My feelings on facial hair.

(Note: This blog post was spawned from comments on a status I posted purely in a passive-aggressive burst of inspiration. My roommate was all pissy because the shower wasn't completely clean - I had dumped the mop bucket and tried without success to rinse out the tub - yet JUST THE PREVIOUS DAY I woke up to stubble all over the counter. And before that I had cleaned the bathroom floor, which featured a corner by the tub that was covered in hair from an entirely different male region that was stuck to the floor with layers of soap scum. But that's a different subject. Anyway...)

In general: I'm not a fan of facial hair. I prefer clean-shaven guys. However, this is a generalization, and like all generalizations, there are exceptions to the rule.

Some guys just look better with a little stubble. Others are suited best by a full, glorious beard. However, I draw a firm line at the people I see every day around town who grow their beards out to a foot or more and then let them get all matted and scraggly. Some of them may be homeless. Some of them are not.

I've also had the experience of kissing guys both with and without stubble. I definitely prefer smooth faces. It just feels nicer. Although, I try not to think about it being "smooth as a baby's bottom" as they say. It just seems less sexy after that thought enters your mind.

As strong as my opinion is in favor of smooth-faced guys, I will admit that the rugged look deserves some credit. But in that case, you can't half-ass it. You have to be dedicated from start to finish. And don't even try it if you know it's going to be all patchy and gross looking. Uneven stubble is never attractive.

Finally, I'm just going to state that this is my personal opinion. Guys, if you want to grow your beard out and your woman is cool with it, more power to you. Just keep it looking good.

And for the love of God, wipe your damn stubble off the counter after you shave.

This post is dedicated to Evan C. Paul, a GTF at the University of Oregon School of Music, who possesses the most epic beard I've ever seen.

I need to write.

I know I could be using this time to catch up on sleep. I probably should be using this time to catch up on sleep. But I've had so much on my mind lately, and no one I can really discuss it with. So...I guess I'll just send it out into the world.

Honestly...I'm still not sure what to make of this whole becoming an aunt thing. Yes, I've had almost three weeks to process this reality. But the truth is, I'm not ready. Not only that, but it's like my entire world has been shaken up again.

My mom and stepdad were hard on me during high school. It wasn't until my junior year that I was allowed to just casually hang out with my friends, dating was out of the question (not that anyone at my high school was worth pursuing back then anyway) and we all knew the reaction if any of us ever came home knocked up or having knocked someone else up.

Fast forward a few years. My stepbrother had multiple girlfriends throughout high school, and is now living ("in sin," some would say, although I guess the fact that they're both committed and Christian makes it somehow okay...?) with his girlfriend of a couple years. My parents have gone from telling us no dating whatsoever to trying to set me up with whatever males they can remember the names of (well, not literally, but they'll ask me, "What about [insert name here]? He's a nice guy, hard worker, goes to church.")

But the thing is, I would much rather be single for the rest of my life than be forced to spend the rest of my life with some stereotypical "nice church boy." Every social experience I've EVER had via church has been a COMPLETE nightmare. I've never made lasting friends there, and I'm definitely not going to go hunting for a man there. Hell, my ex was a "nice church boy" and look where that ended up. Clearly, that particular demographic and I don't get along.

And now, my sister's knocked up. By some guy she's been dating for a couple of months. And surprisingly, my parents...are okay with it. At least that's how it seems.

It's like, everything I've ever been told, every expectation, has been blown out of the water. Completely.

And then what makes it SO MUCH BETTER is my mom, posting photos on her Facebook wall of all the happy couples in the family...oh wait, one of these things is most definitely NOT like the other.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want a guy for the sake of having an accessory that also doubles as a cuddle buddy on cold winter nights. That's one of the most horrible reasons I can think of, other than money and a few other things, to be with someone. I will be single until I reach the ends of the earth. But I'm tired of the side-by-side comparisons with me and my siblings. It's like saying, "Look who's doing it right. And then look who's FAAAAAAILING."

And most of all, I'm tired of the double standards.

Guess who just sold a book on Amazon.

And guess whether said book is currently in a convenient place for me to grab it and put it in my backpack to await mailing tomorrow.

The book has been listed since June. For A MONTH AND A HALF it sat in various piles around my old bedroom. Easy to trip over, but also easy to extract the one book I needed at any given time.

Instead, it sold today, when all of my books are currently in boxes at the bottom of a pile of boxes in the living room. Next to the wall, i.e., the least convenient place they could possibly be.

Oh well…at least it’s money.