My wife noticed the missing goatee

Not a particularly good picture, but here's how it looks today

At a wedding reception last night, I found out that my wife noticed that I had shaved my chin after I joked with other people that she had not noticed the change.  When some acquaintances made comments about my mustache, she mentioned to them that I had also shaved off the goatee.

Later she asked me when I had done this, and I told her Thursday morning.  She said that liked the goatee, preferred my old mustache, but that the hairs were not bothering her as much when kissing.  She made no ultimatums, just these comments.

When one of our mutual acquaintances made the comment how much she really liked my mustache, I told her that my wife did not.  She said that she would have to talk to her about that.

Non Kissable Mustache

Kissing my wife has become an issue of late.

As I approach my five month mark, for the last couple of weeks I have noticed a lot of hairs entering my mouth while eating recently (which is not that big of deal) and also my wife has really started complaining about hairs getting in the way while kissing. As you can see from this photograph, Yes, the mustache is coming down over my lips.

Me and my non-kissable handlebar mustache

She is asking me to trim the never-trim area over the lips. I don't think that she realizes, however, that this will only increase the problem because then she would be stabbed with the sharp ends of the fresh cut. And, it would doom me to having to fight a trimmed center.

I have been using the Push-Tuck-Slide technique and I may try and see if just combing it to the sides opens up the lip area for her. I have posted to the Handlebar Club Forum asking for advice.  Should I get some that works, I will post it here.

Momma's not happy, and when Mamma's not happy, no one is happy.

I like your curls... what do you call them? ... handlebars

Barbershop visit 8-23-2013 before and after

It was time for another haircut - as you can tell by my shaggy appearance on the before side.  At the conclusion my barber asked if I would like anything done with the mustache.  I politely declined thinking that there was nothing that a man with scissors cold do to help it - on second thought, I should have asked him what he had in mind, and then declined.

"It's looking good" he said.  "I like your curls... what do you call them ... handlebars".

At home, my wife noticed my haircut.  "...but he didn't trim your mustache" she said with a disappointed look on her face.

No he didn't.

Don't let it get any longer

Is it too long?

 

At breakfast my wife said to talk to you for a moment about your mustache? I said sure.

 

"Well, don't let it get any longer than it is right now. I don't really like the way it curls up on the ends."

 

I told her that mustaches don't grow forever, that they eventually reach a terminal length unlike a beard which can get much much longer.  I told her that I was probably nearing that length (but I hope not).

English Style Handlebar

My first time in with the English style - Using Firehouse Wacky Tacky and glue stick

This morning I styled my handlebar mustache for the first time in the English Style.  This dramatic style sends the ends straight out to a narrow sharp point.

It takes length to pull of an English style and up to this point I did not have it.  Last night after taking a shower, I deliberately messed up the mustache and went to bed to see how it would look in the morning.  It did not look as scarey as I thought it would, but since it really didn't have much curl, I thought that I would give it a try.

My wife laughed as I worked at it.  She is convinced that this is a phase and evidence of a midlife crisis.  "At least it's cheaper than a red convertible" she said.

A good mustache day - a wax test - a passerby's compliment, and the brotherhood of the mustache

At the end of the day still holding

The wax test

I have completed the experiment and the Firehouse Moustache Wax (Dark) has passed the test.  The challenge was to see if it would hold the curls after a complete day of abuse without the need to reapply wax.  The abuse included a picnic lunch complete with bottled water, a Subway sandwich, a lush plum, followed by a wafflecone of peach ice cream, and a day of walking about in summer weather of a nearby tourist town before returning home. The picture above shows the mustache still kept it curls.  Keep in mind that curls are natural and the wax pretty much just keeps them bunched together.

Midlife Crisis?

I can only imagine what my wife was going through.  Her husband was turning weird.  A while back he had that strange episode where he took her tape measure and said that he was measuring his mustache.  First he started changing his appearance – growing out his mustache.  Then she found the camera case in the bathroom – her husband was doing something strange.

So she came to the conclusion that made sense:  Her husband was suffering from midlife crisis.  He was not happy and wanted to start changing things.

I Like What You Are Doing With Your Mustache - My first compliment

Hey, someone noticed the change.

A client said to me, "I like what you are doing with your mustache".  - My first compliment.

Hair Jell - Great on the Hair, Not So Much on the Mustache.

Today's shot shows me coiffed with hair jell in my hair and mustache after several hours of wear.  

Caught By My Wife - She Knows That I Have Mustache Plans

I have been caught.  My wife knows that I am going to do something with my mustache – but she does not know quite what.