Even though the entertainment industry would have you believe otherwise, the typical professional life of a reporter does not involve clandestine meetings with anonymous sources with super-cool code names like “Deep Throat” or feverishly working to dig up new information that ends up saving the life of an innocent man on death row who is about to be executed by the state.

That’s not to say reporting does not have its share of excitement of a sort. For example, working as a reporter often means you get to participate in — or at least be a part of — some new experiences.

For example, at this particular point in time the testosterone in the editorial department is overflowing, by which I mean the writing staff happens to be all-male. In one of those collective gender-based decisions, we’ve all decided to grow beards.

Well, editor Brian McLean and FNG (freakin’ new guy) Will Livesly-O’Neill already have the beard thing going. Sports editor Neil Pierson has a goatee and what looks to be the makings of an awesome beard. What that means is intrepid photographer Lee Giles III and myself have been peer pressured — I can use that as a verb, right? — into stepping forth into the manly arena of facial hair.

Lee and I, both in our 40s, have never made a serious attempt at growing a face rug. We had our doubts. Lee was convinced he had not yet hit puberty, and I have to admit, after working with him for more than a year, I believed him. My dad was part American Indian, and I never saw him with facial hair of any kind. I’m not even sure he could have grow a decent beard if he had wanted to, so I was concerned about my ability to sprout socially acceptable chin whiskers and the like.

So far, so good — or at least not as disastrous as initially feared, although I am noticing a lot of grey in my newly grown-out facial hair. Nevertheless, we’re both forging ahead, even though we’re currently at the in-between facial hair stage where your mug itches and you resemble a homeless guy.

On Friday, I get to experience another first when I accompany students from Gig Harbor Academy to McCaw Hall to visit the Seattle Opera company. Not only will this make a fantastic story, but if all goes well, it will mark the first time I’ve ever attended (willingly) an opera. Can’t you just feel the personal growth and the broadening of my horizons?

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the experience. I just hope my “beard” doesn’t scare the children.