I'm Fine; Why do you Ask?

Two weeks left until the end of the semester (three left for Ariane's School -- University of Texas San Antonio -- UTSA) so it's still a bit hectic here but overall not too bad. I've got another crashing headache right now (and seem to be getting them more and more frequently lately). Hopefully it's just stress -- it's not like I'm getting old or anything.

Heh.


This is the most recent picture of Julian I have. We were shopping for a new picture for the living room and spied this one in Wal-Mart, so I took a picture to show Ariane when we got home. About half a second before the shutter clicked he realized this would probably end up on the website; hence the crestfallen expression.

As tempted as I was to just post this picture on the website with the cryptic caption "The chemotherapy is going just fine, Thank You" Ariane (she of sounder mind and greater moral outrage) threatened to break the laptop into little pieces if I did.


So, I didn't.

For the last few months Ariane has been accusing me (and rightfully so -- she's pretty smart, that one) of cutting my hair successively shorter until I had little more than a crewcut. And honestly I did it more to get her goat than anything else -- but as the "experiment" progressed I found myself enjoying it more and more. By July or August the bald spots had expanded to the point that a comb-over was almost mandatory to make myself look somewhat presentable, and I simply refused to get a damned comb-over. I'd rather go crewcut than comb-over, so I did. I stopped carrying a comb and worrying about how my hair looked sometime in September as the hair disappeared bit by bit.

Not long after Christmas Ariane made the fateful observation "Ït's so short, you might as well just shave your head."




And I kind of like it. It's immensely cooler in the 90 degree days of South Texas. And the whole vanity factor totally disappears when you don't give a damn how you look anymore. And it has surprisingly few drawbacks:

1.) Sunburn the bald little head? Hasn't happened yet.

2.) Lack of respect? Quite the opposite. I seem to be getting more respect than ever. People respect the guy nuts enough to shave his head.

3.) Of course, with my coloring and the newly bald head and Fu-Manchu beard, I have a LOT of folks on the South side (where I work) coming up to me and start speaking Spanish -- my mastery of which leaves much yet to be desired. (I just smile a lot.)

Best Moment of the Discovery: When I walked into the Comic Book store with Julian and the owner asked if I was "Tuning Up for the New Superman Movie?" this June. (Apparently to him I looked like a Lex Luthor stunt double.)

WORST Moment of the Discovery: When my lab partner looked over at me in the middle of Microbiology Lecture (she'd been sitting right next to me for an hour) and announced "Oh Shit -- You're BALD!!!

Took the class two minutes to regain composure.

~~JD~~