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Soap Forum Member Spotlight Quijote #4

Well folks my apologies on getting this weeks Member Spotlight up. With the holidays I fell behind. However I do want to introduce you all to @Quijote Don is a regular member coming from Tennessee.

1. Name, job field, age/generation:

Don, Insurance Claims Adjuster, 36, one of those in between generations. I think they called us generation Y for a while, but I don't hear people call us that anymore.

2. What’s the meaning behind your username?:
Back in college, one of my roommates gave me the nickname Don Juan Quijote. Never really asked him why, could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. But it stuck and has been shortened over the years. I think I have just gotten too lazy to type all that out.

3. When did you join B&B and why did you join us?:
My join date says that I joined in October last year, but I never actually logged in until February this year. I was originally interested in a cheaper way to shave, but as we all know, that went out the window pretty quick. I have now become focused on a better, more enjoyable shave.

4. Talk to us about your acquisition disorders:

Compared to most on here, my ADs are very mild. I only have 5 razors, 3 that I use, 1 that I let my son use without a blade (he is 5), and one that I let a friend borrow. I acquired a lot of soap when I first started, but I think I am about to PIF most of it. I have settled on a handful of makers that I will focus on. Now my biggest problem is A/S and brushes.

5. Favorite soap and why?:
This is a tough question. There are too many great ones out there. The one I reach for the most though is Stirling Naked and Smooth. It gives me great performance and I don't have to worry about it clashing with whichever aftershave I pick. It was also my first soap purchase.

6. How do you lather?:
Bowl unless I am using a shave stick. I just use a soup bowl that I got a fundraiser. It is handmade, so it has minor grooves in it where the person's fingers formed it.

7. Tallow vs. Veg vs. Glycerin:
I prefer tallow at this point. I have never used one of the premium veg soaps or any of the glycerin, so I can't give this a fair comparison.

8. 3017 or variety? If Variety have you ever used up a soap?
I do variety, but I end up only keeping a couple in the bathroom at a time due to space constraints. I have never used any up. When I first started using the better soaps/creams, I had purchased some C.O. Bigelow. I almost used it all up, but I let a friend borrow it to try to convert him and never got it back. He isn't a convert though.

9. Did B&B introduce you to anything else? Like Nib, photography, etc.?:
The nib has sucked me in. I have almost emptied my first (Pilot Varsity) and am looking at what to refill it with and also getting another that is actually designed to be refilled.

10. Favorite sub forum on B&B not named Soap?:
My favorite is a sub sub forum. The Brush Making and Restoration forum is a guilty pleasure of mine. So many pieces of fine art there.

11. Tell us a story:
I have a few stories. Most are not appropriate.

When I was living in Montana, I was a volunteer firefighter. I specialized in wild land firefighting. There was a neighboring town who had a large wooded area that had caught fire and they asked for our help to put it out. We went and helped out. We arrived in the early afternoon and fought it into the night. At one point, it was spreading to where it would enter a field and we thought this was our time to get a handle on this side of the fire. We (4 crews in wild land engines) lit a back burn to get rid of the fuel and stop it from spreading any more. I was the guy on the hose for my crew to keep it from getting past the back burn. Well, the back burn and the main fire converge right where there is a 40-50 foot pine tree that I am probably 30 feet away from. Well, the tree torches and is engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds. Immediately EVERYONE turns and runs as fast as they can the other way. Trucks drive away, and since I am holding the hose, I am running with it. Later the crew from a neighboring town asked what happened because they heard us from about half a mile away. Luckily, the tree remained standing, so it didn't break the line.

12. Soap or Cream?:
If I say cream, I am immediately kicked out of this sub forum, right? Well, as good as the single blade line from Proraso is, I will say soap.


And here is a lovely picture of Don's family, and himself of course.

20171104_145643-jpg.835601
 
Great write-up, @Quijote!! I bet you have a lot more firefighter stories to tell!! Can't image the feeling to see the truck that the hose you're holding is attached to starts driving away!!
 
Great write-up, @Quijote!! I bet you have a lot more firefighter stories to tell!! Can't image the feeling to see the truck that the hose you're holding is attached to starts driving away!!
Between fire fighting and EMS, I have a few. ;)

Thanks, Don, for letting us get a glimpse of the man behind the name. :thumbsup:
Thanks for reading.
Thanks, Don, for giving us a little insight into who you are!
My pleasure.
Thanks for the great interview. I’m really enjoying these reads. Cheers.
I am too.
 
Good to get to know you a bit better. Quite the divergent career path. Wild land fire fighting ...claims adjuster. I’m better you wear a Superman shirt under you dress shirt.
 
very interesting!
Thank you
Very nice to meet you!
Nice to meet you as well.
Good stuff. Thanks.
Thank you for reading.
Nice, thanks for sharing Don
My pleasure.
Good to get to know you a bit better. Quite the divergent career path. Wild land fire fighting ...claims adjuster. I’m better you wear a Superman shirt under you dress shirt.
Some of my friends joke that the list of jobs I have held is longer than the list of ones that I haven't.
 
@Quijote, I really enjoyed your firefighting story. This is way off topic but are you able to share your thoughts on boots? For a period of time, I was a bit interested in lineman boots. I actually don't have any but found got pretty interested in the construction of these boots and was curious if there were specific makes that you found to be superior. Some of the ones that interested me were Nicks, Wesco, and Whites. There are also a couple of Canadian makers like Viberg, which have become more of a very high end fashion boot but still handmade and very high quality.
 
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