Gathering for Clark on Sunday

Talking to people this week it sounds like we're all coping with the loss of Clark in different ways. Some are shutting in, some heading out to bars, some pushing it out of their head. I've heard from some folks who weren't sure if it was "ok" to come on Sunday, and the answer to everyone (including you) is "yes!" Clark would want you there, Reba does want you there.

It doesn't matter if you haven't seen Clark in 10 years, or if you only talked to him a few times in the Red Room or at parties, or if you just loved seeing him bounce around on stage. If you feel moved to come look at photos and share stories and celebrate this fantastic part of our respective lives, then yes, please come on Sunday. No guilt or worries on if you should, ok? Here's the info again:

Sunday, June 21, 2009.
Fairfax Country Club - Click here for directions.
11:30am - 2pm.

Attire? I'm wearing a suit, but I think anything that's remotely semi-dressed up (shirts with buttons, pants without holes, etc) is probably all cool.

ADDED - babies and kids are a-ok. Bring 'em. And regarding attire, someone else said "casual nice," in case that clarifies things.

If you have questions, concerns or need a ride, hit me up.

-Eric

I am the Walrus (coo-coo-cachoo)

I've been shirking, in a bad way. First two weeks of the mustache-a-thon I had big dreams about daily posts, photos of my uncles with mustaches, photos of my crazy and sometimes embarrassing collegiate facial hair (Faith No Eric...anyone?). But it didn't happen. I started teaching again, started working long hours again, and voila - dreams deferred.

Here's the latest photo of the mustache. I keep thinking that I look a little Wally Walrus or Sgt. Pepper. My friends seem to think that I wouldn't make it five minutes at a leather bar without being picked up. I'll have to find out, eh?

If all goes well I should be going through some mustache transformation the next two days. Tuesday night is the final mustache check in, and it's the last time for donations, so if you haven't yet, but want to, the time is nigh: http://www.capitolletters.org/moustacheathon/ Scroll down to Eric A and you'll see me (or Taft, if the picture hasn't changed yet).

Watch this space, mustache changes on the horizon.

O Captain! My Captain!

I think we have achieved stache.

Per the suggestions / advice / ridicule of donors, I have taken the hair off the chin and stopped the mustache where there might be bare spots. (Best line: "It looks like your mustache is leaking and there are pools of hair forming on your chin!") So for now, I'll keep it to parts that have filled in, and then over time slowly grow down as it allows. Remember, if you donate, you have a say in the 'stache. Donate here, look for Eric A. : http://www.capitolletters.org/moustacheathon/

Last night at Black Cat I heard that I looked like 1) a cowboy, 2) a cop, 3) a Scandinavian sea captain, 4) distinguished. Today I heard that I look "like an authority figure...someone who could boss people around." Maybe it's time for me to change professions? Who knew a mustache could do so much?

Almost There

Day 9: Almost 1/3 of the way into the Mustache-a-thon, and this is how we're looking. I think you could safely call this a mustache, but if I was being judged on form, it's a little thin at the corners of the mouth. I think I need a few more days for length to help out the "low whisker concentration" areas (knows as LWCs, in the biz).

I haven't seen growth from others, so it's hard to say where I stand in stache status. I know that I'm a little behind on the donations / pledges this week, which means if you haven't had a chance to contribute, now's a good time.

Tomorrow is my first day back to teaching high school, and I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that no other teachers have a stache like this.

Hot Button

It's not in any of the pictures, but on that fatal day of straight-razor shaving they gave me a button that says "I mustache you a question." Pretty funny, eh? I keep forgetting to wear it and as such, all of my donations / pledges (note: thanks everyone, I had the 3rd most donations last week) have been online. I took the button out for a spin tonight, but didn't really, how do they say, work it? Lots of smiles and laughs, but nothing resembling green. I even shaved again tonight, and am starting to look more Morgan Spurlock, less Barney Rubble. I'm going to give the button a try each night this weekend in hopes that at some point I up my game.

More pics coming, after some sleep.

First Shave

Me: "Ma'am? What's the difference between the Fusion and the Fusion Power?"
CVS Lady: "The Power has a battery, the blades vibrate on your face."
Me: "Oh...I'll take the regular."

I'm going to try each of the suggested razors this month, and see what works before for me. Historically, most razors take about half of my face with the whiskers. There has to be an easier way, right?

