I need to be less antisocial.

[Altreac]

Welcome back, feel yourself at home.

Rofl, I had just started donating blood before covid hit.

Pro tip, if you eat escargot 24 hours before a blood donation your hemoglobin will be high enough to impress the nurses.

My mom teaches cardiology.

 

[Altreac]

Been working on figuring out Google Family Link. Set up a new profile for the 8 and 10 year old to use.

Got everything locked down with USB hardware encryption and have complete control of the two tablets we gave them.

It's freaky putting kids on the internet.

I got certified as an information system security officer in the military and I have a Linux Red Hat admin certification.

One account for both of them is easier to control. The times are the totals for both.

 

[Possum092]

I definitely agree with your opinion on this group. I learned quite a lot here that I've been using for years and years now.
I feel like I'm not a newb wet shaver...save when I'm here in the face of this much info on the topic!! Since 2016, I've only met one other person offline that wet shaves!
I think I commented the first time around that this is the most well-spoken group I've ever been in.
The sincerity has been noticed for sure.


I'd chat about blacksmithing, but it can sometimes be a touchy, opinionated subjected sometimes that oft degenerates into blacksmithing vs bladesmithing and discourse on which modern super alloys are the best. I don't really have reasonable access to super alloys, or even a reasonably priced metal distributor. So I'm working with junkyard steel. Leaf and coil springs, axels, what sheet and plate I can find. I have a good collection of railway spikes that I plan on making more garden tools with.

My most successful items so far have been bread lames.

So far, the hardest thing I've done was a "drop-the-tongs" forge weld on my first pair of tongs. To forge weld the reins to the jaws, you technically need three hands. So you use the cool end of the rein to pin the scarfing on the jaw to the anvil (while fluxed), then drop your tongs, pick up your hammer and tack weld the scarfing. Then reheat, reflux and finish your weld.

I'm retrofitting a dilapidated 20x40 carving shed into a shop. I've got the roof on and temp windows up. I need to get the doors built still and then fix up the work tables. Putting up my temp windows, I was standing on the work table and it broke. So I need to replace that too!!!

Nothing wrong with repurposing junk yard and salvage steel for projects. Leaf and coil springs make great knives, axe heads, and shavers. Usually, the price is right so profit margins are higher as well. Cheers.

 

[desrgrl]

I'm a strange one. No question.

I think you'll find you're in good company on that, plus, I think normal is over rated and often only applies to people you don't know very well.

I signed up here in 2016. Was super hyperactive for a short while. Then disappeared.

I started in 2015, stuck around for about five months, and disappeared. Another person recently mentioned they'd been away for a few years and come back. Maybe its something in the air.

It's been a rollercoaster since I left here and quite a lot in my life has changed. Kinda looking for some friends and support, not gunna lie.

I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to be open and I find a number of people are, it really is a community beyond just shaving stuff.

I managed to negotiate a full-time 6 month Blacksmithing apprenticeship for the end of my contract.

A friend of mine that struggled with depression, and started working as a blacksmith, mostly doing decorative stuff. He said that working with his hands and watching something take shape before his eyes, was one of the best things for him. He did gates, garden structures/windchime/statue type stuff.

Haida Gwaii is an archipelago that split off Canada's coast during a previous ice ago, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. It remains a genetic isolate ecosystem.

If you haven't already seen it, if you get a chance, at Vancouver's airport, there is a large sculpture called Spirit of the Haida Gwaii - Jade Canoe. I haven't see it there, but I've seen its 'sisters' so to speak, one is at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, the other is the Canadian Museum of History (**** off Harper, we liked it called the Canadian Museum of Civilization [sorry, politics, Harper changed the name of the museum for petty reasons and it irks me]. I think you'd like it, look it up on Wikipedia for more info and pics. I've seen photos, I can't imagine the beauty in real life.

I have been learning about traditional hunting and gathering and a lot about the ocean. In Halifax, I didn't have the time to spend on the Atlantic that I've had so far on the Pacific.

I kept at wet shaving. I'll never go back. Straight Razors for me, although I've shaved my head with a DE a few times now.
I decided to grow a beard from 2022, and of course, in my research, it led me back here, because of course it did! You folks know your stuff and are a great community.

I hopefully will stick around a bit longer this time and also...hopefully I don't annoy anyone.

