- Thread starter
- #281
Picked up some Tabac and PdP 63. Looking forward to trying both. The PdP smells very similar to the SV Felce; one of my favorites.
Dignity and the Wet shave
- Thread starter BigAlVista
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #282
Day 28: Zen & The Art of Grocery Shopping
When I was traveling cross country years ago, there were periods of time when I would go several days without seeing a single soul. When I would re-enter civilization to do something as mundane as buying groceries, I would get true joy from something as simple as finding what I needed on the shelf, or from simple courtesies, like when a cashier said "Thank you, have a nice day".
It is too easy to take for granted the things that give our life context.
I went shopping today, for the first time in four weeks. Normally, I don't enjoy buying groceries, but today, the act of driving to Trader Joe's, filling up the cart with everything ranging from dried mango to frozen mushroom tarts to fresh carnations really raised my spirits. It was great being able to take things off the shelf, lift 1/2 gallon milk jugs out of the shopping cart, and carry grocery bags from the car to the kitchen.
Each day brings me closer to being able to do the things that one might expect from a healthy 61-year old. Each time I would reach up and take something off of the shelf, I would smile at the absolute normalcy of the act. Every time I would turn my head to look for oncoming traffic, I would smile at the simple fact that I could. Each time I opened a door without the sensation of pins and needles going down my arm, I smiled at the realization that the surgery appears to have been a success.
Today's shave of the day: Day 3 with the Light Brigade
When I was traveling cross country years ago, there were periods of time when I would go several days without seeing a single soul. When I would re-enter civilization to do something as mundane as buying groceries, I would get true joy from something as simple as finding what I needed on the shelf, or from simple courtesies, like when a cashier said "Thank you, have a nice day".
It is too easy to take for granted the things that give our life context.
I went shopping today, for the first time in four weeks. Normally, I don't enjoy buying groceries, but today, the act of driving to Trader Joe's, filling up the cart with everything ranging from dried mango to frozen mushroom tarts to fresh carnations really raised my spirits. It was great being able to take things off the shelf, lift 1/2 gallon milk jugs out of the shopping cart, and carry grocery bags from the car to the kitchen.
Each day brings me closer to being able to do the things that one might expect from a healthy 61-year old. Each time I would reach up and take something off of the shelf, I would smile at the absolute normalcy of the act. Every time I would turn my head to look for oncoming traffic, I would smile at the simple fact that I could. Each time I opened a door without the sensation of pins and needles going down my arm, I smiled at the realization that the surgery appears to have been a success.
Today's shave of the day: Day 3 with the Light Brigade
| Pre-Shave | BigAlVista's Shave Butter, PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Mojito Preshave |
| Soap/Cream | PdP 63 |
| Brush | Sawdust Creations 2-band |
| Scuttle | Pereira |
| Razor | Timeless TI .95 |
| Blade | Wilkinson Sword Light Brigade (3) |
| 1st Pass Effectiveness | DFS |
| 2nd Pass Effectiveness | BBS- |
| Final Effectiveness | BBS+ |
| Quality | Clean |
| Comfort | Smooth |
| Post Shave Irritation | Too much. Over buffed. |
| Overall Efficiency | Excellent |
| Razer, Blade and Cream Observations | Great blade for the Timeless.95. The PdP scent was very close to the SV Felce, but the lather quality of the SV soap is better (slicker and more cushion) |
| Consistency with prior shave - Same setup | Very consistent almost identical to prior shave |
| Post Shave. | Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm |
| Cologne/Fragrance | Channel Allure |
| Overall Shave Experience | Another great shave with the Light Brigade |
| Comments |
I like those times...but then I'm getting kinda crusty and cantankerous. I love that word "cantankerous", rhymes with dangerous.
Do NOT mess with old people. What we may lack in physical ability we make up for with guile, cunning and EXPERIENCE.
But then I do appreciate those "simple curtsies" as well.
Courtesies...I'm an idiot.
BADABOOM!
I think those times of solitude does highlight how blessed we are and the things that we do take for granted. Go without for a while and we will see how we view those things. These days with the hustle and bustle and the constant stimuli that we experience it is very difficult to see those things. Sometimes it is good to be still and just take it in. This is one thing I like about my lunch time walks. Disconnect, watch things around me and take it all in being thankful.
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- #285
Heading out fir a 2 mile walk as I write this.
- Thread starter
- #286
Days 29 & 30: Critical Thinking & The Art Of Shaving
As an inquisitive child, if I didn't understand something, I would ask my trusted authority figures, my parents. Regardless of whether they were right or wrong, if they said something with conviction, and said it over and over, I would come to believe them. They were my people. They seemed to know what they were talking about. They cared for me.
