Grin And Bear It

You Can't Go Back

2010-11-14T10:18:00.002-05:00

I met up an old friend from high school this weekend, and I was left feeling kind of sad. Well not really sad, I'm actually not too sure how I feel about it to be honest.

We have some things in common, and other things not so much.

Don't get me wrong it was good to see my friend, we had a few laughs, it just felt a little awkward at times.

We have both changed, went off into different directions, and I think I changed a lot more than my friend.

When we last met 20 years ago, I was still in the closet, but that's not the biggest thing.

My friend does a lot of drugs. While I'm not a prude and I like to "party" now and then with a little 420, I am just not into LSD or cocaine. I mean I have tried both, a lot, while I was in high school and in my twenties, but being a man in my 40's I'm find I am not interested in using these drugs anymore.

I guess I am in a place now where I neither have the time nor the desire to do "party" like that anymore.

In my opinion it is very odd that a man in his 40's still uses hard drugs on a regular basis. I don't even have a beer very often. I certainly don't engage in smoking pot regularly either. The last time I did was on a camping trip during the summer.

Now am I being a puritan or too judgmental? I don't know. It just feels wrong. My friend was so cavalier about using hard drugs and how much he likes using them. I don't really know how it is affecting his life, but I can't believe that it doesn't affect him negatively.

Another reason that I am somewhat concerned is that he is taking antidepressants and engaging in heavy drug use. From my understanding the use of the "heavy" drugs and even pot will have negative effects on his system over a period of prolonged use, and even diminish the benefits of taking antidepressants.

There was a time when I would not have a problem with anyone living this lifestyle. Now I find myself disturbed by this news.

I will neither judge him, nor offer my unsolicited opinion about his lifestyle choice. Even if he puts the question to me, I doubt that I will say anything that will result in an argument. I just don't see him that often, and we're not close like we once were.

I miss the relationship that we used to have, he used to be more energetic and well, fun. Maybe that was the pot talking, I don't know. He seems like a ghost to me now, and the idea of him engaging in heavy drug use on a regular basis makes me feel very uneasy.

So I guess I do feel sad. I really miss the friendship and laughter we once shared. He was a good friend back then, almost a brother to me. I feel like I have lost something.

Nick Frost is Hot

2010-11-10T20:05:00.002-05:00

Nick Frost in his underwear!

Do I need to say more?

It's Been Too Long

2010-10-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

What I have been doing these last couple of months....let's see....

After a couple of months, I have decided that I really don't have enough time to devote to the Ottawa Nights, so I have decided not to join that group for now.

I was also going back to school, but for financial reasons I have decided not to pursue that. It's kind of a bummer because I was accepted into the university program of my choice, I had selected all of my courses for the year, then after talking with my partner we decided it just wasn't the right thing for me to do. I didn't want to wait 5 years before I got another paycheque. I also didn't want to have a huge student loan to pay off either.

Instead, I have made a career change and in October I started a new job, new career but in the same company. So far so good. I am enjoying the change and the new challenges that come with the new job.

For fun I decided to submit some pics of myself to ALL BEAR magazine. This is a bear mag in the UK. I will be featured in a future issue. One of my pics is on the galleries page. Yay Me!

That's it for now. Sorry about the LONG pause/gap.

I've Joined The Ottawa Knights

2010-07-08T16:42:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's right, I've joined the Ottawa Knights. For those who have no idea who "The Knights" are, they are a leather & bdsm (gay/male) group here in Ottawa.

I have attended many bar knights over the last two years, and one brunch recently. Basically, I joined because I wanted to be part of the group and maybe help to change some things.

I have always been annoyed that guys in leather have to wait in line with everyone else before they can go upstairs to the Cellblock. I understand it's a legal issue with the number of people being limited to 75 or so, but come on! Give the guys in leather preference over those who are NOT IN LEATHER!! You can still keep the numbers within the limit and make it a better night for the guys who actually bothered to get into gear. OK, that's enough of my rant.

This saturday I will be shlepping cases of beer and stuff from 9:30pm-12:30am. After that I'm putting on my uncomfortable boots and leather jock and then parade around the cellblock. Of course I will be downing a dozen double gin and tonics before the bar closes.

2010-07-05T17:30:00.005-04:00

Just got back from LumBEARJack at the point. The pool heater was fixed - YEAH!!! Sadly though, there was a lack of bears.

