Missouri in Florida!

[FarmerTan]

So I flew to Florida, and BOY! Are my arms tired!

And since I had my pockets full of stuff I decided not to bring any shave gear.

I have it on high authority that if you dig a hole between Michigan and China, and stop right at the mid point, you will hit the exact spot where these instruments of torture are crafted: Hades. Or H E double hockey sticks.

The blades are slightly better than glass shards, or 100 grit sandpaper, at removing facial hair. Slightly.

It does have something that I don't believe has touched my face since I went to DE shaving close to 5 years ago: a "lube" strip. I had forgotten just how gross that stuff is. I made the mistake of having my glasses on as I shaved. I'm telling you all the sincerest truth I have ever told you: I pulled the razor away from my upper lip and I thought my early onset senility had gotten a bit worse, as I thought "Dave, you really must be losing it if you can't feel your nose running THAT badly!" But no, I've not gotten that bad yet; it was just "lube" in the form of a foot long string.

I ALSO learned that I must have pretty good technique with a DE razor, as I did not use any pressure with my first pass. Absolutely no pressure, and absolutely no stubble came off my face!

I forgot to mention that I used "Caress" bar soap for lather. I cannot recommend it.

I did a second pass. It removed enough hair from my face that I decided that it was close enough for Sunday Go To Meeting. Which I did. And nowadays the lighting in churches are like a Rock Concert, and since I was late getting there, no one mentioned anything about any hairs I may have missed.

It may have been the lighting, or it may have been good manners, but I choose to look on the positive: those folks are probably more polite than I am a good shaver.

If any of y'all are as brave (or cheap) as I am, and have tried these torture devices, please share your experience with me. Missouri loves company, I've heard. (Danged autokorreck!)

 

[Owen Bawn]

Where in Florida are you? What's your nearest MLB Spring Training camp? Are they letting people in?

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I have always found disposable razors to be awful. Way below the quality of a decent cartridge razor. Last time I bought some which was probably close to twenty years ago I used one, one time, and threw the whole bag of face removal devices away. I swore that I would never use a disposable razor again and I haven’t.

 

[FarmerTan]

Where in Florida are you? What's your nearest MLB Spring Training camp? Are they letting people in?

Babson Park. It's funny, I used to fly down here for a week to visit my folks the "Michigan Snowbirds" in Winter Haven, former Springtime home of the Red Sox as you well know. One of the kids that ended up making it to the Bigs stayed in a trailer at the same place they did and my mom kinda mothered his wife a little. She's a sweet southern girl is my mom. Anyway, my dad and I would go sit in the bleachers at Joker Marchant stadium to watch the Tigers one every Spring, but their winter place was a stones throw from where the Red Sox played. Dad loved baseball. He'd go EVERY day to see the Sox and listen to other old farts (LOL, guys about my age NOW!) talk with their funny accents and tell stories about watching Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, etc at the old Briggs Stadium. One day he came home all excited like a little boy! He was leaning on the fence of a practice field watching a scrimmage of Double A type players, none of his Boston friends showed up; they were probably tired of listening to my Dad bragging up last year's (1984) Tiger team! Finally some guy leans on the fence about six feet away from my dad and they start talking without looking at each other, at least dad didn't look at the guy. Him and dad go back and forth about which kid looks good, which doesn't, etc. My dad was a lefty, so he knew what he was talking about when he was critiquing those guys. He said the guy cussed a bit, like my dad did, and they just kept talking. Finally my dad looks at the guy and about passed out. It was one of his boyhood heroes, Mr Ted Williams himself! He'd watched Ted Williams play in Detroit back in the day! They just kept talking for awhile, finally shook hands and went their seperate ways. But my dad REALLY admired Ted Williams and Hank Greenberg for their service off the field as well as on it.

They really don't make them like that much anymore.