The Fusion has FIVE blades and lay very flatly. It's like what they use to even out the dirt on the infield in baseball, but on my face. Hard to tell with the whiskers this short, but it made things mostly smooth, it didn't hurt, and I didn't bleed. No blood = success! You can see in the picture that I'm shaping into a Barney Rubble meets Hells Angel look. The feedback on this newly shaved look has boiled down to "You look weird" vs. "You look cute." Cutes, I thank you. Weirds, I'm sorry, it's all I got.

Though my niece, Erica, told my sister "He doesn't look any different. And why isn't he smiling?" Erica, you see, there are bad men in this world. We call them barbers. They have these methods of....

(note: that weird half-smile is for Erica...full smile coming when I've regained some bearded superpowers)

Donate to this madness here (look for Eric A.) http://www.capitolletters.org/moustacheathon/

Razors anyone?

I haven't bought a razor in years, any suggestions to what I can use that won't remove my face in the process? First wave of stache pictures coming tomorrow night.

So...cold...now...

It hurt more than I thought it would. Something about the Nordic beard of mine gave the barber some fits and I spent more time in the chair than everyone else. Extra hot towels, extra layers of gel, more passes with the blade, repeat. Ouch. But the real pain came with the astringent at the end - it was like dipping your face in wasabi, except the part where the wasabi wears off. I found that going outside in the cold and buying some ice cream did the trick.

Ok, I'm done mourning the beard, even if I look more Robin Gibb than Barry Gibb, more Ken Doll than Kenny Rogers. I keep grabbing my face to find an unfamiliar texture, like I borrowed someone else's face for the weekend. If that's the case, who has mine?

Two pledges came in today and we're off to the races. Remember you can pledge by the day, by the week, or just a lump sum. The first check in is Tuesday at Asylum, feel free to swing by for a drink. I'll wait til then for an update picture. Quick captions for above 1) the night before, 2) nervous and looking for help, 3) wincing, 4) trying to smile but wincing, 5) tonight. The old forest has been burned down, time for some new growth.

Beard Man Walking

3:40pm EST - beard man walking.
The beard's last super? Leftover pizza.

Here we go...

The Guillotine Cometh

Less than 20 hours until Total Beard Annihilation. I can hear the executioner walking to the guillotine to sever all signs of beard from my face. Ravens are in the trees, vultures are circling, pigeons are leaving town. You hear that it's going to rain all weekend? There's a reason.

In other news, it's a good time to pledge towards my stylish mustache to be. If you follow this link - http://www.capitolletters.org/moustacheathon - scroll down to Eric A, where there will soon be a picture of me clean-shaven. First check in is Tuesday, and I'm hoping to at least have something resembling a 10th grade "haven't learned to shave yet" stache.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the post below. Wish me luck, I'm the first shave of the day!

I Mustache You a Question

I can't really say how I got roped into this, but this Saturday I'm going to be clean shaven for the first time in, hell, I don't know, 5 years? Not shaved but with the Brad Pitt stubble, or the Dizzy Gillespie soul patch, or the under chin goatee- full on baby faced shaven.

Anyone that's seen me close to this state before knows that even with the stubble, I lose 10 years and gain 10 pounds. It's the cherubic Swedish face, what can I say? (see above: age 18, old enough to get drafted, buy cigarettes...not that I did either)

Capitol Letters Writing Center is kicking off their 2009 Mustache-a-thon this Saturday at a barber shop in Columbia Heights. About 15 guys are getting in the chair, getting a straight razor shave, and, um, harvesting a mustache (as they say). From there we're having weekly check-ins, Tuesdays at Asylum, to see how growth is going.

I guess you're wondering about the "a-thon" part, right? We're asking friends, family and strangers to pledge money towards the growth of our mustaches. How? I think it could go like this: 1) pledge X amount of money for each day that I keep the mustache (i.e. "I think you're going to look like a galoot and want to shave that thing off in no time, I'll give you a dollar for each day it stays"), 2) pledge X amount of money for each week with a mustache (i.e. "I've seen you with facial hair over the years, I just want to see the progress, here's $5 a week"), or 3) one lump sum o' cash (i.e. "Look, here's some money, grow something that would make Lemmy proud.") The money will help us hold more creative writing workshops at schools around DC, offer more after school tutoring sessions, and eventually open our own writing center.

I'll be posting update photos here, and there will be weekly update photos on the Capitol Letters site. If you'd like to sponsor, here's the online way: http://www.capitolletters.org/moustacheathon/ Or if you see me in person and want to go with cash, I can pass that along, too. Feel free to vote on preferred mustache style with your donation (Jonathan Waters? Mike Ditka? Tom Selleck? Biker? Other?)

More info soon, I'm am so getting carded for the next 30 days.