My guess is that the bears have decided to hold out until the Bear Jamboree or Camp Bear411 this year. But who really knows.

Anyways I am going to both the Bear Jamboree and Camp Bear411 so I'll keep you posted.

Bearforce at The Point

2010-06-22T19:57:00.002-04:00

I went to Bearforce at The Point this summer. Hardly any bears, and the pool heater was busted.

This event sucked harder than the one last year.

It's a seven hour drive to get there. Where were all of the bears?

Bearforce 2010 = BearWEAK

An Evening Out

2010-04-25T09:12:00.001-04:00

We went out to dinner at our friend Eric's place in Gatineau. We had fondu, which was fun. I haven't had fondu in oh maybe 20 years. I had no idea that there was special fondu meat that you roll up and dunk. I've only ever used cut up chunks of meat. That was a first.

Our friend Brad was supposed to come over, but he passed out on a bus on the way over and had to go to the hospital. I think he hooked up with someone and bailed on the dinner (just kidding he he).

My tip for fondu. Don't stick your fingers into the searing hot broth. That's a definite fondon't.

Another GONG Party ....

2010-04-18T09:06:00.012-04:00

Yep, it's true I attended yet another GONG party; however, this time I went stag.

The party was at Ross and Joce's house in the east end. Nice place. Lot's of pictures all over the walls. Seriously floor to ceiling portraits. Kinda weird, but different strokes right?

The party was fun, the food was good and the homemade chablis from Corks was fabulous. There was even some porn, which we laughed at and critiqued.

Aside from the usual penis grabbing and inpections which are to be expected at these parties, it was a good time overall. I even got invited into the playroom. My response, sorry but I've got to go finish my wine. You fill in the blanks o.k. - LOL!

Bear Games Night

2010-04-10T13:12:00.002-04:00

Last night was the Ottawa Bear's Games Night. This event was in lieu of the usual Bowling & Baths night.

I had fun playing "Munchkin Something Or other." I can't remember the name but it is a board/role playing game loosely based on Dungeons & Dragons. My Partner Tony seemed quite bored. I could tell by the glazed look of his eyes that he'd rather be elsewhere.

The freakin game took forever to play. I think I had 3 turns in the 3 plus hours that we were there.

Thanks God Marcel brought down some rum to add to my diet Pepsi. It made for a smoother evening. I'd definitely go to another games night. Maybe we could play Eukher (sp?) ? Oh and I will bring some beer too!

After the games, some of us headed over to CP's for beers and pool. I drank a lot. There were shooters going around. I think Gary was buying rounds. Yay Gary! Oh and Happy Birthday Gary!

I met Gary's sister yesterday. Guess what? She's a whore just like Gary! I say this with love of course. Gary's sister Tammy brought along a gal-pal who's name I can't recall. She said I look like a white version of the dad from Fresh Prince. First of all the dude is black and second he's HUGE! Anyways I thought this was really funny. At the time I found him to be quite attractive so I'll take the comparison as a compliment.

Oh one last thing my PA fell apart while at the games night. Almost a disaster. I first notice when I went for a pee and the ring slipped off and went into the toilet. One of the little balls got loose and fell off somewhere. I found the ball on the counter in the games room next to the chips and dip. Someone must have picked it up. Ooopsies!

After Sugarbear Weekend

2010-04-10T12:57:00.001-04:00

Ok I did the Sugarbear event for the third year in a row. I don't know, I just wasn't really into it this year. The sugar shack was good. The food was good; however, I didn't really socialize a whole lot this year.

I didn't go to the bear fashion show and dinner party. It was too much and too long last year. I just couldn't bring myself to go.

Everything just felt kind of bland this year, I can't put my finger on it, but the engergy was low, almost draining. Kind of like the surprise party!

The surprise party that I paid $15.00 for blew chunks. I suspected it was going to be bad, but I had no idea it would suck so hard. Normally I would love a good hard suck, but in this case I wish I had taken a pass.

The "surprise party" consisted of some unknown singer getting up on stage (btw the party was upstairs at Le Stud) and belting out a few songs. As part of the surprise party package, I got a cosmo. The cosmo was good, but c'mon $15.00?

I don't know if there will be a sugarbear 7. I am not sure if I will even go. I left sugarbear 6 feeling underwhelmed and slightly depressed. Not at all what I was expecting.

