Two thousand six was the year I took stock of my not-so-flowing locks and dispensed with them. I made the move right before Thanksgiving, surprising most of my relatives and friends with a totally bald head.

“So, what happened to your hair, Mark?” my neighbors would call. “You lose a bet?”

I chuckled along with everyone else. I looked so different that people who have known me for years would basically trip over me before recognizing me. Still, I decided the bald-with-goatee look wasn’t for me. Now the goatee is gone and the hair is staying short, but not shaved.

I think its a good look. I don’t know if I’ll keep it, but my hair isn’t getting any thicker nowadays. Time will tell.