Other than traditional shaving, what other "old school" things do you do?

[rmac]

Just occurred to me that I largely prefer doing most things the old fashioned way, including shaving. Lately though I've found myself doing other things. The two most recent are using a twin-tub washing machine (much more involved and enjoyable than simply loading and hitting the 'go' button) and taking blood pressure manually. I really enjoy the latter, especially followed by an automatic reading just to see how close I am! Also I like cycling as opposed to driving, and maintaining my bike largely by myself.

So what else do you guys do?


Thanks,

R

 

[Ravenonrock]

We dry our clothes on a long laundry line when the weather permits. I rarely see people hanging laundry to dry anymore, not where I live anyway. I like the simplicity of it and the connection to things past that some practices have. The physicality of it appeals to me. I split rounds with a wedge and a maul, there are more time saving (back saving) options but I like the feel, the effort, the payoff perhaps. I bake bread, I grow vegetables, not old school perhaps, but some of these simple pleasures are being lost to convenience IMHO. I like the old ways.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Most of my watches are automatic or mechanical - does that count? We cook almost all our meals, which is kind of a lost art these days.

I do like that that the Internet allows me to order very niche, very specific products, often from a family-owned small business. Whether that is artisan soaps or lightweight backpacking gear, it allows me to support a small business. It's not quite the same as supporting a local business, but it's close.

 

[dymaxion]

I hang our clothes out to dry when the weather permits. My neighbor once asked why I hang out the clothes. I replied "To Dry them".

 

[WetShaveVet]

Like MrSpeedy we cook almost all of our own meals. We will occasionally go to a restaurant but it won't be a chain and it won't be fast food. I take lunch to work 90% of the time too. I do my own yard work. I wash and iron my own shirts. I also like fountain pens.

 

[Wogus]

At one point in my life I raised honey bees, made soap (bath and laundry) and home-brewed beer and mead.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I also hang my clothes out, and cook from scratch.

I smoke a pipe, use nasal snuff, walk everywhere (had to give the car up for medical reasons). I read books. Proper paper ones. I find places on maps too. I sharpen knives when they're blunt, and not just buy new ones. I occasionally listen to the radio. I carry a handkerchief and a pocket knife. I sometimes use a fountain pen, or a wooden pencil.

As well as what I do, there's what I don't do. I don't watch television (I don't own one). I don't shower, I take baths. I don't use shampoo, I use water or herbal rinses, and pure bristle brushes. I don't use stalker media, or think it's acceptable to have every aspect of my life digitally recorded and analysed.

 

[Owen Bawn]

My daughters are both away from home- one in grad school and the other in college. My wife texts with them all the time, but I send them a handwritten letter every week or 10 days. They seldom reply via the mail, and we also connect through email and phone, but I want them to have the experience of an artifact of their father's love.

I have a GE Superadio that I bought 30 years ago. I still use it at night to listen to ballgames, hockey broadcasts, and local overnight talk radio programs from distant cities. Squeezing the AM signal through the ether is much more romantic than listening online.

Finally, I read Latin each day (and I'm not a Latin teacher). That's as 'old school' as you can get.

EDIT- seeing all the references to drying clothes in this thread, I just remembered my Irish mother's way of describing the weather in terms of the day's suitability for drying the wash outdoors.

 

[Atlantic59]

- Cook from scratch. Many of my appliances have simple old-fashioned controls, like knobs and mechanical timers.
- Like using cast iron pots and pans. Use old-fashioned pressure-cookers that hiss and shoot out steam.
- Bake bread
- Drive smaller cars with a manual transmission and four cylinder engines.
- Maintain two cars myself. Both cars are over 15 years old but drive fine.
- Read actual paper books
- Listen to vinyl records
- Do not own an actual TV
- Prefer to use a whole-house fan and open the windows instead of using air conditioning
- Use a map & compass when hiking
- Sharpen knives with a whetstone

 

[Jan Sobieski]

Too many to start naming them....

 

[Owen Bawn]

Too many to start naming them....

Ah, g'wan. Give us a few...

 

[sanookd]

Burn and split firewood and drive a car with 3 pedals.

 

[henrickd]

-We don’t use our central A/C
-We cook from scratch
-Vegetable Garden
-I pressure can
-We buy an entire live beef and live hog, butcher and split the meat with my sister’s family
-We moved my parents into our house when they could no longer take care of themselves.

 

[nicobie]

I do my woodworking without the use of power tools (mostly).

 

[rbscebu]

I don't have a TV or watch movies. Instead I listened to the wireless and read books for entertainment and knowledge. Remember those things printed on paper?

I cook all my meals from scratch.

I write letters to friends using a fountain pen on paper and post them.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Does following pin-up models on Instagram count? LOL

 

[henrickd]

Does following pin-up models on Instagram count? LOL

In my book yes.

 

[Badgerstate36]

In my book yes.

Nice. Theres some truly beautiful women who are pin-up models on IG and I just find the style to be so beautiful.

 

[haggis]

Use punctuation; I am especially fond of semicolons.

 

[Gauthier]

I have a GE Superadio that I bought 30 years ago. I still use it at night to listen to ballgames, hockey broadcasts, and local overnight talk radio programs from distant cities. Squeezing the AM signal through the ether is much more romantic than listening online.

AM radio has mostly been shut down here in Europe. The same goes for shortwave. What a shame! I also possess radios that could receive AM, but it doesn't bring me anything anymore. I used to enjoy listening to stations from the other countries. In the middle of the night, one can sometimes get in China.