Hair or No Hair... Beard or No Beard?

Recently I have been looking over old pictures in my photo album and realized that I have changed quite a bit in my look.  Of course I am older but now I look totally different with facial and longer hair.  Some people don't understand why I just don't cut my hair, but there is more to the story than that.

Growing up I was always the cute kid.  Not braggin much (okay I am) but I always had a girlfriend ever since 6th grade when I kissed a girl to the song "Rock Me Amadeus" at the Jr High dance.  In 7th grade I started growing a mustache and by High School I could grow out a nice looking beard.  Although my mom made me shave at least twice a week for school.  I guess she was afraid I would get in more trouble if I looked older.

So naturally once I got to college I let it all go.  Full go-t with an afro.  I didn't care what I looked like... it was freedom.  Kinda like being on the Disney Channel all your life and finally you get a chance to be in a serious film.  I had to take advantage of it.  Of course that didn't last long as my now wife hated the look.  I ended up keeping the mustache at times but cut the hair.

A year after college I started to get really tired of wearing contacts (my eyesight was like 20/1000 or something) so I finally got lasik eye surgery done.  Within minutes I could see 20/20.  It was like freedom all over again.  Suddenly I was back into my apperance once more.. trimming up my facial hair, keeping my hair nice and later that year I caught the bug.  No not lice... but the acting bug and the transformation was complete.  No more shaggy look and hello clean cut, clean shaved 20 something year old. 

I was me again... but better because now I could actually see.  For the next 5 years I was all over Hollywood doing my thang.  But through all of the classes, auditions and acting jobs I landed I was tired of paying so much attention to my looks.  It's so true about Hollywood that it makes you superficial.  I mean everytime I went out the door I felt like I had to look my best just in case I ran into someone.  It started to weigh down on my self-esteem.  So I took a break from acting.  And guess what... back comes the facial hair.  That is also when I began to grow out my hair for the first time.  Sure it started out like a mullet, but eventually it all evened out.

So back to now... I am faced once again with whether or not to cut my hair.  Not because I really want to but a part of me misses looking cute again.  The rest of me is happy with the cool, rugged look.  I mean I actually like it... but I always get people on one side of the fence or the other.  All I know is once I cut my hair again I'm stuck.  It's too hard to grow it out again so I'd probably keep it for awhile.  Maybe I'll just compromise and clean shave twice a week and keep the long hair.  Oh decisions, decisions.