*laugh* I didn't stop wet shaving either, and came back because I needed a new razor, and like you, I knew the people here knew there stuff. It was like I hadn't left, same great people, same fun and knowledgeable threads. Same people putting up with me chattering away.

Which brings me to, I had no @APBinNCA had the 'Excessive Verbosity' title. I'm not in competition, I just figured it was already mine by default. Maybe we should start a line up, or rotation or something.

People helped me narrow down my choices to a Slim, and then, wonderfully I was gifted/PIF a Slim and a Black Beauty. I am beyond grateful. I did the first part of my review of the Slim, and the second soon to come (need to wait for a bit more growth), and then I want to do a review of the BB, and then I had planned to 'poof' disappear again (some ah, acquisition issues is part of why I didn't come back). But it is a really great community, with a wide berth of acceptance of weirdos, and nerds, and well, at least so far, very wordy people.

Oh, and while nothing at all in the same range/scope as you, leaving the civil service because of mental health issues does give me the tiniest little taste. The paperwork is insane and the run arounds are insane. I told someone that I felt I was doing worse and losing ground on my abilities to cope just because of the process, and bless her soul, she quite chirply said she hears that a lot. She was very nice, she at least understood and agreed the system was pretty broken.

Also Hi *waves* Bluenoser now living in Ottawa for a couple of decades. And a girl. Not that I usually say that outright, and I'm a bit long in the tooth for 'girl' but, I figured you had enough on your plate to not suddenly be confused as to who you were talking to, if it mattered.

I'll shut up now. *slinks off to get a snack*

 

[desrgrl]

Welcome back, feel yourself at home.

I am a bad, bad person. I should not be even commenting, but I have to.

"feel yourself at home" ... I'd hope people wouldn't be out doing it elsewhere

I can't even *falls over laughing*

(I hope this doesn't offend you, I know how you mean it, it just struck me too funny not to share, even if a bit off colour)

 

[desrgrl]

Cool read man and welcome back. I have taken the "Excess Verbosity" title, you may have to work harder to get it back!

There is a title? No one told me about this title? I don't want the title, but I'm afraid it might default to me anyway. lol.

 

[desrgrl]

I'd chat about blacksmithing, but it can sometimes be a touchy, opinionated subjected sometimes that oft degenerates into blacksmithing vs bladesmithing and discourse on which modern super alloys are the best.

Subjects that are touchy and opinionated! Conversations degenerating over types of metal? Why dear gods man, nothing like that ever happens here!

 

[Altreac]

I think you'll find you're in good company on that, plus, I think normal is over rated and often only applies to people you don't know very well.


I started in 2015, stuck around for about five months, and disappeared. Another person recently mentioned they'd been away for a few years and come back. Maybe its something in the air.

I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to be open and I find a number of people are, it really is a community beyond just shaving stuff.


A friend of mine that struggled with depression, and started working as a blacksmith, mostly doing decorative stuff. He said that working with his hands and watching something take shape before his eyes, was one of the best things for him. He did gates, garden structures/windchime/statue type stuff.

If you haven't already seen it, if you get a chance, at Vancouver's airport, there is a large sculpture called Spirit of the Haida Gwaii - Jade Canoe. I haven't see it there, but I've seen its 'sisters' so to speak, one is at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, the other is the Canadian Museum of History (**** off Harper, we liked it called the Canadian Museum of Civilization [sorry, politics, Harper changed the name of the museum for petty reasons and it irks me]. I think you'd like it, look it up on Wikipedia for more info and pics. I've seen photos, I can't imagine the beauty in real life.



*laugh* I didn't stop wet shaving either, and came back because I needed a new razor, and like you, I knew the people here knew there stuff. It was like I hadn't left, same great people, same fun and knowledgeable threads. Same people putting up with me chattering away.

Which brings me to, I had no @APBinNCA had the 'Excessive Verbosity' title. I'm not in competition, I just figured it was already mine by default. Maybe we should start a line up, or rotation or something.

People helped me narrow down my choices to a Slim, and then, wonderfully I was gifted/PIF a Slim and a Black Beauty. I am beyond grateful. I did the first part of my review of the Slim, and the second soon to come (need to wait for a bit more growth), and then I want to do a review of the BB, and then I had planned to 'poof' disappear again (some ah, acquisition issues is part of why I didn't come back). But it is a really great community, with a wide berth of acceptance of weirdos, and nerds, and well, at least so far, very wordy people.