 

[Owen Bawn]

Great story. I lived in Palm Beach County for a couple years, working as a high school teacher in Boca Raton. I'd be the first guy out of school a couple days a week in March, as I'd speed to up West Palm Beach to see the Braves or down to Ft Lauderdale to see the Yankees. I once saw Henry Aaron and his elderly mother eating dinner a few tables from me in an Italian restaurant in WPB. Leaving them alone to enjoy their dinners in peace is one of the hardest things I have ever done.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

Great story. I lived in Palm Beach County for a couple years, working as a high school teacher in Boca Raton. I'd be the first guy out of school a couple days a week in March, as I'd speed to up West Palm Beach to see the Braves or down to Ft Lauderdale to see the Yankees. I once saw Henry Aaron and his elderly mother eating dinner a few tables from me in an Italian restaurant in WPB. Leaving them alone to enjoy their dinners in peace is one of the hardest things I have ever done.

i went to Boca Raton around 2003 for work. The water from the tap came out green. I was like OMG do people actually drink this? Even the local radio DJ’s made fun of Boca water.

 

[FarmerTan]

Great story. I lived in Palm Beach County for a couple years, working as a high school teacher in Boca Raton. I'd be the first guy out of school a couple days a week in March, as I'd speed to up West Palm Beach to see the Braves or down to Ft Lauderdale to see the Yankees. I once saw Henry Aaron and his elderly mother eating dinner a few tables from me in an Italian restaurant in WPB. Leaving them alone to enjoy their dinners in peace is one of the hardest things I have ever done.

You are a MUCH greater man than I (as if there was any doubt?) I remember reading a biography of him (just for fun! LOL) in junior high skool, and that was UNHEARD OF for an ADHD kid during summer break. I cannot imagine how hard he (and all his fellow darker hued colleagues) must have had it in the fifties. I just finished a book I should start a thread on here called "Founding Principles" that was top notch about the way and why our first 4 presidents and some of their conteporaries came to think the way they did. It is wonderfully written, not at all filled with too much "Accedamia" type writing, though at times the author (last name of "Ricks") does a little bit of "opinion piece" type of stuff that inserts himself in to the manuscript. Actually feels a TINY bit like he wanted to get it out before the 2020 election. I really hope he writes another, or expands this one a bit more. I may look into seeing how much I can buy a few to give out as gifts.

 

[FarmerTan]

i went to Boca Raton around 2003 for work. The water from the tap came out green. I was like OMG do people actually drink this? Even the local radio DJ’s made fun of Boca water.

Don't move to Flint! Every time I go to the doctor I have to fill out a paper saying "yes, I did werk in Flint during the water crisis. Yes, I still have my fingernails...."

 

[FarmerTan]

And yes, @Owen Bawn , the Tigers are letting people in. And Miguel Cabrera says he feels better than he has since 2014, and wants to play some first base! He thinks he can get his 500th home run and his 3000th hit this season. When he won the Triple Crown was probably the last exciting thing to happen in Detroit sports. Except maybe Yzerman coming back to run the Red Wings. They've actually looked decent a few times this past week!

 

[Scaramouche]

You were doing it wrong - it's disposable. You're supposed to dispose of it before you shave with it. Then use a spoon. You'll get much better results.

 

[Owen Bawn]

You are a MUCH greater man than I (as if there was any doubt?) I remember reading a biography of him (just for fun! LOL) in junior high skool, and that was UNHEARD OF for an ADHD kid during summer break. I cannot imagine how hard he (and all his fellow darker hued colleagues) must have had it in the fifties. I just finished a book I should start a thread on here called "Founding Principles" that was top notch about the way and why our first 4 presidents and some of their conteporaries came to think the way they did. It is wonderfully written, not at all filled with too much "Accedamia" type writing, though at times the author (last name of "Ricks") does a little bit of "opinion piece" type of stuff that inserts himself in to the manuscript. Actually feels a TINY bit like he wanted to get it out before the 2020 election. I really hope he writes another, or expands this one a bit more. I may look into seeing how much I can buy a few to give out as gifts.

