Close Shave

This past week, I dyed.
I dyed one pair of shoes and a shirt, to be more precise.
As far as why I am engaged is such activities...

First, understand that I'm going with my sister to "Fan Expo 2008" in Toronto in a few weeks (a belated birthday present to my sister, if I should need an excuse to go to a comics/sci-fi/anime convention...)

Second, understand that such events include things like costume balls/masquerades/cosplay competitions. Since this is the only "con" I'm ever likely to attend, I decided to go all the way and prepare a costume.

The choice of character came down to two obvious candidates: The Prisoner and Gendo Ikari.
Ikari's costume required more work, so I went with "#6."

While I don't need to do much sewing for this costume (just the white piping around the edge of the jacket) the acquisition of a pair of blue boat shoes and a red-ish navy-ish turtleneck was required. I found white shoes and a red turtleneck, and decided to split the difference with some extra-dark blue dye.

I don't have any pictures yet (my camera's still at Killam...) but I'm quite pleased with the results. The shirt isn't as blue as I'd hoped, but it's close enough for a costume. All the colours on '60s TV shows are fake anyway.

While some men, less secure in their masculinity, might feels slightly unsettled when engaging in such activities as sewing or dyeing shoes to match a specific complimentary colour, I have an ace up my sleeve: I do, after all, have a beard.
When you've got an inch of hair growing out your chin, nothing short of driving a Mazda Miata will shake your sense of machismo.

Unfortunately, this costumed role requires me to shave said beard.
I'm still not sure what to do about that.

Episode 5 features a mustachioed #6; I think that's about as far as I'll be able to go. I shaved the chin last night, and so far my testicular fortitude doesn't seem to have changed.
I do look something like a musketeer, though... Not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

On the plus side, I'm actually putting my shaving equipment to use again. It's a bit of a farce, shaving four square inches of your face with a hair-splitting-and-mirror-polished straight razor. I'd almost forgotten how much trouble it was to get that spot under my chin, though...