As you said yourself the beard does look creepy but it looks good. I Like it.
Do you need the black boxes around the text?
Love the sinister beard. I just imagine an old scientist sat just off page with his servant waxing his moustache.
Perfectly fitting.
Where is the beard going to go on the website?
I love the idea of bringing the twitter design over to your blog. Done right, I think you could have a really could idea. I'd love to see the concept more developed, keep me updated.