Indeed. In some ways Jackie Robinson had it relatively easy. Aaron, Felix Mantilla, & a few other guys integrated the Sally League (South Atlantic League) in cities like Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbus & Macon GA, etc. All the small segregated cities of the Jim Crow south. I used to have my students read the chapter in Henry Aaron's memoir, 'I Had a Hammer,' about his experiences integrating minor league baseball in the deep south in 1953.

 

[Whilliam]

It is with great sorrow I read of your shaving misadventures, as well as great delight that you are able to spend some of this miserable winter in Florida.

Keep the nostalgia coming. It's fun to read.

And next time you travel, splurge. Buy some Gillette Good News disposables. They work for me, so if you are dissatisfied, you can always send the rest of them here.

 

[FarmerTan]

It is with great sorrow I read of your shaving misadventures, as well as great delight that you are able to spend some of this miserable winter in Florida.

Keep the nostalgia coming. It's fun to read.

And next time you travel, splurge. Buy some Gillette Good News disposables. They work for me, so if you are dissatisfied, you can always send the rest of them here.

Yeah, I was cheap. I was telling my sister in law yesterday that my wife and I will die millionaires on paper, still eating on paper plates!

It's funny, I was dirt poor as a teen, and we had a few nickels to rub together when we got married. We NEVER wasted a dime in all those years, are debt free. BUT.....

I have found that it is so difficult to step outside of the mindset that "the next meal might be my last...."

I won't talk about how much money we give away, just to say my lovely bride is more generous of our money and her time than ANYONE you could name (percentage wise.) Her folks were that way; she learned from the BEST. Honestly.

But I have the HARDEST time getting her to spend time or money on herself.

And she said herself not to expect much from a 97¢ purchase! So that was basically license to spend money on a "Good News" razor. But these here "Made in Hades" stamped blades looked SO MUCH LIKE the original that I just HAD to save the $1.59 !!!

Yeah, if ya know of any folks willing to give me brain transplant let me know!

 

[FarmerTan]

So when I get home I'll start a "I'm a REAL MAN!" PIF trying to get rid of these razors. It'll be like a reverse PIF: everybody that "respectfully" declines will be entered!

 

[Acmemfg]

Before I totally hijack this thread...no I would rather grow a beard of ZZ Top proportion than use one of those horrible razors!!
Now....on another note:
I grew up in Vero Beach...LA Dodgers base of operations. People there LOVED those guys, until they bugged out for Arizona. That did not go over well. The training facility kind of went to seed; golf courses shut down. Surely lost the grandeur that was once present there. Kind of sad.
My son often used to play golf with Sandy Koufax, who lived there after his retirement from baseball. I never met him; nice guy I've been told. I went to high school and used to go surfing with the Ozark kids (of Danny Ozark fame). In all, living in the aura of Dodger Blue was an interesting experience. I never was a huge fan though. That was reserved for the Florida/Miami Marlins.

 

[FarmerTan]

Before I totally hijack this thread...no I would rather grow a beard of ZZ Top proportion than use one of those horrible razors!!
Now....on another note:
I grew up in Vero Beach...LA Dodgers base of operations. People there LOVED those guys, until they bugged out for Arizona. That did not go over well. The training facility kind of went to seed; golf courses shut down. Surely lost the grandeur that was once present there. Kind of sad.
My son often used to play golf with Sandy Koufax, who lived there after his retirement from baseball. I never met him; nice guy I've been told. I went to high school and used to go surfing with the Ozark kids (of Danny Ozark fame). In all, living in the aura of Dodger Blue was an interesting experience. I never was a huge fan though. That was reserved for the Florida/Miami Marlins.

Man, of ALL people to hijack a hijacked thread, well.....YOU would be my last choice!

People that have not spent any time down in Fla have NO IDEA how much the local economies benefit from the Ball Clubs and the snow birds.