As I got older, I learned that my parents were not infallible, and sometimes gave me bad advise. "Son, margarine is much better for you than butter! Butter will make you fat." As a 6-year old in 1968, I would spread the margarine on my toast, knowing that it was what was best. "It's not butter, it's Parkay".
By the time I graduated high school in 1980, I had watched the Vietnam War tear our country apart and knew that authority figures did not always know best. I could not take the words of those we allow to lead us as facts. I also knew about carcinogens, food dyes, poly-unsaturated fats and hydrogenated oil. Maybe my parents didn't know everything.
In college, I learned to question any and all information provided to me. Before accepting something as a fact, I learned that I should evaluate where the information came from. Was the source qualified on the matter at hand? What were the motivations of those providing the information? Might there be a hidden agenda? Did those providing the advise do their due diligence before speaking up, or, committing something to paper?
While my parents wanted what was best for me, and I trusted them, they were not experts in the food sciences, and they based their authoritative opinion on information provided by those with a huge profit incentive. My parents did not do any due diligence. As far as they were concerned, margarine tasted good and they were convinced that it was the best thing since, and for, sliced bread.
It's interesting how quickly we form beliefs, but how long and hard it is for us to dispel them.
Despite evidence to the contrary, my folks had made up their minds and had "An Opinion" about what belongs on toast. While it probably took them about a year of hearing margarine commercials over and over to come to believe that margarine was best, once they formed that belief, it was locked in. It took them 30 years to realize that maybe margarine really wasn't so great, but I still see it in their refrigerator.
A few weeks ago, I noted that a number of people in B&B used two razors during their shave - one for the first two phases and another for buffing. I posed a simple question: Why? The responses were interesting. Some people provided their rationale, some said it was a waste of time, others judged those who had provided responses, not really answering the question posed. It was a bit like watching Laura Ingraham, Joe Rogan and Rachel Maddow come to an agreement on, well, just about anything.
I'm still not sure if it makes sense to shave with two razors. I could allow myself to form a belief on the matter, but my critical thinking skills have told me it's not worth arguing over.
Today's shave of the day: Day 4 with the Light Brigade
As an inquisitive child, if I didn't understand something, I would ask my trusted authority figures, my parents. Regardless of whether they were right or wrong, if they said something with conviction, and said it over and over, I would come to believe them. They were my people. They seemed to know what they were talking about. They cared for me.
As I got older, I learned that my parents were not infallible, and sometimes gave me bad advise. "Son, margarine is much better for you than butter! Butter will make you fat." As a 6-year old in 1968, I would spread the margarine on my toast, knowing that it was what was best. "It's not butter, it's Parkay".
By the time I graduated high school in 1980, I had watched the Vietnam War tear our country apart and knew that authority figures did not always know best. I could not take the words of those we allow to lead us as facts. I also knew about carcinogens, food dyes, poly-unsaturated fats and hydrogenated oil. Maybe my parents didn't know everything.
In college, I learned to question any and all information provided to me. Before accepting something as a fact, I learned that I should evaluate where the information came from. Was the source qualified on the matter at hand? What were the motivations of those providing the information? Might there be a hidden agenda? Did those providing the advise do their due diligence before speaking up, or, committing something to paper?
While my parents wanted what was best for me, and I trusted them, they were not experts in the food sciences, and they based their authoritative opinion on information provided by those with a huge profit incentive. My parents did not do any due diligence. As far as they were concerned, margarine tasted good and they were convinced that it was the best thing since, and for, sliced bread.
It's interesting how quickly we form beliefs, but how long and hard it is for us to dispel them.
Despite evidence to the contrary, my folks had made up their minds and had "An Opinion" about what belongs on toast. While it probably took them about a year of hearing margarine commercials over and over to come to believe that margarine was best, once they formed that belief, it was locked in. It took them 30 years to realize that maybe margarine really wasn't so great, but I still see it in their refrigerator.
A few weeks ago, I noted that a number of people in B&B used two razors during their shave - one for the first two phases and another for buffing. I posed a simple question: Why? The responses were interesting. Some people provided their rationale, some said it was a waste of time, others judged those who had provided responses, not really answering the question posed. It was a bit like watching Laura Ingraham, Joe Rogan and Rachel Maddow come to an agreement on, well, just about anything.
I'm still not sure if it makes sense to shave with two razors. I could allow myself to form a belief on the matter, but my critical thinking skills have told me it's not worth arguing over.
