I almost got to shave today! (and other recent retiree problems)

[Rosseforp]

I thought I was gonna have some time for myself when I retired.

Leaving for work at 4:15am most mornings six days a week for the last 20 years, I still wake up early and enjoy watching the sunrise in the mornings.
Never a morning shaver, I always got to enjoy an evening shave after my 7 O'Clock evening shower, but that time slot has seemingly disappeared since retiring.
WhichyPoo, my loving wife has made it clear since my retiring that I should be happy shaving much later in the evening, or after she leaves for work in the morning.
Thinks I spend too much time playing with my shaving gear and not using it, feels it should take me no longer than five minutes to shave and be done with it.

Sound familiar?

This morning I was all ready to shave as soon as WhichyPoo left for Chinatown this morning, but she changed her plans at the last minute and decided to get her hair done at 2 pm instead.
No problem, as she then made plans to visit her father in the evening. As she was getting ready to leave I set up my gear, started getting ready to shave, she decided to stay home, yell at the kids and start sewing instead.

I put my gear away for about the three hundredth time and started this journal.

I wanted to shave today, and yesterday, and the day before.

~doug~

 

[never-stop-learning]

I'm busier in retirement than when I worked. It's the strangest thing.

 

[Guido75]

I put my gear away for about the three hundredth time and started this journal.

I wanted to shave today, and yesterday, and the day before. The struggle is real.

~doug~

FIFY

Guido

 

[Rosseforp]

Non-SOTD

Razor: Ti95OC with @Rosseforp GTCB handle
Blade: 7 O'Clock Black (5) Ninja side
Brush: Semogue 620
Soap: Shave Chaser CK-6
ASL: Shave Chaser

This was my setup for the evening shave I didn't get. The only difference is I was going to use my Omega 10005 piggy for the morning shave I didn't get either, but I did bowl lather the CK-6 with it, and the lather was freakin' awesome.

Before I put my shaving gear away for the night, I bowl lathered the CK-6 with the Semogue 620 which used to be a real lather hog. Not a lather hog anymore, the lather was freakin' awesome.

It is looking like I might get to shave tomorrow when WhichyPoo goes to Chinatown with Anna sometime in the morning. With any luck the bowl lather I get from my Omega 10290 will be freakin' awesome and I will get to use it on my neck. Might shave my face, might not. The goatee, stays no matter.

the Struggle is Real

~doug~

 

[Multum in parvo]

Do you need absolute solitude and quiet for your shaves, Doug?

I know it can be Zen like but bathroom doors and some music should give you some room even in a busy household

 

[ivan_101]

Easy. Just switch to morning shaving after she leaves.

 

[Rosseforp]

Do you need absolute solitude and quiet for your shaves, Doug?

I know it can be Zen like but bathroom doors and some music should give you some room even in a busy household

Not absolute. Chopping vegetables, slamming doors and cabinets, yelling at children, talking extremely loudly on the cell phone(the kids call it yelling), her friends are very loud also, from 4:30am till 8-9am everyday gets old.

I was always gone in the mornings 6 days a week when I worked, and had thought that the thunder only happened on Sundays. Nope, it's every day.

Mornings are not an option.

~doug~

 

[Rosseforp]

Easy. Just switch to morning shaving after she leaves.

I've never been a morning shaver. After waiting 4-5 hours to maybe get a morning shave, it isn't the morning anymore and I'm not in the mood.
All I want is a semi peaceful shave in the early evening after I shower like when I was working.

It's been three years since that has happened. I'm kinda frustrated. WhichyPoo tells me it's all in my mind.

I say "Great! Then change my mind..."

the Struggle is Real

~doug~

 

[Slock]

I've never been a morning shaver. After waiting 4-5 hours to maybe get a morning shave, it isn't the morning anymore and I'm not in the mood.
All I want is a semi peaceful shave in the early evening after I shower like when I was working.

It's been three years since that has happened. I'm kinda frustrated. WhichyPoo tells me it's all in my mind.

I say "Great! Then change my mind..."

the Struggle is Real

~doug~

I think the only real option you have is to go back to work. You had a good system than.

 

[Rosseforp]

I think the only real option you have is to go back to work. You had a good system than.

I have given that serious thought, believe me.

~doug~

 

[Rosseforp]

I almost can't believe it!
I got a SOTD

Razor: Ti95OC with @Rosseforp GTCB handle
Blade: 7 O'Clock Black (6) Ninja side down
Brush: Omega 10290
Soap: Shave Chaser CK-6
ASL: Shave Chaser

What a difference a baseplate makes. Working on five days of stubble, today's noon shave was absolute bliss.

The little orange Omega whipped up an astonishing amount of freakin' awesome lather in my Captain's Choice bowl and I could tell on the first downward stroke of the Ti95OC that I was in the comfort zone.

