Into The Wild

Atom's Facial Hair Experiment
Originally uploaded by akkleis

I decided to turn my plans to attend the 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships (WBMC) in Anchorage, Alaska into a fundraiser, dubbed "Shock's Beard Quest". My goal is to raise $2k to cover transportation, lodging and any beard-related activities. Beard Team USA is busy putting the logistics together for the trip. But it's up to the individual participants to pony up the cash. Hence the need for a fundraiser. Shock's Beard Quest has it's own blog http://shocksalaskanbeardquest.blogspot.com/. All the details including how to donate are on that site. All donations will be acknowledged on the blog and at the WBMC.

The Beard Quest coinsides with the "Facial Hair Art" exhibition at Touchstone Gallery in DC July 9 - August 2. Click on the pic for details. The exhibition is a series of pics of my different facial hair. It's the collaboration with photag artist Angela Kleis that i've blogged about extensively. It's finally time for the unveiling. Is the world ready?

At Least It's an Ethos

It's been over a month since I last blogged, so lets catch you up on me. I just celebrated my 33rd birthday. I got Mario Kart Wii and a book "I'm A Lebowski, You're A Lebowski - Life, The Big Lebowski, and What Have You." A must read for fans of the movie The Big Lebowski. If you've never seen the movie please watch it at least three times. Find out what the legion of "Achievers" already know and love. Then check out LebowskiFest. Chronic and I will be in attendance for 7th Annual Fest. If you've never heard of the movie you're a fucking amateur. Go scold yourself and get a life. Mario Kart Wii is a fun game. It incorporates the Wii style of game play into the classic game. Sixteen new tracks and 16 classic tracks. It comes with the Wii wheel, a steering wheel controller. You can now choose between karts and bikes, the first time motorcycles have been a part of the Mario Kart series. Thanks to Chronic for the great gifts.

Planning for the next World Beard and Mustache Championship (WBMC) is underway. It is being held in Anchorage, Alaska on May 23, 2009. Beard Team USA (BTUSA) wants to make a strong showing at WBMC. BTUSA wants to overtake the Germans as the most dominate beard team in the world. I'd like to compete in WBMC but it's too early to tell where my life is going to be next summer.

My upper level Redskins season ticket pair were upgraded. The seats moved from the row 2nd from the top down to row 15, one section over. That puts me farther away from the 50 yard line, but closer to the field. It's worth it, especially in the upper level. The view of the field is basically the same from either section.

My dream of becoming a helicopter pilot is now one step closer to reality. Check this out: http://www.acecraftusa.com/index.html. With the GEN H-4 I'll be flying in no time. It's the world's smallest co-axial helicopter ever made! (that actually flies). It is an ultralight one-man helicopter. It's small enough to keep in my garage. My commute would become a lot more interesting.

Rock stars ask for some stupid crap. Wedgie threats and fat roadies highlight this hilarious Foo Fighters rider: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0513081foo1.html. I love the Foos. A laid back band with a great sense of humor that really rock. Speaking of rock, we saw The Black Keys at the 9:30 club. Heavy Sole.

One last thing. High gas prices have people dusting off there bikes or buying new ones. Will we see a sea change in personal transportation? I hope so.

The Mustache Is Making A Major Comeback

Atom II
Originally uploaded by akkleis

So says MSN's A-List. I'm partial to the beard, but as you can see from the picture, i've grown a mustache. I look really horrible in this picture, and the hair lip certainly doesn't help. But this mustache turned into the handlebar, so the effort was worth it. My wife would disagree. Is it spelled mustache or moustache? The A-List had a couple of interesting links. First, the Top 15 mustaches in Rock History. All in all a well compiled list. The one glaring omission is Lemmy from Motorhead (see pic that is not me). Second, the American Mustache Institute. My blog wouldn't be complete without the beard index's fraternal twin, the official AMI mustache guide. There are even rumors of an animated series based on John Oates' (the lesser half of Hall & Oates) mustache. I've finally found my calling-growing beards for the enjoyment of everyone, including myself. All is right with the world.