Lunchtime Photo — Throwback Thursday

I promised you a beard, so here’s a beard. I grew this in 2002, when I was switching roles at my old company from divisional manager to VP of strategic acquisitions. I asked for a six-week vacation before I took up my new role, and I figured that was a good time to find out what I looked like with facial hair. Mine grows very slowly, so I knew it would take a while.

In the end, it all worked out poorly. The beard, as expected, looked lousy, and the new job didn’t fit me either. After six months I left. I did a few different things over the next couple of years, and then accidentally ended up in the blogging and then magazine-writing world. And all because strategic acquisitions didn’t appeal to me. It’s funny how life works sometimes.

July 8, 2002 — Irvine, California

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