Week Four: September 14th

Captain, whatever you are thinking, it is highly illogical....

And now for the Nimoy-inspired "Vulcan." The Trekkies among you would likely cite my ignorance and cry foul over a (facial) hairless race possessing some chin-scrub to go along with the spear-pointed sideburns. Maybe Spock never grew facial hair, but you can bet our boy Leonard N. has sported a sweet salt-and-p goatee at almost every public appearance since the conclusion of his final journey.

While my past facial hedges have received little notice and even less acclaim, this one garnered instant props. Most adults simply shook their heads and smiled wearily in the direction of my chin. My students, however, formed many different camps, all of which verged on some snarky form of hostility. "WHAT is that?" "It looks like a man on your face!" "Ew, did you shave again? It looks gross!" and many more utterances of wonder came my way throughout the week.

On the downside: I shaved this new fashion on Friday night--so excited was I to start the new look--but I ran a double-stroller-pushing 5K race on Saturday morning and finished with the spaces beneath my lower lip so chafed they had begun to bleed.

Oh, the price we pay for our chin-sprout adventures.