Greetings all! Allow me to introduce another fine interview, brought to you proudly by our very own WetWhiskers, aka Donald.
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Who are you?
Well, my name is Donald and the name suits me pretty well.
I'm a husband and father of a 14 y.o. girl and 10 y.o. boy.
I'm a physicist by training, engineer by profession and technical director/senior engineer by title.
I enjoy camping, hiking, ham radio, volunteering at public service events, and shaving...
Where are you located?
We're in Boulder Creek, CA deep in the Santa Cruz mountains near Big Basin State Park. Sunset magazine described the area as absurdly rural. We've got one cat, two fish, 7 chickens and a horse that is stabled at the ranch 1/2 mile down the road. We've got DSL and pizza delivery. But not much else. A 12 minute EMS response and a 20 minute sheriff response. You do the math...
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
I don't drink coffee or tea. The clucking chickens normally wake me up. The pull of the coming day's activities gets me out of bed. My brain gets in gear about half way through qigong.
How did you get in to wet shaving?
I've always wet shaved. The once or twice I tried an electric razor it didn't really do anything.
Traditional wet shaving?
NPR's Marketplace radio program had a segment on Harry's Razors, a new company creating new technology, simple design, low cost cartridges aimed at the high end market. The concept of significantly better/more fun shaving was intriguing.
That started the journey. My buddy Byron turned me on to Art of Shaving products. Very expensive, but VERY nice.
That led to more poking around on the internet, the Mantic videos and of course Badger and Blade.
You all have been a bad influence ever since.
What was it that held your interest?
The shaving ritual feels good. Having a nice smooth face feels good all day.
The shave itself demands mindful focus. That's good too.
When you sign on, what is the first page/forum you go to?
General shaving discussion, Shave clinic & newbie check in, then General Straight Razor Talk. I'll occasionally drop into After Shaves
Shave Cream & Soaps. Which do you prefer and what is your method for producing lather?
Since I'm a newbie in the first couple of months I haven't started exploring cream and soaps.
In my first two months it is Art of Shaving unscented and sandalwood shaving cream, lathered in a bowl.
What has been the best advice you’ve gotten from a member at B&B
I've absorbed so much good advice over the past months it is hard to choose. Probably the importance of good preparation. Or good lather. Or focusing on blade angle. Or mapping the beard. Or not changing things around while my technique is settling down. Or... Yeah, probably one of those... ;-)
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Pay attention to what is going on with your prep/lather/shave. Investigate and troubleshoot what seems wrong.
What prompted you to begin keeping a shave journal?
As an aspiring newbie I found reading other people's journals very informative and interesting.
As a physicist/engineer keeping a lab notebook is an integral part of my profession, so doing one is second nature. It's a way to contribute and possibly help/encourage others.
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
Daily, to keep track of shave number and number of shaves on a blade. Plus every couple weeks it's good to look back from a motivational standpoint.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
Knowing that you have to write something down is a great way to get yourself to focus extra hard when it is happening. It allows you to note things that don't seem right and helps debug them. It also allows you to look back for non-obvious trends and long term progress. Plus it helps me plan my next "moves" and serves as a reminder of things I need to do.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
Yes. I keep track of my daily medical measurements (blood pressure, etc), a journal of my qigong and practice, a long term personal journal (but not everyday) and a notebook for each separate project at work.
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I do it from memory. My shaving is enthusiastic so note paper would get pretty wet. ;-)
What would you improve in your current shaving routine?
I feel that recording my shave in the four quadrants is too coarse to chase down those last little pesky troublesome whiskers on a shave-by-shave basis. I need to map the "survivors" on a day-by-day basis to update my patterns and nail them.
What ADs do you have?
My worst AS is aftershave. I'm trying to figure out what "works" for me (and my wife likes). The current rotation is about 10 from Pinaud Clubman through Trumper's Lime and Captain's Choice Bay Rum to Indian-made Old Spice.
I had a brief flare up of RAD but was able to hold it to 5 razors. (Merkur 38C & 37C, EJ89, Weber SS, and Ikon Open Comb.) It's hard waiting out the first couple of months of "no changes" before I can play with them, but the delay is for the better good. The RAD will likely flare up again when/if I move into straight razors.
Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share with the membership of B&B?
We should all really thank the owners, moderators, stewards and fellow members for such an awesome resource and community. I've felt very welcome and encouraged since joining and hope to be able to "pay it forward" as I gain experience and knowledge myself.
To read Donald's Shave Journal Click here
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who are you?
Well, my name is Donald and the name suits me pretty well.