Today's shave of the day: Day 4 with the Light Brigade
| Pre-Shave | BigAlVista's Shave Butter, PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Mojito Preshave |
| Soap/Cream | Tabac |
| Brush | ShaveMac 2-band |
| Scuttle | Pereira |
| Razor | Timeless TI .95 |
| Blade | Wilkinson Sword Light Brigade (4) |
| 1st Pass Effectiveness | CCS |
| 2nd Pass Effectiveness | DFS |
| Final Effectiveness | BBS |
| Quality | Some redness...my fault |
| Comfort | Comfortable |
| Post Shave Irritation | Too much. Over buffed, again |
| Overall Efficiency | Good |
| Razer, Blade and Cream Observations | Great blade for the Timeless .95. First time using Tabac. It provided good cushion and lubricated well, but the smell was...like generic hand soap from the dollar store. |
| Consistency with prior shave - Same setup | Similar to prior shave, but the blade is turning the corner. One more shave and I think it's probably done |
| Post Shave. | Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm |
| Cologne/Fragrance | SV 70th |
| Overall Shave Experience | Very good shave, but my neck is a bit "rare". |
| Comments |
Wow! That would be UNFRICKINBELIEVABLE! Especially since Ingraham is morally indigestible.
On the two razor aspect...I never have. If the razor is doing well on two/three passes it will end the shave perfectly well for me. The only time I have ever switched razors is if for some reason it's simply not accomplishing the job. That razor(s) have been sold, traded our simply binned.
The Daily double thread is about using a straight razor for the WTG pass and then a DE for subsequent passes or clean up. I imagine some use two DEs because ATG calls for a different type of adhesion maybe? Or because they use a smaller razor for the moustache area - like Dave @Whiterook does.
Cheers,
Guido
Cheers,
Guido
- Thread starter
- #289
Thanks, guys
- Thread starter
- #290
Day 31: Ludites of the world, Unite!
I was looking at a Lambda Athena the other day, wondering if I should try one. I have a decent collection of razors and actively use them. I typically load a blade into the razor, shave with that razor and blade combo for about 5 shaves, then take a different razor/blade combo. With this approach, It takes me about two and a half months to get through my modest collection. How many overlapping high quality tools do I need? Would the Athena displace a Ti Henson, a Timeless or a Blackbird? Is this something that my kids would want when I pass my collection down to them?
For now, I decided to pass on the Athena.
Scientists estimate that our distant ancestors learned to use fire about a million years ago. It took about 994,000 years from then for the Sumarians to discover the wheel. 5,800 years later, Richard Trevithick gave us the steam locomotive. Within 100 years of that, the Wright brothers had us flying a few feet over the ground. 58 years later, Yuri Gregarin was in space. 8 years after that, Neil Armstrong was on the moon.
The Mesopotamians developed the Abacus about 2,700 years ago. It wasn't until 2,300 years had passed until Blaise Pascal and Wilhelm Schickard invented the mechanical calculator. It took another 400 years from then for John Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert to get us ENIAC. 40 years later, we had the first commercially successful PC from IBM. 30 years later, the average Apple smart phone had more than a thousand times the processing power of that Gen. 1 PC. 10 years after that, we have Large Language Models that can pass a Turing test.
If technological advancement grows exponentially (as appears to be the case), what might removing stubble look like in a hundred years? Would we even recognize our 500-year-future-descendants? At what point might our kin log into a "personal presenation center" to configure what they wish to look like for the day? "Brown hair or blonde? Hmm. Let's go with auburn. Beard? Not today. Goatee? Yes, that's it. BBS around the goatee. Commit."
We talk about passing our kit down to our children, expecting that they will value our 1961 Fat Boy with 2014 NOS Polsilver blades. But will they? Do your kids want your parents dining room China? Do they want your grandparent's tea service or that armoire from your great aunt? While owning a Victrola may be cool, would it displace Spotify and a smartphone with ear buds? Do you have a book collection you thought you might sell? Good luck with that. How long will it be before the DE razor goes the way of the steam locomotive engine? It may be that our great grand kids won't even recognize a razor let alone want to use ours.
For now, I'm going to enjoy my hand made metal tools, animal hair brushes and tallow based soaps.
- General Lud.
Today's shave of the day: The 5th and final shave with the Light Brigade
View attachment 1825917
I was looking at a Lambda Athena the other day, wondering if I should try one. I have a decent collection of razors and actively use them. I typically load a blade into the razor, shave with that razor and blade combo for about 5 shaves, then take a different razor/blade combo. With this approach, It takes me about two and a half months to get through my modest collection. How many overlapping high quality tools do I need? Would the Athena displace a Ti Henson, a Timeless or a Blackbird? Is this something that my kids would want when I pass my collection down to them?
For now, I decided to pass on the Athena.
