for the first time, possibly ever, i didn't shower for one week. the exact count was one week plus eleven hours. this did not have intentional beginnings. i didn't even notice for about three days, but when i did notice i had gone three days AND didn't smell funky or look foul—all thanks to lake michigan—i thought i could try to make a run of the week.

a meaningful detail to this story is that i was not laid up in an air conditioned vacation home surfing facebook and watching cable but out doing distance rides with bella and one time with marty (20, 20, and 25 miles) and my morning tabata routines. the closest i got to stinking was when we were jet-skiing and someone was using my personal vest so i put on one of the vests that came with the rented jet-ski. i don't think it had showered EVER as it was one of the dankest things i'd ever smelled and if not for alex's high-speed antics i think i would have shed the foul garment mid-ride.

the most interesting part of the experiment for me was what happened to my hair, which was the longest it had been since high school. it built up a natural sort of 'product' that acted like a gel or mouse and kept the locks surprisingly orderly, giving my curls a medusa like quality, akin to what alex gets (evidence). in fact, maybe it is alex's shower avoidance that gives his curls their magic quality. gonna have to keep an eye on that. granted, if the experiment carried a downside, not only would neither bella or marty touch my hair, they actively and animatedly avoided coming into contact with it.

[ for those wondering, that is marty's older sister New York Suzy between bella and i ]