I spent a good amount of time on the first pass as the Ti95 just wanted to keep removing stubble on each successive buffing stroke, the blade feel minimal but there.
The soft endearing feel of the titanium is so much more present with the open comb than it is with the SB, I just wanted to keep shaving.

The second ATG pass was just as comfortable as the WTG pass, the Ti95 begging me to keep shaving so I did. Not with reckless abandon mind you, but every direction that can be imagined and maybe a few more.
I freestyled on the ATG and came away unscathed so I lathered up with the orange Omega, still full with a voluminous amazing amount of lather, and went for a third pass, mostly WTG and just kept shaving and shaving until there was nothing left to shave.

And I mean nothing.

I completely forgot the Witch hazel my face felt so wonderful after the shave and steeped in the Menthol coolness the Shave Chaser delivers, then the Witch hazel, another splash of Shave Chaser then Nivea balm to put the finishing touch on the best shave I have had in a long, long time.

Yeah, this was a Damn Comfortable Shave.

~doug~

 

[rockviper]

Just started reading here, Doug. Time to go back to work as a way to preserve your sanity!

 

[Rosseforp]

Just started reading here, Doug. Time to go back to work as a way to preserve your sanity!

Maybe a job that requires me to shave before reporting to work!

~doug~

 

[rockviper]

Hare Krishna recruiter?

 

[JCarr]

This is horrible. I hope you come up with a solution that gets you a peaceful shave.

 

[Rosseforp]

Hare Krishna recruiter?

I was on my way home from work in the 1970's and while stopped in traffic in front of CSULB, a Hare Krishna person approached my car to hand me a flyer, so I quickly rolled up my window and shook my head no when he motioned me to roll my window down and take his flyer I didn't want.
Just as the light changed he pushed my wind wing open and tried to shove his flyer through the opening, so I simply pressed hard on the wind wing to jam his hand inside my car as I stepped on the gas and dragged him across the intersection to the roars of cheering from onlookers as he screamed at me to let him go.

My bad

~doug~

 

[rockviper]

It looks like you already know much of the job requirements!

 

[Rosseforp]

I got to Shave Today!!!
DecemBoar
SOTD


Razor: ATT SE1 with Aluminum baseplate and @Rosseforp GTCB handle
Blade: Kai Protouch MG (5)
Brush: Semogue 620
Soap: Proraso
ASL: Skin Bracer

After whipping up a lather with the best soap in the world I slathered it all over my face and neck, as my Semogue 620 is soft, floppy, and almost completely devoid of scrub.
A lather hog no more, the knot has spread open and acts much larger than it is.

I started the first WTG pass on my right side for a change and spent quite a bit of time buffing until the blade fell silent. The blade had the feeling it needed multiple passes, that I needed to push it to make it work.
The SE1 simply obliged and let it skim a little stubble each pass until finally touching the skin and growing silent.

The SE1 felt almost exactly the same on the second ATG and freestyle pass, the blade still wanted to be pushed, but felt the same as if It was still going WTG.

The blade felt the same no matter which way it was going, and when it was done, it was done.

A third cleanup N-S pass was in order with the lather and razor wet and slick, and a fourth mostly water pass with much less pressure than I had used on all the other passes.

The same two weepers on the left side of my neck presented themselves on the second pass, but disappeared as fast as the appeared.

The Witch hazel had some warmth, the Skin Bracer demanded a second splash and the Nivea balm felt as nice as it always does.

The final score? Stubble=0 Irritation=0 Comfort=8/10

I'm gonna try the same setup with the SS baseplate as I noticed it has slightly different geometry from the Aluminum baseplate, to see if it ups the comfort level while still maintaining the same efficiency.


~doug~

 

[rockviper]

Woohoo!! 'Tis indeed a Happy Friday!!

 

[Rosseforp]

Only 4 Days Since My Last Shave!!!
Monday SOTD

Razor: ATT SE1 with @Rosseforp GTCB handle
Blade: Kai Protouch MG (1)
Brush: Omega 10005
Soap: Proraso
ASL: Skin Bracer

It's been almost twelve hours since I shaved and my face and neck are still BBS.
Not sure if it was the fresh blade or changing from the aluminum to stainless baseplate, but the shave was definitely more efficient and smoother.

The downside is I won't be able to shave for another three days, and it feels like I'm shaving with a tank. That and the guarded blade still feels like it needs to be pushed, it reduces instead of slicing, meaning lots and lots of buffing.

And I do mean lots and lots of buffing, but with a light touch and letting the razor do it's work the results are irritation free and close. And I do mean close.

The SE1 in stainless is certainly not what I would call a nimble razor, more of a limousine that wants to just cruise through the shave with the driver in control.

The real star of the show however had to be the best shaving soap in the Universe, Proraso Green, combined with Skin Bracer for a magnificently long lasting and comfortable shave, with the ubiquitous Omega 10005 boar holding up it's part of the bargain.

Have a Great Day
~doug~