Pardon our Absence

As finals leave us, spring break is upon us and both Lachrista and I will be out of town for the duration.

To apologize for our lack of updates, please accept these pictures of famous beards, who may or may not be named Bob. Enjoy!


Robert Downey Jr.
While he's better known for being clean-shaven or sporting a righteous goatee, this rare bearded photo of Downey shows some salt-and-pepper popping up.


Robert Plant
Once again, this 70s rock sex symbol was better known for being clean-shaven during his days with the legendary Led Zeppelin but in this photo as well as recently he has been sporting some chin growth.


Robert Redford
Okay, I cheated. This is only a moustache, but I certainly imagine that there was a beard to go along with that moustache at one point.


Jason Sudeikis
This one is not like the others. Jason Sudeikis is absolutely one of Audrey's favorite SNL castmembers. Sudeikis is known for being a total A-Hole (along with Kristen Wiig) and his various impersonations of Joe Biden and Glenn Beck. The best part? Jason can grow a serious beard. This photo doesn't even do his various beards justice, but for now it will have to do.


Kevin Smith AKA "Silent Bob"
Kevin Smith is not a Bob, but he plays one in the movies. Silent Bob is one of the most endearing film characters, right up there with those of Charlie Chaplin, because his actions in his films speak louder than words, but when he does speak, it's usually pretty brilliant.

Doesn't he just make you smile?

Bob Ross paints clouds

How I "met" Bob Vila

No, I've never truly met him, but this post is about my introduction to the great, Bob Vila.

My dad, who loves building things and architecture, would make me watch "This Old House." Okay, not really "make" me, but it would come on after the cartoons I would watch on PBS back in the day. I remember thinking, "God, I hate this show. What do I care about building houses?" I didn't care. And I still don't care about building houses. However, even back then, I felt an affinity for the man with a full beard and head of hair. He reminded me of my dad; I guess that's why I always liked him and thought, "This guy is alright in my book." He was always so smiley (like my dad) and he definitely knew how to build things.

Bob Vila has a fucking DOT COM now! If you feel inclined, check it out here.

New Segment

I'm introducing a new segment called "Beards we admire."

Once again, while his name isn't Bob, we can all agree that despite his hormone disorder, Conan Christopher O'Brien can grow a sweet beard.

These photos pay homage to Conan's admirable strike beard of 2007-08, but there are plenty of paparazzi photos depicting Conan's recent (and much more tragic) "unemployment" beard out there as well.

Random PBS sightings

Yesterday afternoon after I finished watching my obligatory two-hour block of WGN Mid-day news, I began channel surfing for something else to fill the silence in my room. It didn't take long before I stopped dead in my tracks. I landed on PBS and there in all his glory was Bob Ross, painting a stream of clouds on a black canvas. Suddenly, I knew it was meant to be. Clearly, this blog created some sort of explosion in the universe. What's next? Home Improvement on Nick at Night? One could only hope.

Ross' picture was magnificent as always. He calmly added some "happy bushes," scrapped some dirt onto the canvas with his trusty trowel and then painted a single Pine tree in the background.

As I watched him paint, I thought about something Lachrista said. Sure when you watch you think, "Yeah! I could totally do that!" However, as the show continues onward, you realize it's the details that Ross goes back and fills in at later points that make his paintings so much more than what they appear to be at first. It's the shadings and the lightening that bring out the details you didn't see and subsequently make it much more difficult to replicate if you are not an artist, which I am not. By the end of the show, you realize how absurd you sounded for thinking it was that easy.

Viva Bob Ross and his happy foliage!

A quote about Vila...

"Sometimes I wish I was Bob Vila." -my Dad