Scientists estimate that our distant ancestors learned to use fire about a million years ago. It took about 994,000 years from then for the Sumarians to discover the wheel. 5,800 years later, Richard Trevithick gave us the steam locomotive. Within 100 years of that, the Wright brothers had us flying a few feet over the ground. 58 years later, Yuri Gregarin was in space. 8 years after that, Neil Armstrong was on the moon.
The Mesopotamians developed the Abacus about 2,700 years ago. It wasn't until 2,300 years had passed until Blaise Pascal and Wilhelm Schickard invented the mechanical calculator. It took another 400 years from then for John Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert to get us ENIAC. 40 years later, we had the first commercially successful PC from IBM. 30 years later, the average Apple smart phone had more than a thousand times the processing power of that Gen. 1 PC. 10 years after that, we have Large Language Models that can pass a Turing test.
If technological advancement grows exponentially (as appears to be the case), what might removing stubble look like in a hundred years? Would we even recognize our 500-year-future-descendants? At what point might our kin log into a "personal presenation center" to configure what they wish to look like for the day? "Brown hair or blonde? Hmm. Let's go with auburn. Beard? Not today. Goatee? Yes, that's it. BBS around the goatee. Commit."
We talk about passing our kit down to our children, expecting that they will value our 1961 Fat Boy with 2014 NOS Polsilver blades. But will they? Do your kids want your parents dining room China? Do they want your grandparent's tea service or that armoire from your great aunt? While owning a Victrola may be cool, would it displace Spotify and a smartphone with ear buds? Do you have a book collection you thought you might sell? Good luck with that. How long will it be before the DE razor goes the way of the steam locomotive engine? It may be that our great grand kids won't even recognize a razor let alone want to use ours.
For now, I'm going to enjoy my hand made metal tools, animal hair brushes and tallow based soaps.
- General Lud.
Today's shave of the day: The 5th and final shave with the Light Brigade
View attachment 1825917
| Pre-Shave | BigAlVista's Shave Butter, PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Mojito Preshave |
| Soap/Cream | Mitchell's Woolfat |
| Brush | Simpsons Polo14 Manchurian |
| Scuttle | Pereira |
| Razor | Timeless TI .95 |
| Blade | Wilkinson Sword Light Brigade (5) |
| 1st Pass Effectiveness | CCS |
| 2nd Pass Effectiveness | BBS- |
| Final Effectiveness | Minimal buffing, so BBS- |
| Quality | Redness and a weeper. Need to take a day off shaving tomorrow. |
| Comfort | Between Tuggy and Comfortable |
| Post Shave Irritation | Too much. Skin is a bit bumpy. |
| Overall Efficiency | Good |
| Razer, Blade and Cream Observations | Great blade for the Timeless .95, though the blade was rough today. Really love Mitchell's Woolfat. Lots of cushion, foams easily and is slippery. |
| Consistency with prior shave - Same setup | Rougher than prior shave, Binning the blade. |
| Post Shave. | Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm |
| Cologne/Fragrance | Burberry Brit |
| Overall Shave Experience | Good shave, but the blade is done |
| Comments | Really enjoyed trying these six blades. Thanks to @Grundi and @AnimalCatcher for doing this! |
Flint can take and hold an edge with a narrower apex than any iron-based alloy and it existed long before humanity, so all of our razors; especially so-called safety razors; were obsolete before their invention. Plus, King Gillette, Athena, and Zeus are creepy.
Your story of parents not always being the experts reminded me of the Calvin and Hobbs strips when the dad filled Calvin with some BS. Haha.
Maybe we will be sticking our face into a machine and it just rips out all the hair on our face all at once. "BBS for two weeks" is what they will promise. "Disclaimer: You may experience a slight discomfort post hair extraction."
Probably better than being a red light special........just saying
Or even worse...A red light District special.
That is what I was eluding to........
My grandfather Jim loved the Blue Light Specials at K Mart.
He used to take me there all the time back in the '80s.
My first pharmacist job was with K-Mart in Bay City Texas. Right outside of Houston, they said, it would be great they said. Nah, it wasn't. And I learned that one shouldn't purchase Blue Light Special Jalapeno nachos. Those bad boys talked to me all night long. Haha.
My dad worked for K-Mart for several years, probably 18 total with a 3 year break in the middle. He quit getting food from the cafe when he saw them rinsing the mold off the jello and putting it back out.
He was good friends with the pharmacist at the last store he was at, though. The guy probably saved his life a couple times, or at the very least saved dad from some medical misadventures. Once by quickly recognizing a rare side effect of ibuprofen (dangerously high blood pressure) and once when dad got a staph infection from a small scratch on his wrist that was beginning to turn septic (red streak climbing up the arm).
Thanks, pharmacists.
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- #300
Nair.
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