Month: October 2008

Happy Halloween!  Here is your illustrious host, rocking the hockey jersey and mullet for the office costume deal today.  FYI, since I’m a hockey player, it is pronounced “moo-lay”…  Although, I did have someone ask me if I was dressed up as Todd Palin… LOL.  I actually think I look quite a lot like Jaromir Jagr.  I was going to black out a few teeth and or give myself a black eye, but I just didn’t get there.

You also get to see the beard progress here.  I worked that into the costume you see, since there is a tradition in hockey called the “playoff beard“.  So, all in all, it was a fairly easy costume.  Just a little something today.  I will say, however, that this hair is getting stuck in my beard and is becoming quite annoying.  But, it is the price you pay, right?

If you would like to see the rest of the costumes from our local Boise office, you can see them here: Wirestone Boise Costumes

Also, if you would like to partake in the costumes of our Chicago office, you can do that here: Wirestone Chicago Costumes

If any more links from any more of our offices pop up, I’ll be sure to post them.

Some Fort Collins office pics.

Halloween can sure be fun.

And away we go!

The beard has thrown off the shackles of regular shavings and is progressing nicely.  Read the good cause behind it here.  As of yesterday (Monday the 13th) the captain has turned off the “please shave” light and I am now free to roam around the cabin of manliness.

If you would like to follow all 33 of my fellow Wirestoners who have embarked on the same endeavour, you can find us here, complete with photos: http://itchyface.blogspot.com/

I don’t have a “start” picture yet but there is one on the itchy face site.  Generally, I don’t shave but every 2 or three days so most of you won’t notice any change for the next few days.  Come next week, however, I could really be miserable.  Let’s see how this rolls.

Grizzly Adams, here I come!

No sooner did I get done complaining about 5-blade razors and their advertising when I receive the following notice in my inbox at work.

Be a Man 08

Yes.  That’s right.  Finally, a reason to eschew shaving for a whole 2 months.  It’s kismet, right?  I have never actually attempted to grow a beard at any time in my life… mainly because I’m facial-folliclely challenged.  I’ve always wanted to be able to have the whole Magnum PI ‘stache or maybe even the Sonny Crockett 5 o’clock shadow, but since each hair on my face has a mortal fear of all the other hairs, they only grow singularly.  Thus, instead of looking tough and cool or even manly, I look patchy.

I did mention this was for a good cause.  Well, a co-worker and buddy here in the office was in a car vs. motorcycle accident last week.  Worse than that, while he was on his motorcycle, he was hit by a drunk driving ex-con who was running from the police (and also hit a pregnant woman’s car as well).  News story here and here.  The good news is he is going to be ok.  The bad news is he is in bad shape and has a tough road ahead of him to get back.  Here is a short list of what he’s fighting right now:

Broken Scapula (shoulder)
Broken Collar Bone
Broken Mandible (jaw)
Several teeth were damaged
10 Broken Ribs and punctured lung
3 broken vertebrae  – but thank God – no spinal cord damage
Extensive abrasions and bruising

He has been in the ICU for the past 4 days and probably has a couple more.  Then the long road to recovery begins.

So, we’re growing our facial hair company wide and the entry fee goes to help Jeff get back.  How can I decline that?  In case you’re interested, here are the contest rules.  Also on the Jeff benefit front, there has been scuttlebutt around here about a benefit party with all proceeds going to his recovery.  If there is one thing the Wirestone really knows how to do, it is good parties for even better causes.  I will post the information on whatever we come up with here, so if any of you dear readers want to come out and have a drink for a good cause, you’ll know where to go.

Anyway, you’ll see some updates from this thing as we go along.  And yes, I did get Jess’s OK to embark on this adventure before I agreed to do it.

From Monday on, just refer to me as Patchy McGee.  Who knew facial hair could be so exciting?  Well, except for the well coifed gentleman in the above picture, that is.