moving this story on — multiple sources are reporting that facebook has launched an iPad app. PCMag.com is reporting that it has moved the facebook game on, and added a new dimension to the social media site. I have to admit that the most temptation I have had came from my desire to try out this app.

Maybe Google+ will get off their butts and add a tablet app to their phone-based one.

Facebook-Free, day two

The missing of facebook I had anticipated hasn't come yet. more than 48 hours in and I'm not really feeling any desire to check on things.

Without discounting the possibility that the desire might come at some point, I have to wonder how much facebook actually mattered in my life.

Right now it's looking like the answer is "not a whole heck of a lot."

Facebook-free, day one

What is there on the Internet aside from Facebook?

After deleting my FB bookmarks I found myself staring at my computer, knowing that I wanted to do something, but no idea what. Normally at times like this I would see if my brother was on FB chat, or check some status updates. No longer.

I decided to take the dog to the park and run some errands instead. Much more productive.

Do I miss it yet? Not really. I feel kinda outta the loop in terms of what my friends kids are up to, but I'm not really too concerned, I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.

Bye Facebook

Of all the things I could have done in response to Steve Jobs' death, I never would have assumed leaving Facebook would be one of them.

It became very clear to me however, looking at my feed that Facebook had just become another source of argument in my life, so I've decided to leave it for 30 days and concentrate on twitter (@leiflarsen), Google+ and Blogger.

Gonna try daily entries about my Facebook-free life for the next 30 days, as my wife says: Morgan Spurlock style.