Oh, and while nothing at all in the same range/scope as you, leaving the civil service because of mental health issues does give me the tiniest little taste. The paperwork is insane and the run arounds are insane. I told someone that I felt I was doing worse and losing ground on my abilities to cope just because of the process, and bless her soul, she quite chirply said she hears that a lot. She was very nice, she at least understood and agreed the system was pretty broken.

Also Hi *waves* Bluenoser now living in Ottawa for a couple of decades. And a girl. Not that I usually say that outright, and I'm a bit long in the tooth for 'girl' but, I figured you had enough on your plate to not suddenly be confused as to who you were talking to, if it mattered.

I'll shut up now. *slinks off to get a snack*

Let's see if I can do verbosity some justice, although I am not trying to take any titles. LOL. I do enjoy creative writing at times.

This place certainly is good company, I haven't gone into full lurking again just yet, I've been chatting with people from here over IM, so I haven't drifted off this round just yet.

Regarding people coming back, I think there's a pretty big movement between covid and just the general times where people want to bring it back to the old school. I think grooming has seen an upsurge a bit since covid started, at least after it persisted for a while.

Still a roller coaster honestly, I was in the hospital again for another couple weeks, but the doctors have been great this time around, and I feel like I'm finally getting the proper professional help I need, rather than just being medicated up the wazoo and hoping for the best. My GP is amazing, and my psychiatrist is also on my side. After 4 rounds of involuntary psych, it's nice to be getting a bit of legal/medical vindication. They've updated my diagnoses from schitzoaffective to Complex PTSD, because I was able to verify that I am not in fact delusional. Which was really nice.

It really is more than just a shaving community. I keep saying this is the best group of folks I know on the internet, and I hold to that. Other social media doesn't hold a candle to the value of content and contributions from the membership. In terms of comfort though, there's no point in being silent about mental health, it's too important in today's day and age to be open and speak about it. I know I've got my issues, but I also know that I've been dealing with them the best way possible, so if anything I've done encourages anyone else to seek help, but not only the help offered, but to advocate for one's self for the help that they need...that's what I'm working on for myself, and I've made it a ways along that journey, so any questions regarding how to self advocate within the medical system, at least in Canada, I'm happy to share my experiences with.

Blacksmithing really is something else. It's very fulfilling being able to take something from your mind, and pound it into hot metal. Part of what I did with getting into blacksmithing was purely administrative. It took me around 100 emails to negotiate between my chain of command, Manulife financial and the doctors to get approved for the program. My instructor and I created the program from a blank document based on the criteria for Manulife and got the program arbitrarily approved. As far as I know, I'm still the only blacksmith paid to be trained by the Canadian Forces. I'd like to help releasing members achieve the same an similar in time. I'm still working with Manulife and the Doctors regarding some personal funding, but after that, if I'm successful with those negotiations, I'll be set for life and in a spot where I should be able to help other people do the same thing as I did. Create a program from nothing, and get it approved.

I didn't happen to see the Jade Canoe the last time I was through Vancouver, but now that I know to look for it, I'll totally keep my eye out the next time I pass through. I've already seen some really cool stuff here. I have seen the Haida Canoe in Juskatala, and there was one floating in the bay that's gone missing since I've been here. I think it sank. But it was floating tethered by the marina here for ages and ages.

Oh politics. Changing the names of things that aren't directly offensively named doesn't make sense to me either. I don't wanna get myself in trouble on my political opinions though, so I'll just stay with Oh Politics...lol


My biggest issue with verbosity is maintaining a topic without digressing or segueing into other only tangentially related topics. And again, I'm not trying for a record or title, although if you put up a creative writing thread, I might be interested. Maybe a group story ala comment section. Someone starts, writes a paragraph, then tag in another writer. See what comes of it. Aside, if anyone wants to talk on derivative etymology, I have a few things to say...lol

This time around, I came back for info on beards. This is month 4 of 12 growing a beard now. I wanted info on beard products and tools, the type of information you can always find here. But I also came back for a social aspect.
I still love my straight razors!!! I really can't wait to shave again, this is an exercise in self control for me. I love shaving. I just wanted to see if I 'could' grow a proper beard for a whole year. Then I can say I grew a Yeard. New years to New years. Then I'm shaving again.
My partner has commissioned me a custom shaving scuttle. It looks amazing, I can't wait to get my hands on it. I've read the threads on pros vs cons, but I still just couldn't help wanting one. So she got a potter to make me a custom one. I've seen pics from in production, I'm super excited. I'll post it after I get it. On top of the SV brush my mom got me for Christmas and a 2 man Henkel blade that was gifted to me, I really wanna get back to it, but I set myself a mission and I intend to complete it.

