Week Thirteen: November 16th

For those of you unfamiliar with The Tale of Despereaux--and I mean the actual book rather than the bastardized movie version (that wouldn't hold the weight of a sponge in the sea)-- you may not have heard the phrase "such the disappointment" with regularity. In the book, Despereaux's mother utters it with remarkable frequency in regards to her youngest (mouse) son. I view these photos with much the same opinion.

Though "The Ladder" was an interesting idea in theory, the translation to the chin (and camera screen) left much to be desired. There are four rungs on the ladder, though the lowest one fell below the curve of my chin and out of view; while the second rung (below my lower lip) fell victim to an aggressive shaving incident. Perhaps "Rotting," or "Rickety Ladder" would have been more appropriate.

All the same, I did have Parent-Teacher Conferences for my students this week and, though these were the first extended discussions I had with many of these folks, I did see a fair few glance toward my chin with confusion. Not that I can blame them: I too would have wondered what had happened to this strange-looking man who clearly has difficulty shaving. Did he shave in the dark or have some sort of shaken-razor syndrome? Poor fellow. Ah well, only six more months before we are free of his grasp. Then, on to better things ... like the summer!