My high school classmate Burl out in Hawaii posted this picture taken on a recent family trip to the Mainland, and observes:

Jeez, I need a beard trim before I’m mistaken for Santa Bin Laden.

Obviously, that’s Burl down front in the Buddha-like pose. But no, Burl, you shouldn’t worry until it looks like mine in the above photo from late 2004.

Burl’s lucky. He’s got one of those thick, yet maleable, beards that lend themselves to actual grooming and shaping. When I grow mine, I have to settle for more of a Russian dissident or Mad Monk look. Hey, we’re each the way God made us, and with me, He showed His sense of humor. Believe it or not, the beard in the photo WAS carefully trimmed. You should see what it would have looked like otherwise…

Oh, and prospective employers — this is NOT the way I look now. Now, I’m all neat and ready to go. The above photo was taken, like, on my day off years ago. I grow a fast beard…

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