I never put my story out for comparison, just to share. Everyone has their own stories, and it's not fair to judge the internal magnitude of an event as it effects one person to an entirely different set of events. I've been through some extreme stuff, sure, but that doesn't mean that something that seams less extreme to someone else doesn't effect them on the same frequencies as my situation effected me. Confusing statement, but causality is like that. It's not about relative proportionality, more relative congruency. We can all relate if we take the congruent factors. If we take just the proportional factors...someone's always out on top. And if we're all one interconnected organism, it just can't work that way in my opinion.

Ugh. The paperwork. I don't think the exit paperwork is much different regardless your service. I've been out over a year and I'm STILL doing paperwork for the military.


I would LOVE to go back to the East Coast to visit again. I still have friends out there, and it's a hell of a drive. From where I am, it would be about 8500km/5300mi to drive it, but someday I'm gunna doit again. 17000km road trip...LOL Someday. Best I've done is 6700km straight so far. I was exit 3 off 103, in Timberlea. Charles Road. I still follow Q104 on Facebook. So Hello. I dunno if you could consider me a Bluenoser personally, I only spent 4 years in HRM. But I love having had the opportunity to live there.

Gender doesn't matter to much for me. But I do appreciate knowing, it's easier to use the correct pronouns if people tell you, otherwise you're just guessing. I identify as a CIS male, but I have LGBT friends. Somewhat controversial to pick up hitchhikers, but I live on the Yellowhead Highway, and it's known as the Highway of Tears due to abductions. So if I have space, I try to move people safely up and down the road...when I don't have the kids, when there's space etc...I picked up someone from the LGBT community a couple days ago and had a great conversation on the drive back up island. I didn't even know when they put up their thumb, but really...just doesn't matter.


I hear ya on the snack. Composition takes brain power!!!

 

[Phoenixkh]

Welcome back.... I'm a newbie here.... a mere speck among giants in the B&B shaving world, but I'm glad you're here. This place makes us feel at home.

 

[APBinNCA]

Let's see if I can do verbosity some justice, although I am not trying to take any titles. LOL. I do enjoy creative writing at times.

This place certainly is good company, I haven't gone into full lurking again just yet, I've been chatting with people from here over IM, so I haven't drifted off this round just yet.

Regarding people coming back, I think there's a pretty big movement between covid and just the general times where people want to bring it back to the old school. I think grooming has seen an upsurge a bit since covid started, at least after it persisted for a while.

Still a roller coaster honestly, I was in the hospital again for another couple weeks, but the doctors have been great this time around, and I feel like I'm finally getting the proper professional help I need, rather than just being medicated up the wazoo and hoping for the best. My GP is amazing, and my psychiatrist is also on my side. After 4 rounds of involuntary psych, it's nice to be getting a bit of legal/medical vindication. They've updated my diagnoses from schitzoaffective to Complex PTSD, because I was able to verify that I am not in fact delusional. Which was really nice.

It really is more than just a shaving community. I keep saying this is the best group of folks I know on the internet, and I hold to that. Other social media doesn't hold a candle to the value of content and contributions from the membership. In terms of comfort though, there's no point in being silent about mental health, it's too important in today's day and age to be open and speak about it. I know I've got my issues, but I also know that I've been dealing with them the best way possible, so if anything I've done encourages anyone else to seek help, but not only the help offered, but to advocate for one's self for the help that they need...that's what I'm working on for myself, and I've made it a ways along that journey, so any questions regarding how to self advocate within the medical system, at least in Canada, I'm happy to share my experiences with.

Blacksmithing really is something else. It's very fulfilling being able to take something from your mind, and pound it into hot metal. Part of what I did with getting into blacksmithing was purely administrative. It took me around 100 emails to negotiate between my chain of command, Manulife financial and the doctors to get approved for the program. My instructor and I created the program from a blank document based on the criteria for Manulife and got the program arbitrarily approved. As far as I know, I'm still the only blacksmith paid to be trained by the Canadian Forces. I'd like to help releasing members achieve the same an similar in time. I'm still working with Manulife and the Doctors regarding some personal funding, but after that, if I'm successful with those negotiations, I'll be set for life and in a spot where I should be able to help other people do the same thing as I did. Create a program from nothing, and get it approved.