I'm a husband and father of a 14 y.o. girl and 10 y.o. boy.
I'm a physicist by training, engineer by profession and technical director/senior engineer by title.
I enjoy camping, hiking, ham radio, volunteering at public service events, and shaving...
Where are you located?
We're in Boulder Creek, CA deep in the Santa Cruz mountains near Big Basin State Park. Sunset magazine described the area as absurdly rural. We've got one cat, two fish, 7 chickens and a horse that is stabled at the ranch 1/2 mile down the road. We've got DSL and pizza delivery. But not much else. A 12 minute EMS response and a 20 minute sheriff response. You do the math...
Do you have a particular coffee you enjoy? or what wakes you up in the morning?
I don't drink coffee or tea. The clucking chickens normally wake me up. The pull of the coming day's activities gets me out of bed. My brain gets in gear about half way through qigong.
I've always wet shaved. The once or twice I tried an electric razor it didn't really do anything.
Traditional wet shaving?
NPR's Marketplace radio program had a segment on Harry's Razors, a new company creating new technology, simple design, low cost cartridges aimed at the high end market. The concept of significantly better/more fun shaving was intriguing.
That started the journey. My buddy Byron turned me on to Art of Shaving products. Very expensive, but VERY nice.
That led to more poking around on the internet, the Mantic videos and of course Badger and Blade.
You all have been a bad influence ever since.
What was it that held your interest?
The shaving ritual feels good. Having a nice smooth face feels good all day.
The shave itself demands mindful focus. That's good too.
When you sign on, what is the first page/forum you go to?
General shaving discussion, Shave clinic & newbie check in, then General Straight Razor Talk. I'll occasionally drop into After Shaves
Shave Cream & Soaps. Which do you prefer and what is your method for producing lather?
Since I'm a newbie in the first couple of months I haven't started exploring cream and soaps.
In my first two months it is Art of Shaving unscented and sandalwood shaving cream, lathered in a bowl.
What has been the best advice you’ve gotten from a member at B&B
I've absorbed so much good advice over the past months it is hard to choose. Probably the importance of good preparation. Or good lather. Or focusing on blade angle. Or mapping the beard. Or not changing things around while my technique is settling down. Or... Yeah, probably one of those... ;-)
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new at this, what would it be?
Pay attention to what is going on with your prep/lather/shave. Investigate and troubleshoot what seems wrong.
As an aspiring newbie I found reading other people's journals very informative and interesting.
As a physicist/engineer keeping a lab notebook is an integral part of my profession, so doing one is second nature. It's a way to contribute and possibly help/encourage others.
Do you reference your shave journal at all?
Daily, to keep track of shave number and number of shaves on a blade. Plus every couple weeks it's good to look back from a motivational standpoint.
How do you think keeping a shave journal has helped you?
Knowing that you have to write something down is a great way to get yourself to focus extra hard when it is happening. It allows you to note things that don't seem right and helps debug them. It also allows you to look back for non-obvious trends and long term progress. Plus it helps me plan my next "moves" and serves as a reminder of things I need to do.
Do you keep a journal for any other hobbies? or perhaps a daily journal?
Yes. I keep track of my daily medical measurements (blood pressure, etc), a journal of my qigong and practice, a long term personal journal (but not everyday) and a notebook for each separate project at work.
Do you jot down notes while you are shaving or pull from your memory of the shave to fill out your journal?
I do it from memory. My shaving is enthusiastic so note paper would get pretty wet. ;-)
What would you improve in your current shaving routine?
I feel that recording my shave in the four quadrants is too coarse to chase down those last little pesky troublesome whiskers on a shave-by-shave basis. I need to map the "survivors" on a day-by-day basis to update my patterns and nail them.
My worst AS is aftershave. I'm trying to figure out what "works" for me (and my wife likes). The current rotation is about 10 from Pinaud Clubman through Trumper's Lime and Captain's Choice Bay Rum to Indian-made Old Spice.
I had a brief flare up of RAD but was able to hold it to 5 razors. (Merkur 38C & 37C, EJ89, Weber SS, and Ikon Open Comb.) It's hard waiting out the first couple of months of "no changes" before I can play with them, but the delay is for the better good. The RAD will likely flare up again when/if I move into straight razors.
Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share with the membership of B&B?
We should all really thank the owners, moderators, stewards and fellow members for such an awesome resource and community. I've felt very welcome and encouraged since joining and hope to be able to "pay it forward" as I gain experience and knowledge myself.
To read Donald's Shave Journal Click here
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