Beards are BACK, and if you don't like it SHAVE!

Many of you have seen the massive growth of hair that is slowly accumulating on my chin. Some have chimed in with their opinions on it, and I've heard comments that are both in support and in opposition of my manly growth. Personally, I do prefer to have minimal facial hair, but as we are in the midst of winter, I feel that it is more than appropriate to have some.

Throughout the history of mankind beards have been a symbol for various attributes such as wisdom, sexual virility, or high status; and, conversely, filthiness, crudeness, or an eccentric disposition. I hope that when people see me they only think of the first few.

I was inspired by the recent resurgence of the "Man Mane" in the mainstream culture. Several films spotlight the benefits of the beard. Last year, 300 rocked the world as bearded muscle-clad Spartans battled the forces of evil. King Leonidas, their powerful leader, had one of the biggest beards in recent movie history. This character was the epitome of strength, wisdom and power. Speaking of power, and more recently in theaters, a totally different character traveled the seas to rid a troubled Danish town of a menacing monster. Beowulf's beard is much smaller, but don't let that make you think he was any less powerful than King Leo. To this day there are still tales and poems that praise Beowulf's heroism. I'm telling you beards are a sign of strength.

With that said, I must tell you that I am not growing my beard out in hopes to attain instant power. Nor am I trying to be like Beowulf or King Leo. I merely wanted to give a little background and point out the recent recognition of beards in the mainstream media.

If you must know the real reason for the beard, it is actually quite simple. I have never truly tested my beard growing capabilities, and now that the industry I work in is dealing with a writers strike, I feel like now is an opportune time to try it out. So in a way I am growing a "Strike Beard." But I must make it clear, I am not doing it in support of the writers cause, which I only partly agree with, but rather, I merely want to see how the beard progresses during the duration of the WGA strike. I'm well into my growth, been growing since Thanksgiving, but my decision was solidified when I saw Conan O'Brien do this comedy bit:

Another contribution to bringing back the beards is the fact that two of the three Late Night hosts are sporting them. You already saw Conan's, Jay Leno has yet to hop on that wagon, but David Letterman was the first of all the Late Night hosts to appear on television with the face fuzz. In fact, his bristles were the inspiration behind a list on The Best Week Ever's: 10 Most inspiring Beards of ALL-TIME. I recommend you check it out, good stuff. For some real impressive facial hair feats, I also recommend that you take a gander at this website:

World Beard Championships

Pretty impressive, huh? Don't worry, I will not let my beard reach any of those proportions. I will be sure to at very least be presentable. One thing you can bet on is that I will never look like this!