Why should I shave?

Lately when I wake up in the morning I have less than zero interest in shaving. I am not sure if this is because I don't get much sleep with all the hours I am working, if I just don't think about it or if I am at the point where I honestly don't care what I look like. This is a question I started asking myself on Saturday.

We had an 11 a.m. football game so naturally I had to be up by 7 a.m. I had worked the night before until 10 p.m., extending my 12 hour day streak. If this continues my streak will be way more impressive than Cal Ripken's. How many hours a day did he have to work, 5-6? Anyways on Saturday it was 7 a.m. and I was out of it, seeing things about as clearly as if Iwas running full speed through a pitch black night in the middle of a rain forest. I had gone several days without shaving because for a lack of a better reason I didn't want to take the time. My face was no longer like a babies bottom and more like sand paper. What I should have said to myself was "I should shave since it is gameday" but instead I said "Who gives a crap? Nobody will say anything anyway."

My real time voice was correct because I didn't shave and nobody said a word. About 10 minutes before kickoff I happened to see the end of College Gameday and the guest picker was Brian Wilson. He is not only one of funniest men I have ever seen but also has a really great beard. Seeing him got my thoughts way off track of college football and I started to think about what might happen if I just stopped shaving for good.

I have never really been able to grow great facial hair. The hair on my neck and side burns grow really well but my mustache comes in blonde and the rest brown. I also can't grow any hair beneath the corners of my lower lip either so a full beard is out of the question. But since I didn't really care what I looked like Saturday, maybe I won't care what I look like the rest of the year or even the rest of next year.

In fact I might decide to let myself go. It is for instance the time of year when swimmers don't shave their legs because they want slower times now than in March. It is also starting to get colder so men like to grow facial hair to keep themselves warm and go hunting (facial hair and beer are necessary to shoot animals is what I have learned). I know my beard would not be considered one of the greatest facial hairs in history (see below for my top 10) but I do think I might just it go.

Ben's Top 10 Facial Hair
1. My dad - had a beard ever since I have been alive and would look strange without one

2. William Lee Golden - Oak Ridge Boys singer with deep voice who is similar to ZZ Top

3. ZZ Top - the longer the better

4. Brian Wilson - comedy and a beard is a win-win combination

5. Every single person who entered and tried to win the World Beard and Mustache Championship
http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/
6. Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazard - all white and full of wisdom

7. Sean Connery - the best James Bond and a great beard

8. Zach Galifianakis - see reason for Brian Wilson

9. Rollie Fingers - played for the Oakland A's

10. Ian McKellen - Lord of the Rings white wizzard

Honorable Mention:
Abraham Lincoln - famous beard but not one of my top 10 although he kind of counts in the civil war
Sam Elliott - from the movie Tombstone which had a lot of great mustaches
Hulk Hogan - great mustache and loved him growing up
Alexi Lalas - would have made the top 10 if he wasn't a soccer player
Conan O'Brien - he shaved it for awhile so lost points
Chuck Norris: Walker Texas Ranger

Not sure how I got to the list but it may have saved this blog topic.