Less (hair) Is More

Nothing much going on with the renovation today. We decided to deep-six the cubbies that were supposed to be under the cantilevered granite peninsula because they created a seating/eating problem. They forced a big distance from the tops of your thigh (under the cubbies) to the eating surface (an inch or two above the cubbies). This would have created a situation where either your legs would have been squished by the cubbies or your food would have been in your chin. Neither would have been a good situation. Anyway, we are going to take the cubbies and make a little homework desk out of them in the family room.

BTW: Week three of the reno has its own album in picasa. The Wife has threatened to impose a complete media blackout, so the pics could stop flowing any day.

On an entirely unrelated topic: If you are a man with a receding hairline (like mine), think twice about fighting it. Someone I work with just hacked his hair back with clippers and a #1 guard. It looks much, much better.

So, here are some thoughts for guys who are having problems accepting their scalps.

The combover: Lots of guys try the combover. It starts out innocently enough. You start styling your hair that way (perhaps because you saw your mother's father and knew you'd need an excuse in another decade or two) and just by accident, the style covers up your developing lack of hair. What a coincidence. When the combover only hides a small bit of scalp, this is fine. What is small? Let's agree on the size of a roll of scotch tape as reasonable. When it's the size of a roll of masking tape, you have issues and should try something else. When it's the size of a melon, you have major issues and need counseling.

The ug's (rugs, drugs, and plugs): Any solution that requires you to spend money is probably a bad idea. Any solution that has potential side-effects or recovery time is completely crazy. Stop the madness.

the good: the bald hall of fame

the bad: Marv Albert, Gene Keady

Shaving tips:

1. You don't need to take it down to the skin like I do. Use clippers and go with the Andre Agassi look. A #1 or #2 guard can work wonders. I especially suggest this path for most melanin-deprived gents out there. When white guys shave it clean, it can look like the result of chemo, so keep that in mind.
2. Never shave in a hurry. If you do, the result will be a "lost a fight with a weed-whacker" look.
3. Shave in the spring when you can ease your way into a good head tan. In the winter, you will end up with a pasty look for a while. In the summer, you might burn.

The Day

• workout: crunches and push-ups
• music: Art Blakey, Bjork, Brian Setzer