Week Six: September 28th

Maybe everyone has those weeks when you are angry at everything--you are the embodiment of Anakin Skywalker's inner conflict and Harry Potter's (book five) rip-off of the same. While general rules of decorum would prevent any rational person from taking this seemingly inexplicable anger sessions out on anyone and everyone around, there are always subtle jabs you can make at the establishment.

For me, it was this look, which I called "The Middle Finger."

Flipping the bird at everything in the form of facial hair may not seem like much, but it helped me. It was one of those head-clearing, get-over-it weeks that get you past those Anakin phases, and it worked.

As a bonus, Adelai (our younger daughter) entered the bathroom as I was shaving, and I smiled at her during the blade's downstroke to the right of my mouth. Since my mouth purses at the corner during a smile, I sliced right through the pursed skin and blood cascaded down my face. The only thing to do was await the scabbing and, of course, capture it on film. Personally, I found the toughness this lent to the overall look a nod to its credibility in general.

As for comments, my father was not so sure about the little 'stache, and likened it to a certain former German dictator. All of my students were a bit puzzled, or all but one girl who told me, "Oh. No, you have GOT to get rid of that little mustache-thing." Maybe next week.