Facial Hair Throwdown

There's something about the University of Michigan's March opera and mustaches. Some of you might remember that for last year's opera they made me grow a mustache. Well, one year later I'm in the same boat for Albert Herring. As I have always done in the past when I've had to have a mustache for a show, I've grown a full beard and then shaved it down for the dress rehearsals. This time I shaved it down to a goatee for one day just for fun. However, I changed the style of the goatee over the day and I couldn't decide which one I liked better, for future reference should I decide to grow another goatee. So I am asking you, dear readers, to vote on which goatee you fancy:

Goatee A is all-natural, all the hair I have on my chin. Goatee B is carved out a little bit more and a bit more shapely. If you have an opinion on which one you like better, vote on the goatee poll on the sidebar. (If you do vote, don't allow yourself to be swayed by the other variables in the pictures, like the lighting differences, glasses vs. no glasses, etc. Base your vote on the goatee alone.)

When shaving off a beard, it is always fun to do it in stages to see just how many crazy looks you can come up with. At the U of U I once shaved off a new look for every day of the week, including a lightning bolt sideburn, a hollowed out lamb chop (I just the outline around where the big sideburn had been), a big spiral, a ring around my chin, two little horn-like points coming off my chin (that thing was cool - you had to see it), and then later, the half-stache. This time I was a little more conservative, and I only came up with this hot new look:

The right side...

... the left side...

... and from below.

The name "soul patch" is already taken, and it really does look like a big dirt smudge on your jaw, so I suggest the name "dirt patch" for this particular look. Whatdaya think? (P.S. - I had a ten minute long conversation with Todd with this look and he didn't even notice.) [Editor's note: After posting this, my roommate Seth informed me that there already is a look called a "dirt patch." He suggested the name "scratch patch," which I kinda like.]

But now I'm left with just the mustache until Albert Herring is over on Sunday. If you're in Ann Arbor this weekend, I hope you come check it out and see what all the fuss is about.


P.S. - I'm putting up a second poll as well: which is the better spelling - mustache or moustache? Both are considered acceptable.