Going To Sugarbear

2010-03-25T19:14:00.008-04:00

I'm going to another sugarbear weekend in Montreal. This year I'm not going to the dinner and fashion show. It sucked last year and I bailed before the fashion show started. It was held at Bain Mathieu, the same place as the dance party which also sucked.

There is no dance party posted, only a "surprise event" which I have no idea where and/or when it is. I will keep you posted.

The sugar shack is always fun. Good food, lots of hot bears, what else can I say?

Maybe I'll do the lumbearjack thing this year. Who am I kidding?

Spring is here, spring is here!

2010-03-19T11:18:00.003-04:00

Yes the snow is almost gone! I can't wait for the warmer weather.

I am excited about getting my tiny gardens ready again. What am I going to plant this year? What colours will I choose? And then there's the tiny lawn.

It looks like crap. I had planted seed last year, and it grew quite well, but then I went on vacation and it browned up. It doesn't look like it's coming back. I'm guessing that I will have to reseed and fertilize like mad all over again. Ugh. I hate grass. I would prefer to cover up my postage stamp sized lawn with interlocking brick, ooh and put out a café table and chairs; however, my condo board would most certainly not agree to this.

I am also looking forward to going to "The Lake" (Meach Lake, QC) again this year. I am going to bring a portable air mattress and float around the pond whilst catching some sun rays, and hopefully avoiding those nasty deer flies.

I've decided that SPF 4 is the best sunblock for me. I don't burn, and I actually tan. It's the only SPF factor I used last year while camping at The Point.

Ah, The Point. I love that place. Salt water pool, clothing optional. Just float and tan and relax. Oh and get the occasional grope by some hungry bear.

Ok now I'm feeling trapped. I want the SUN, the warm weather, floating in the pond, planting flowers in my garden, going to The Point ugh....I am sooo impatient.

Last Night At CP's/The Cellblock

2010-02-21T17:49:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, last night was actually a fun night at CP's. Aside from the leather/bear night confusion, it was still a good time.

Mike Tattersal (MOL 2010) and Gary Leger (MOB 2009) were busy selling raffle tickets. Needless to say I didn't get to see a whole lot of Gary cause he was so busy.

Marcel president of the Ottawa Bears was there as well as a bunch of faces that I haven't seen in awhile (yes that's you Alain!)

Bruce Richardson (former MOB and president) was there, and he quickly made a whore of himself upstairs in The Cellblock. Way to go Bruce! Ah a couple of beers and a shooter and Bruce is a horny bear. But aren't we all?

So yes a good time can be found in Ottawa. Unfortunately, you just can't predict when it will happen.

CP's And Leather Night

2010-02-20T15:23:00.000-05:00

Officially leather night was last Saturday at The Cellblock; however, tonight the Ottawa Bears and MLO 2010 Mike Tattersal are hosting something upstairs at CP's/The Cellblock.

After a confusing back and forth email game with members from The Ottawa Knights, guys from Bear411, and Mr Ottawa Bear himself, I think that there might be something going on tonight. But I am still not sure since I called CP's last night and the staff there told me that nothing was going on tonight.

Mike Lavigne of the Ottawa Knights told me there's nothing going on; however, in a later email Richard Hubley also of the Knights said yes, the Ottawa Bears are putting something on with MLO 2010.

Mr Ottawa Bear (Gary Leger) said that it is a combined leather and bear night. I am confused as to what is really going on. Oh BTW Gary is being unfairly bashed by guys because of the confusion. Gary is a nice bear - stop dumping on him already!

So I'm going tonight, probably not in my leather since the impression I am getting is that it is NOT A LEATHER NIGHT. But I will put on some bear wear (i.e. flannel, jeans, boots).

I hope tonight doesn't suck. I'll keep you posted.

Sexapalooza=SUCKS-A-PALOOZA!

2010-01-17T09:34:00.000-05:00

Last night I decided to venture out and visit the Sexapalooza convention at Landsdowne Park. It SUCKED! It was like visiting a Classixxx store, only bigger, and without any good toys.

There was some glass toys there, and I wanted one; however, they were so small they could have fit into my cock slit. Why? I'll tell you why.

The toys were all "entry level" and boring. The entire event was geared to the "straight crowd." and to the "uninitiated." If this thing was run by fags, it would have been AWESOME.

