Lost Cause?

My dearest family and friends,

In a time honored Berkeley MBA tradition, I have once again been taking part in No Shave November. We raise money for some terrific causes, including Special Olympics and Reading Partners. And so, I've been skipping my morning shave for nearly a month now, leaving me with the magnificent beard you see below.

The normal practice is to lose the beard once the month is over and revert back to a proper state of clean shaven-ness. But I've started getting more and more compliments on it lately. People tell me that it makes me look like a manly man, like a lumberjack, or at least like the kind of man who likes to chop firewood for fun.

A few people have commented that I'm starting to resemble Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones.

Personally, I think it shares more of a resemblance to Charlton Heston a la Ben Hur

Except for the days when I look like a crazy person.

In any case, it has now crossed my mind that maybe I will keep this thing. Seriously. I know that I would almost certainly look much better clean shaven but it's still very tempting and I just can't help myself.

By now you are probably convinced that I am entirely delusional, that I've completely lost the plot. Surely he must have more sense than this, I can hear you thinking. Perhaps, perhaps not. Fortunately for you, there is way for you to stop this madness.

You see, the reason I even have the option to bail on the shaving part of this is because I haven't actually raised any money yet (horrible, I know). So, technically, I'm not actually at all beholden to the rules of No Shave November. But if you good people were to donate money to this fine cause on our campaign page (https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/c4c-noshave-november-blue), I wouldn't really have any say in the matter.

So here is your chance to save me from myself. Make a donation, even just $10 or $20, and add "that Peter is going to shave that ridiculous beard" to the list of things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving. If that's not enough, you can also add "thankful for the good work these organizations are doing" and "thankful that charitable donations are tax write-offs" (we're doing this through Challenge 4 Charity, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) to that list while you're at it.

Thank you all in advance for your generosity and support.

Love,
Peter

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Week Forty-Five: A Splash of Fall

I love Fall. It is hands down my favorite season of the year.

Fall is when soccer starts back up. In Ann Arbor, it is college football season.

Fall is sweater weather. It is raking leaf piles and jumping in them.

Fall is soothingly overcast days with a gentle breeze. It is that perfect degree of cool that opens your eyes and makes your mind sharp, but also feel warm and fuzzy when you go inside.

Fall is apple cider and powdered donuts. It is big roasts and pumpkin pie.

Fall is when the leaves change color.
Even in California, even if only a little bit.