My beard and I have had an on-again-off-again relationship for almost 30 years. I grew my first beard when I was a freshman in college, kept it until my senior year, and since then have gone back and forth between clean-shaven and fur-faced. My wife’s theory is that I “hide” behind my beard when things aren’t going well for me, but I don’t think that would hold up to any real scrutiny. I think it’s more a case of being lazy about shaving and getting to a point after a while of just saying “Fuck it, I’ll grow a beard again!”

The beard I have right now began as one of those ubiquitous IT-guy goatees when I went back to a daily IT job last year. In fact, I started it on the trip to Ireland I took with my brothers last spring by deciding not to bring any shaving gear with me on the trip. So, in a way, it’s really George Bush’s fault, like everything else. I rocked the goatee right up until the beginning of 2008, when the combination of the cold winter weather and a total lack of motivation made me give up making any effort to shave. You can see I skipped a few haircut appointments through the winter, too. (That photo is from early March)

But all good things must come to an end, and so it’s time to scrape my face. It’s coming off this weekend. Summer is not a great time for a big woolly beard anyway, plus I’m still looking for a new job. I even saw one job ad on Craig’s List recently that specifically required applicants not to have any facial hair. I wouldn’t work for a company who made demands like that, but clean-shaven is always workplace-appropriate. Besides, my new plan is to begin a 6-months-on/6-months off routine to coincide with the seasons. Sort of a nod to hibernation, if you will.

This guy got creative with his beard and is working his way through 34 different beard styles. I don’t think I’ll be quite that variable, even with the new rotation scheme.

The online humor site Yankee Pot Roast charts the rise and fall of Fidel Castro as illustrated by his famous beard.

And Florida governor Charlie Crist seems to have developed not just a “beard” but even a sex tape just in time for his Veep bid with John McCain. But that’s a whole different subject.