Discussion of Some Comments

 

I thought today I would focus on a few recent comments I received:

My friend, Anvilcloud, asked me:

"Do you treat your beard in any way?"

Anvilcloud has been (like I also did) allowing his beard and mustache grow out more robustly than the usual length he wore.  I started my own "bigger" beard/mustache adventure a few years ago now, and have found it very pleasant.  Anvilcloud has decided to try it a few months ago.  Here are some of my thoughts:

1.  A “big beard/mustache” is even easier!  I no longer occasionally shave a border on my neck, for instance.  Perhaps once a month I will take electronic clippers and gently smooth out the rough edges of my beard to keep it in neater shape, but that is it.  It has become very dense and full, and I have an almost "mountain man" sort of visage, albeit neater.  Actually, in many ways, since I tend to dress for my work at the U in tweeds, khakis, and various hats, and also wear lab coats quite a bit in my lab and lab courses.... I think I tend to look a bit more like the stereotypical 1800s fellows from various Jules Verne novels. 

2.   I have gotten a helluva lot of complements about my beard/mustache since I have grown it out. I have worn a beard and mustache continuously since I was 19, but I had always kept it short (usually in the neighborhood of 1/2 - 1 inch in length).  But, I can say that in the roughly almost three years since I started to let it grow out fully, I have gotten more positive complements, more accolades, and more notice in this length of time that I ever did in total in the decades before growing it out.  I find it very bemusing about the many comments I receive from students.  I have gotten a lot of comments from the workers at the coffee houses I frequent, and I have even been stopped randomly by folks in the grocery store.  It is surprising and interesting.... and I have to say I enjoy the positive comments.  Since Covid hit, and I am wearing a mask, the complements have gone down, but they still occasionally happen.  For instance, I was getting a few items (bagels at Tim Horton's) through a drive-through window the other day, and because I was in the car, I was not wearing a mask to go to the drive-through window.  The young fellow at the window who was taking my money commented on how I had a "...really great beard" and then he also proceeded to call over his girlfriend who was working there too, and she also said it was really "great".  In some ways this attention is a bit embarrassing, but it is also a lot of fun.   

So, back to Anvilcloud's question:  Do I treat my beard in any way?  

Basic answer..... no.  

Caveat answer..... I have over the time period where I have let my beard/mustache grow out.... received on a few occasions from my wife and my kids, special "beard oils", and various "beard treatments" and "beard paraphernalia" ("special" combs, etc).  I have gamely given each of them a try or two.... but have never took to any of them long term.  It is my opinion that "beard oils" are basically oily cologne.  My beard is very wiry and curly.  These beard oils do nothing for me other than perhaps give a slight scent. The special "beard treatments" (usually a special shampoo of some sort) seem to do nothing as well.  But.... then again, remember, I am a penny-pinching sort of fellow, and I will tell you a secret that even my wife finds odd:

I have only used bar soap when I shower ever since I started college back when I was a young lad.  Currently, I use "Irish Spring," and it is not only my bath soap for my body, it is my hair's "shampoo" and the special "treatment" I use to wash my beard and mustache as well.  I think I have used "Irish Spring" for at least 25 years or so, give or take a few bars of "Zest"  interspersed when my wife found a good sale. Before that, the soap I used was some other brand.  I think I was using "Dial".... it was an orange colored bar of soap anyhow.   

So, in the real, day-to-day life, I really do nothing to treat my beard in any way.  I think for me, the very wiry, curly texture is beneficial for me in terms of growing it out.  My beard never gets the droopy look that can sometimes happen if you have perfectly straight beard hair.  Because of my wiry texture, it just grows "bigger" in all directions.  It typically defies gravity and strong wind to boot. :)  

If I would have known/understood how much easier (and apparently "better") my beard/mustache would be if I let it grow out, I would have done so a helluva long time ago. 

* * * * *

Pat (unfortunately, no know blog to link to) also asked me a question:

"Could you delegate to a good graduate student or two some significant part of the chore of grading undergraduate exams?"     

 Well.... yes and no.  It really depends:

*ALL* of my graduate students are CURRENTLY science research students.  And, really, their major emphasis with me is to learn how to practice science.... learn to write papers and grants, learn to conduct quality research, etc.  While some other profs feel it is "ok" to have their research students do a lot of "grunt" work like grading things they should do themselves, I tend to feel that it is in my student's best interest to stay as sharply focused as possible on learning to be a scientist.  

However, sometimes I will have a graduate student or two who are science education students.  When I have these types of graduate students, I do have them work *with me* on grading and grading techniques... even though sometimes it is more work than benefit for me.  Because these students are working on their advanced science education degrees, having them explore different methods of grading is a reasonably good fit.  I do tend to work with them more, however, on developing their pedagogy and depth of knowledge.  

At the moment, at my U, there are not many science education graduate students.  In fact, I actually believe there may not be any at the moment.  The science education graduate students were always a much, much smaller number compared to the science research students.  The last time I had a science education graduate student, was, I think.... back in 2016-2018.  

But, onto a bigger picture answer to your question..... ultimately, I was not really particularly peeved about the grading itself.  I have grown very accustomed to that over the decades.  What was tweaking my mood towards the negative was a) that it was electronic grading which is perhaps a logarithmic level more tedious than normal grading, b) and that I did not have the option to experience the extremely pleasant, extremely desired ritual of at the end of the massive grading session.... of having a few drinks and a few pipes with my father-in-law.  That was truthfully what I was so adamantly kvetching about.  

I had this deeply ingrained, wonderful pattern, wonderful grading ritual for DECADES.  It was something I truly felt grounded by.  It was so wonderful, and now it is just gone.  

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