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July 2021 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

Last shave of the month before Arko Sharko August, so using either one today was out of the question.

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Last dance for the worn out birth quarter Super 84, which now heads back to the display shelf, and the equally old Spoiler blade therein bound for the trash. They did their usual excellent job, probably better than I’ll get from the Shark and whatever razor it’s in.

I’m slightly annoyed I didn’t finish using up this tube of Proraso but I suppose it will still be plenty warm in early September.
 
Made it! Trying a Shark Platinum this week, feels very similar to the Shark Super Chrome I've just finished using.

Pre-shave (in order of use)
- Hawkins and Brimble Face Wash
- Truefitt and Hill Pre-shave Oil
- D.R. Harris Sandalwood cream (sample)

Post-shave (in order of use)
- Omega Alum Block
- Stirling Tea Tree, Witch Hazel & Aloe
- Hylamide Skin Serums
- Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm

Tools
- FaTip Piccolo Gentile
- Shark Platinum (1)
- Zulfix No. 28
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
Still out.

Last day! July went by quick, as all the days seem to now. No shave today. I can't beleive it but:

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Looking at the tub, I seem to have made a dent in the wool fat! For the longest time it seemed like it wasn't changing. This stuff sure lasts a long while though, I like that it has a light scent. Wish it didn't do that cracking thing though.

Hope everyone had a great July. Onward.
 
Still Out.

I finished the July with a very efficient set-up and enjoyed the experience.

RazoRock Wunderbar
Feather blade
Semogue Owner's Club Boar in Cherry
Cella EEBO aka Green
Patanjali Neem Tulsi as pre shave wash
Witch Hazel

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I may be joining the August Grume later on as I'm still contemplating the purchase of Tabac and some Shark blades.
 
Still in.

I’m done with business travel for awhile. Part of my travel was offloading company real estate and leases. The company I work for doesn’t plan on bringing everyone back to the office. Our offices now are basically shared spaces that people can use if they need to meet a client face to face. No one has an assigned office any more. It felt good to shed the huge NYC Manhattan lease. Your eyes would water if you knew what we paid for that floor.

I’m with everyone else that’s complaining about getting back to normal. It was fun to hit the road again for awhile but being back to face to face meetings, deadlines etc really wore thin fast. The boards are enough non-family interaction for me too.

Head shave only:

» Leaf w/Astra SP (5)
» PAA Atomic Rocket synthetic
» PAA Black Bot CK-6 (just a tiny sliver left)
» Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel

Hopefully I can be more faithful with following B&B in August. I actually miss keeping up with you all. Hear you all on the other side.
 
Last shave of July
Pre-shave: Hot shower
Brush:Omega S-Brush
Razor: Rockwell 6S (2/4)
Blade: Gillette Nacet (4)
Soap: Monsavon Bol A Raser
Post-Shave: Alum Block
Davidoff Cool Water AS Splash
Nivea Protect & Care ASB

Comfortable BBS shave. Monsavon on its last legs now. 2 maybe 3 shaves left and it’s finished 👌👌. Would I replace, if I found someone coming to UK from France, absolutely 😎😎😎
Now on to August GRUME
 
Still in. I'm going to make it! I'll be 2 for 4! (insert weak, half-hearted cheer)

No shave today, even though I'm going out to dinner which is a great tribute to the excellent shave I got yesterday from my Max Sprecher Micro, honed on my Nakayama Maruka with as much slurry as I could make the ultra-hard stone give up.

My problem is that I get great results with this razor, and I haven't been able to figure out why, um, I don't like it that much.

Reviewing my preferences, and using a micrometer, a ruler that measures in mm, and some trig, courtesy of Excel, I think I've figured out the issue: the angle is less acute than I prefer, 16.7 inclusive, vs. 13 on an Iwasaki and 14.2 on a Ralf Aust.

My 70 HRC Titan is also that high, 16.6, and I've had the same issue with it, great shaves, no affection. I am in the process of thinning it down to something more like the Aust. Even on an Atoma 400 plate, it is taking a lot of high-pressure strokes.

I am not willing to do such butchery on my Max Sprecher, which is a work of art. I guess I had better find a way to like it, or sell it.
 
I’m with everyone else that’s complaining about getting back to normal. It was fun to hit the road again for awhile but being back to face to face meetings, deadlines etc really wore thin fast. The boards are enough non-family interaction for me too.

After almost a decade of 4 to 5 days a week traveling all across Europe for the company I used to work for, I do not miss my road warrior days ... What killed me was the comment of how good I had it from my colleague to always travel and eat on the company dime ... They never understood the mid Sunday afternoon flight because you have a 6am start at the customer plant in Romania or the 2 am landing at the airport because both of your flight had a mechanical and the weather was also un cooperating ... and yet you were expected to be all bubbly at 7 am with 3 hours of sleep ...

Now I push button on a computer ... nothing like living in a cave under a rock ... they made us clear our desk this week, felt weird to walk in the office after 18 months
 
... What killed me was the comment of how good I had it from my colleague to always travel and eat on the company dime ...

Yes. Also, none of them realize you don’t have any time to sight see anyway and your daily per diem only pays 80-90% of what meals actually costs. On top of that when you’re on the red-eye flight to make that 0700 meeting the 4 year old sleeping behind you wakes up and is air sick and projectile pukes between your seat all over your dress uniform (business suit) that you wore on the flight because you knew you wouldn’t have time to change once you arrived.

I’ve slept many nights in the Chicago O’Hare airport due to weather and I’ve never enjoyed it. Not once.
 
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