Speaking of fags, Mr Ottawa Leather (Mike Tattersal) was there, keeping busy in the "flogging" section. It was soooo lame. A fat chick and some really, REALLY old dudes flogging each other. The flogging was so gentle and passive, that I wanted to PUKE. It made me angry!!! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not into beating people senseless, but c'mon let's see some pink!!!

I WASTED $45.00 last night on SUCKS-A-PALOOZA.

Holiday Baking à la HOMO

2009-12-16T17:55:00.006-05:00

Last year I did nothing for the holidays. No baking, no tree, nothing. I'm not really Christian, although I was baptized Lutheran, I just don't practice or really believe in the whole Jesus thing. But that's a LOOONNGGG story.

This year I have decided to bake some holiday goodies, but this time I will do it over the course of a few days, rather that all at one shot. And I am baking at night in order to take advantage of the lower hydro rates.

Here's what I have done so far:

On Monday I baked some ice box cookies, and some chocolate ice box cookies and I cooked the meat and veggie part for my tortierres (meat pies).

This year I decided not to chop baking gums by hand. It is just tedious work. I used pre-chopped fruit Glace. Wonderful stuff. It contains cherry, orange peel, lemon zest, and pineapple, and it comes in red, green, yellow and orange colours (very festive and pretty). I think I paid $3.00 for a 250g container. Well worth the price, and no cutting with scissors!

On Tuesday I used the Tenderflake pie shells and the pre-made pie dough (what a surprise to find!) and the tortierre filling and baked my pies.

I have given up on making dough from scratch. I can make excellent dough, but it's just not worth the effort. The pre-made pie shells and dough are almost (extremely close) as good as my dough. For the price and effort, it's just waaay easier to purchase the pre-made stuff.

Tonight I will use the remaining pie dough and prepare the sugar filling for my tarte-au-sucre (sugar pie).

That's it. That's all. Isn't that enough?

This year I have slightly changed all of my recipes...AGAIN! What can I say I like to experiment. So far, they've all turned out for the better.

I haven't sampled anything yet. All of my baking has gone straight (no pun intended) into the basement freezer. Yay ME!!!!

Celebrity Hook-Ups

2009-12-03T18:46:00.003-05:00

We all have celebrity hook up fantasies don't we? I sure do.

My number one is Matt Rogers, sigh, Matt. He's a big, burly, football playing sexy bear, and he sings! I'm kind of like Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda. You know how she gets turned on by men who speak Italian (or Russian). I get turned on by big sexy bears who can sing. What can I say, it's just my thing.

Nick Frost is my number two, and I don't mean that he's a piece of shit. He is one sexy hot poppa bear. Is he gay? I don't know. I sure would like to believe that he is. I wonder if he can carry a tune?

Oh, I just saw a video of him flushing cake down the shitter. ROTFLMAO!

If by some chance I run into him at an airport, I think I will throw myself into him and end up with my face in his crotch. Classy move don't you think?

Modern Slang And The Urban Dictionary

2009-11-24T11:53:00.009-05:00

I will not pretend to be an authority on urban slang today. I am neither "hip" nor "with it" as you can tell by the expressions I have already used; however, I am at least familiar with a few words from the Urban Dictionary.

I have been playing this online game for a few months and I have come across some words for which I had no idea of their meaning. They included: idk, stfu, noob/newb, and a few others. Now I was familiar with "cya l8r" as I have been using that since the mid 90's. I kind of guessed what "noob" meant; however, to be absolutely sure I googled it because we all know that google provides a list of reputable sites that we can visit for up to date and accurate information. ;)

Anyhoo, (annoyed?) over a short period of time I discovered that "idk" is a short form for "I Don't Know" and "stfu" was a short form of a rather rude expression "Shut The Fuck Up." Now the word "noob" I already had an idea of its' meaning. Noob means Noobie, which is an urban word used to describe someone who is new to the game right? Wrong! The word is defined as a person who is NOT new to the game; however, no matter how hard he tries, he is terrible at it.

To my disappointment, the kids today do not use the word accurately. They throw it around as an insult rather than use it correctly. I discovered that the word "newb" is used to describe someone who is "new to the game, but may have the potential to improve." To my dismay, this word is lost on this generations' online gaming community; however, the kids have invented so many new juicy words, I just have to share them with you!