I didn't happen to see the Jade Canoe the last time I was through Vancouver, but now that I know to look for it, I'll totally keep my eye out the next time I pass through. I've already seen some really cool stuff here. I have seen the Haida Canoe in Juskatala, and there was one floating in the bay that's gone missing since I've been here. I think it sank. But it was floating tethered by the marina here for ages and ages.

Oh politics. Changing the names of things that aren't directly offensively named doesn't make sense to me either. I don't wanna get myself in trouble on my political opinions though, so I'll just stay with Oh Politics...lol


My biggest issue with verbosity is maintaining a topic without digressing or segueing into other only tangentially related topics. And again, I'm not trying for a record or title, although if you put up a creative writing thread, I might be interested. Maybe a group story ala comment section. Someone starts, writes a paragraph, then tag in another writer. See what comes of it. Aside, if anyone wants to talk on derivative etymology, I have a few things to say...lol

This time around, I came back for info on beards. This is month 4 of 12 growing a beard now. I wanted info on beard products and tools, the type of information you can always find here. But I also came back for a social aspect.
I still love my straight razors!!! I really can't wait to shave again, this is an exercise in self control for me. I love shaving. I just wanted to see if I 'could' grow a proper beard for a whole year. Then I can say I grew a Yeard. New years to New years. Then I'm shaving again.
My partner has commissioned me a custom shaving scuttle. It looks amazing, I can't wait to get my hands on it. I've read the threads on pros vs cons, but I still just couldn't help wanting one. So she got a potter to make me a custom one. I've seen pics from in production, I'm super excited. I'll post it after I get it. On top of the SV brush my mom got me for Christmas and a 2 man Henkel blade that was gifted to me, I really wanna get back to it, but I set myself a mission and I intend to complete it.

I never put my story out for comparison, just to share. Everyone has their own stories, and it's not fair to judge the internal magnitude of an event as it effects one person to an entirely different set of events. I've been through some extreme stuff, sure, but that doesn't mean that something that seams less extreme to someone else doesn't effect them on the same frequencies as my situation effected me. Confusing statement, but causality is like that. It's not about relative proportionality, more relative congruency. We can all relate if we take the congruent factors. If we take just the proportional factors...someone's always out on top. And if we're all one interconnected organism, it just can't work that way in my opinion.

Ugh. The paperwork. I don't think the exit paperwork is much different regardless your service. I've been out over a year and I'm STILL doing paperwork for the military.


I would LOVE to go back to the East Coast to visit again. I still have friends out there, and it's a hell of a drive. From where I am, it would be about 8500km/5300mi to drive it, but someday I'm gunna doit again. 17000km road trip...LOL Someday. Best I've done is 6700km straight so far. I was exit 3 off 103, in Timberlea. Charles Road. I still follow Q104 on Facebook. So Hello. I dunno if you could consider me a Bluenoser personally, I only spent 4 years in HRM. But I love having had the opportunity to live there.

Gender doesn't matter to much for me. But I do appreciate knowing, it's easier to use the correct pronouns if people tell you, otherwise you're just guessing. I identify as a CIS male, but I have LGBT friends. Somewhat controversial to pick up hitchhikers, but I live on the Yellowhead Highway, and it's known as the Highway of Tears due to abductions. So if I have space, I try to move people safely up and down the road...when I don't have the kids, when there's space etc...I picked up someone from the LGBT community a couple days ago and had a great conversation on the drive back up island. I didn't even know when they put up their thumb, but really...just doesn't matter.


I hear ya on the snack. Composition takes brain power!!!

Outlines are your friend. I want to talk to you about X. These are the points I want to cover: 1, 2, 3, etc. This is my conclusion/closing thoughts/summary. I learned in college to write my intro and closing paragraphs first, you can always add to them. Put down each thing that comes to mind as the beginning of a paragraph, go back and fill in the details. You are making a word cake, layers. The whole should be something you are proud of or go back and prune it like a Bonsai tree. Remember that the most memorable part is your conclusion, everything along the way is a voyage to that destination. I could be full of it...

 

[cantujm]

Glad you made it back to B&B! Life can get crazy and change extremely fast. There will be times that you can and will question why things are going the way they are. Keep your head up and continue moving in the right direction.