No-shave Semester

I have a beard, and Shannon can't stand it.  Most of the time, I'll shave once a week, once every couple of weeks, because my facial hair doesn't grow very fast or thick, and I'm actually very lazy.  But always, I know my wife prefers the feel of a close shave, so I will shave for her.  Unfortunately for her, I have been cast in A Christmas Carol this semester.  For those of you that don't know, I am an MFA acting student at the University of Arkansas (this is my second year now) and whenever I'm cast in a play here, I am told I cannot change anything about my appearance without the consent of the costume designer.  In A Christmas Carol, I am playing Charles Dickens - yes, THE Charles Dickens, acclaimed English author - who narrates the entire show.  The performances are set for Dec. 4 and 5, and I asked if I could cut my hair before rehearsals began.  The answer I got was a resounding No, fully supported with pictures like this:

So, like the rest of the cast I cannot shave or cut my hair until they say so (a double whammy for Shannon who prefers my hair short, and she's right to prefer it that way).  So that said, this is October 11 and this is where I'm at:

To tell the truth, I don't remember when I shaved last.  It was probably around Shannon's birthday, Sept. 2.  So lets say this is 5 weeks in.  There will be a follow up come December to document the final product, though I doubt it will look anything like the real Dickens.  In fact, Shannon is probably right.  She thinks they're going to decide at the last minute that they wanna use a fake beard.  So all her misery would be for naught.  I feel bad, but I have to admit, the beard does make me feel a little manlier.  Oh well.  As soon as the show is over, it's all getting chopped and shaved off because (in his best Heath Ledger Joker voice) I'm a man of my word.  And her being happy is far more important than me being too lazy or proud to pick up my razor.

~Jared

PS.  Meow-meow says hi from my lap.