Fucktard: A contraction of "fucking retard". fucking + retard = fucktard

Blumpkin: The process of excreting fecal matter while at the same time recieving oral pleasure. The process should relieve the male individual in the excreting process as the sensual pleasure eases the anal cavity. Such acts are periodically performed under the influence of Alcohol.

Example:

Barrie saw Nick on the shitter and, in her state of drunkneness, gave nick a most excellent blumpkin. It was only after the roommate walked in, did it come to her attention that he was also shitting.

Dirty Sanchez: The term 'dirty sanchez' originated in the porn industry, particularly films involving ass-to-mouth (atm) action. It describes the (originally unintentional, i.e. blooper) act of leaving a shit moustache on a partner's face by taking your cock out of her ass and putting it in her mouth without wiping it off first. The result is that as the dick is thrust between the lips, shit is scraped off and comes to rest on her upper lip in a moustache configuration. Anyone who thinks it involves the deliberate wiping of shit with fingers on a partner's face is a know-nothing fucktard.

I have ripped these definitions word for word straight from The Urban Dictionary. My favourite being "Dirty Sanchez." I laughed so hard after reading this that I coughed up blood and I also literally pee'ed myself. I remeber saying to myself at the time, in between laughing and peeing and in the style of Captain James T. Kirk - "I...must...write...this....DOWN!" The funniest thing was the online debate about the actual meaning of this expression! I read the first several definitions and I was mildly amused whilst being somewhat disgusted all at the same time. The definition I posted here was in response to the previous attempts to define the phrase. ROTFLMAO!

Assholes Behind The Wheel

2009-10-28T17:39:00.025-04:00

What is it with drivers today? Are we more stressed out than we were a decade ago? The answer is most definitely yes. We as a society (at least in Canada) have more on our plates which adds to our virtual stress bucket. Does this mean that we have to vent our frustration on innocent people while driving? I do not think so; however, in my experience it appears that a lot of other people do not share my point of view.

Here is an example. A couple of weeks ago I was at a four way intersection. The rule of the road is that we take our turn based who has made a complete stop first. The first person has the right of way, followed by the next person to make a complete stop and so on. I guess there was some confusion because as I was making my entrance into the intersection (it was my turn) a woman in her red GM POS gingerly crept into the intersection. I guess she really needed to get somewhere fast. Apparently the rules of the road do not apply when you are in a hurry. Noticing this, and being a defensive driver I started to slow down. At this moment I thought to myself "what is this fucked up bitch doing?" As we approached each other I could see into her window, and you know what she did? You guessed it she flipped me the bird! Not only did she assume the right of way, and cut me off, but she gave me the finger! What the fuck? I was really pissed off by this ditz. I guess I was supposed to stop in the middle of the intersection, and let her weave around me. She sure taught me a lesson. Thanks bitch.

Last weekend I was involved in yet another case of road rudeness. As I signaled to pull into the parking spot, and allowing the car which was occupying that spot to exit a gentleman in a mivi-van (apparently mini-van people has special rights which supersede all others' rights) decided to race across the parking lot, and zip into the spot. Fascinating. Needless to say I was momentarily shocked. I rolled down my window, and explained to the gentleman that he had made a mistake. His response "Like hell you were ass-wipe!" I responded "wow, and you're rude too!"

Now I was in the liquor store, and who did I see? Yep you guessed it the mini-van asshole! He approached me, and I guess he decided it was a good time to give me a lecture. I politely waited for him to finish, and then I corrected him. With an extremely hostile posture and tone he told me that I was "completely wrong" "It must be nice to be right in your small, little mind" I responded. Seriously how can someone be an asshole and then chastise you for not taking his bullshit afterwords? I guess I forgot to take the doormat sign off my forehead before I left the house. Another wise sage spewed forth his vomitous teachings. Fuck you mini-van loser!

Yep people are assholes behind the wheel. Maybe not most people, but in my experience there sure seems to be a whole lot of them! So what do you do in these situations? Nothing. There is nothing that you can do. Maybe if I had special powers I could make these fucktards shit their pants or something. Yeah that would be a good power to have.