I should see if I can find any old photos of those '85 Tigers. They just were kids! Bill Frehan and Al Kaline coaching, lol, OLD men, younger than I am now!

 

[ackvil]

i went to Boca Raton around 2003 for work. The water from the tap came out green. I was like OMG do people actually drink this? Even the local radio DJ’s made fun of Boca water.

I lived in Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale for over ten years. The water in all of these places tasted horrible. For the first time, I started to drink bottled water and used distilled water to shave. I had installed a water softener and filtration system in the house I owned in Delray but rented in Boca and Fort Lauderdale. The only worse tasting water was in the Pocono Mountains in PA.

 

[FarmerTan]

I lived in Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale for over ten years. The water in all of these places tasted horrible. For the first time, I started to drink bottled water and used distilled water to shave. I had installed a water softener and filtration system in the house I owned in Delray but rented in Boca and Fort Lauderdale. The only worse tasting water was in the Pocono Mountains in PA.

Yes, we folks in Michigan have this much at least: our well water is usually pretty good. The water in Fla smells as bad as it tastes!

 

[Whilliam]

Yeah, I was cheap. I was telling my sister in law yesterday that my wife and I will die millionaires on paper, still eating on paper plates!

It's funny, I was dirt poor as a teen, and we had a few nickels to rub together when we got married. We NEVER wasted a dime in all those years, are debt free. BUT.....

I have found that it is so difficult to step outside of the mindset that "the next meal might be my last...."

I won't talk about how much money we give away, just to say my lovely bride is more generous of our money and her time than ANYONE you could name (percentage wise.) Her folks were that way; she learned from the BEST. Honestly.

But I have the HARDEST time getting her to spend time or money on herself.

And she said herself not to expect much from a 97¢ purchase! So that was basically license to spend money on a "Good News" razor. But these here "Made in Hades" stamped blades looked SO MUCH LIKE the original that I just HAD to save the $1.59 !!!

Yeah, if ya know of any folks willing to give me brain transplant let me know!

I didn't say you are cheap. I was just needling you a bit--all in good fun.

Me, I'm no different. I just got through ordering some watch buckles from some unknown vendor with no reputation on e-bay . . . just to save a lousy $5 on what otherwise would have been a $20 purchase. (I wonder what I'll actually end up getting, assuming I get anything.)

Now, my father, who came into adulthood in the Depression was really cheap. He could squeeze twenty shaves out of an old Marlin Blue Blade. The thing could be rusty and ragged and he'd still plow ahead with it. Now, that's cheap. He just couldn't help it. He was living the lessons that life had taught him.

You're a lucky man. Your wife sounds generous in spirit, in addition to being generous with money. That's far more important.

 

[FarmerTan]

I didn't say you are cheap. I was just needling you a bit--all in good fun.

Me, I'm no different. I just got through ordering some watch buckles from some unknown vendor with no reputation on e-bay . . . just to save a lousy $5 on what otherwise would have been a $20 purchase. (I wonder what I'll actually end up getting, assuming I get anything.)

Now, my father, who came into adulthood in the Depression was really cheap. He could squeeze twenty shaves out of an old Marlin Blue Blade. The thing could be rusty and ragged and he'd still plow ahead with it. Now, that's cheap. He just couldn't help it. He was living the lessons that life had taught him.

You're a lucky man. Your wife sounds generous in spirit, in addition to being generous with money. That's far more important.

Oh, I had no idea that you may have even said I was cheap! No apology necessary! I have the terrible curse of an incredibly bad short term memory; I swear I remember my birth but can't remember if I ate lunch. I highly recommend chronic brain bleeds, they turn Hallmark movies into real life!

And I think cheap (frugality) is a virtue! Kindness and generosity toward others is a VIRTUE, but I think it is impossible to get beyond your formative years.

My Dad never wasted ANYTHING, and I unfortunately inherited that gene. When you hear stories growing up from your dad picking tar off the road to chew like chewing gum you look back and realize just how blessed you are to have growed up here in the US of A!