Category: photos

Photos, usually taken by me. May be mirrored or imported from other services.

In a bit of pandemic-induced curiosity about just how far along my hair loss has gotten and how much grey might be mixed in, a few months ago I stopped doing my monthly head shave. Mid-June was the last time I shaved it all down, so I’m now at three months of growth.

Verdict so far: The Hanscom hairline holds strong, and has worked its way entirely over the top of my head, leaving just a few wispy stragglers up top. On the upside, this gives me a pretty decent Picard cut, though I certainly can’t lay claim to his gravitas, so I’m not quite the sexiest captain in Starfleet. Grey seems much more visible in my beard than on my head, though it’s definitely lighter around the temples.

Mom will be pleased to know that, while it’s still too short to really be obvious in these photos (especially in shots straight out of the shower directly after having been brushed into place), it’s still quite curly and correspondingly stubborn about which direction it wants to go. Bed head is once again a thing.

I’m not sure quite how long I’ll keep this experiment going (after a certain point, I’ll just start to get back into “creepy guy with a skullet” territory), and I’m sure I’ll go back to my usual “buzz it all off” routine when we’re allowed to be broadly social once again, but since Prairie’s the only one who sees me regularly these days, and she seems to think I’m cute however goofy my head looks, I’ll keep this going for a bit longer, at least.

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Seems the USPS had a fairly well developed plan to distribute reusable masks to US households, and was far enough along to have a press release drafted, until the White House killed it. Excerpted from this Washington Post article:

Some top administration officials even hoped to tap the mail service’s vast network — and its unrivaled ability to reach every U.S. Zip code — to help Americans obtain personal protective equipment. The idea originated out of the Department of Health and Human Services, which suggested a pack of five reusable masks be sent to every residential address in the country, with the first shipments going to the hardest-hit areas.

At the time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been working on coronavirus guidance that recommended face coverings, a reversal of its previous position, in the face of mounting evidence that people could spread the coronavirus without experiencing symptoms. The Postal Service prepared for the possibility it might be deputized in the effort, drawing up a news release touting that it was “uniquely suited” to help. The service specifically identified Orleans and Jefferson parishes in Louisiana as the first areas to receive face coverings, with deliveries shortly thereafter to King County, Wash.; Wayne County, Mich.; and New York, according to the newly unearthed document, which is labeled a draft.

Before the news release was sent, however, the White House nixed the plan, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations.’

“There was concern from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic,” one administration official said in response to the scrapped mask plan.