Leather & Bondage Night At The Cellblock

2009-10-12T23:46:00.010-04:00

Saturday night was the monthly leather party hosted by The Ottawa Knights. Apparently it was supposed to be "bondage knight." I saw no signs of bondage anywhere. There was a boot black upstairs, but by the time I made it up there it was all over. Anyhoo, I want to be able to go to the monthly leather nights here in Ottawa, but they are problematic.

Leather night at The Cellblock would be better if:
Those in gear/leather get to go UPSTAIRS FIRST before anyone else. Waiting in line with guys who AREN'T IN LEATHER is just WRONG!
NO WOMEN. It's leather night for the boys. ...Please... - NO WOMEN!
The barmen could make martinis. I'm just saying.

Where Did I Go?

2009-10-03T21:23:00.008-04:00

Ok it's been over 3 months since I have last posted anything. The only reason that I have is that I have been really, REALLY down and I felt like I had nothing of interest to share.

Over the summer I went to The Point three times, once for LumBEARjack, once for The Bear Jamboree and once for Boot Camp. LumBEARjack and the Bear Jamboree were a lot of fun. Boot Camp was really quiet. I suspect it was due to the bad weather - RAIN, RAIN, RAIN.

I got a decent tan this summer, but my butt is still not tanned properly. Even though I was completely nude for all of my sunbathing, I still have a noticeable tan line (or tanless butt). I guess that's it for now.

I have posted some pics from Bear Week 2009 in Provincetown MA. I love Bear Week in PTown. Tony and I plan to go every year. Next year will be our third in a row.

LumBEARjack At The Point

2009-07-09T09:30:00.001-04:00

Another bear camping event, this time it was Lumbearjack at the Point Campgrounds near Turkey Point & SImcoe Ontario. It was a last minute, let's go camping, thing. We had not put away our camping stuff from last weekend, so we just loaded the car with the Rubbermaid totes, our tent, and sleeping bags and away we went.

I absolutely love the salt water pool at The Point, and of course the men. I finally got that really sexy guy (Michael?) that works there to notice me. He wore the same outfit as he did last year, black shorts, navy blue t-shirt - the colours of a bruise; however, I couldn't hand out a fashion citation because he was so daymned HOT! Anyways, I was totally blitzed on those premaid cosmos in a bottle and other stuff, and after barking at him for about an hour he turned his attention to me, I then, using hand gestures, pointed and him and instructed him to come over to me, and (gasp) he did - how butch! Anyways, I pulled him towards me and we kissed. He is quite the good kisser.

After I sobered up I realized that I had to pick up my son because his mother was going away on a business trip - oooops! So we got up at 5:30am, and threw everything into the car and jetted back to Ottawa at light speed.

Nice weekend, but too short. We're going back to The Point for the Bear Jamboree at the end of August. That means more naked bears in the salt pool. Mmmmm Bear Soup!

Hillside Campground

2009-07-02T19:00:00.009-04:00

Last weekend we went to the Hillside Campground in Pennsylvania. It would have been a lot more fun if the weather wasn't so shitty. It pretty much rained every day, and it was cold. We did have some sunny breaks though. We forgot to pack a lot of camping stuff, such as the stove. Thank God Hillside had a decent canteen. We pretty much ate all of our meals there.

It was a weird weekend. Tony and I argued a bit. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays all died that weekend (RIP y'all). It was all kind of depressing, all of the deaths and all of the rain; however, when it was sunny there was a free

beer bust put on by the Bears Of Binghamton. I was naked and drank all of the beer that I wanted.

That's pretty much the highlight of the weekend. I think we'll go back to Hillside. Hopefully it will be warmer and sunnier cause it's no fun sitting naked by the pool when it's raining or overcast and under 20 Celcisus (that's 72 for you Farenheit buffs).

BearCity here I come?

2009-07-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

Today I sent in my application for BearCity - The Movie. I have no idea if I will even be given a chance to audition let alone a call back. They're fools if they don't pick me and I will curse the entire project with my bear-whammy.

Oh and to the talented casting agents, pick me! Pick Me!

Beard Length Progress

2009-06-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

How long has it been? A month? How long have I been growing the goatee? Who cares, well actually I care. So I haven't measured or taken the scientific route here, so I'm not sure how much my beard has actually grown.

A couple of days ago, my neighbour said to me "I can see what you had for breakfast!" so I'll take that as a "Wow is your beard ever long!" Note that I had not yet had breakfast. Anyhoo here are a couple of pix of my scruffiness.