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September 2021 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME)

Back in the MdC and no more runny lather issues. Once you dial it in, this is wonderful stuff.

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A Big kamisori in tamahagane, The Fat, and the wonderful little Beagle bulb made for a great shave today.
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It went so well that I was wondering why I thought I needed a whole month of Big Razor acclimation shaves. I think I've picked up a couple of habits that are essential here, since the last time I used one of my big razors.

Diligent skin-stretching. Big, heavy razors seem to love catching on loose skin, and doing damage when they do.

Shaving the cheeks with short strokes. With long strokes, it's easy to get caught not adjusting your angle right when your face angle changes. One of my most persistent cuts ever was on the very point of my cheekbone. It was persistent because I basically lopped off the top of the mountain formed by my skin over the cheekbone point.

Even though the shave seemed to go perfectly, and the result was very close, there were still some complaints from the alum. I don't even know what I did to earn them. I'm guessing that I just wasn't keeping a light touch intentionally enough. I was enjoying the shave too much. But you have to train before you can back off like that. Maybe this Big Razor Month thing is needed after all.
 
Day 2, 6.7% complete.

Preshave: Hot washcloth
Soap: MWF
Brush: Men-U boar
Razor: GC.68 SB, Astra SP #3
Post-shave: Nivea 2-Phase Lotion.

I can consistently get good-to-excellent results with this razor or the Rockwell now.

MWF and Palmolive work well, and I get on with Astra SP and Wizamet SIs. I've got 750g of these soaps, and >900 blades.

There's nothing else I need to buy to get a good result, so it's random sources of temptation that I should avoid, as Owen Bawn has described.
 
Still in.

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My first shave with the Artist Club Kamisori after a long time and it is as enjoyable as I last remember.

It cleared up the stubble as efficiently as ever and gave me a love bite on the chin as soon as I lacked confidence in the stroke over my chin area in XTG pass - just like the last shave.

La Toja is most welcome change from Arko August (I'm not doing it again).

That kind of discipline has weathered me and I took the change in scent slowly and chose La Toja over my other more vibrant scented soaps.

Alum block was used to tend the love bite and Witch Hazel to finish the shave.

All in all a lovely shave with the Kamisori and I'm once again amazed at how efficient it is.
 
Still in

48 hour dwell
Barbasol travel-size
KCG
Gillette 7 O'Clock Green (1)
Lather and Wood Sandalwood balm

First hotel shave on this business trip. Since it is a fairy long trip, we able to check my luggage and bring my KCG and some blades. Also brought along a previously purchased Schick extreme 2 blade fixed disposable, which has been my travel go-to for years. Water quality is not great here, but made do. 3 pass DFS+ with no nicks, weepers or irritation to speak of. Now off to the salt mines.

Peace.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Red tip Super Speed, Gillette Silver Blue on shave #2, the Beagle fan brush, Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme soap & Stephan Lilac after shave.

Just trapped a red squirrel who made his way into our attic a day or 2 ago. Hopefully he was by himself. Will leave the trap on the roof a few more days before sealing up the wee hole he made to get himself into the house. It's against Ohio law to trap and release a critter in a public park; they can only be released on private property in the same county where the animal was captured, and landowner permission is required. All of which means that this poor squirrel just went for a swim in a burlap bag filled with rocks.
 
Still in (I think we've already lost a couple this month)

Head shave only. It was a nice BBS considering how old the blade is.

- Leaf w/Astra SP (15) - head shaves only
- PAA Awesome Sauce CK-6
- PAA Atomic Rocket synthetic
- Thayers Unscented Witch Hazel
- Captain's Choice Nor'easter AS

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Ignore the below if you don't care about personal non-shaving stuff.

My oldest grandson started kindergarten in August. My mom and dad moved in with us 8/31/2020. I was actually staying at their house last August when I did my first GRUME. In the spirit of my grandson starting school and us living with my parents, I give you my, "What I Did Last Summer" essay.

In March and April I got both of my motor scooters in tip top running order. I've only driven a car locally 2 or 3 times this summer. The rest has been on the scooters.

In May business travel picked up. Our offices are still closed but I had work to do in NYC, LA, and Minneapolis that really couldn't be put off any longer. I also managed to hit Alaska for business and pleasure. We cancelled our personal Hawaii trip. Too much uncertainty.

I finished cleaning up the storm damage in my woods from the August 2020 derecho wind storm. I also helped several neighbors clean up their properties. I'm really sick of being on the end of a chain saw and hauling wood. The nice part is I received a lot of unsolicited shaving stuff as thank-you gifts (along with beer.) The Nor'easter I used today was an example.

My honey bees have been doing well but August slowed honey production because of dry weather and heat. I think I may have over promised some people honey. Hopefully it picks back up now things have cooled off and we're getting rain again.

I worked on a lot of lawnmowers. I believe it's because people saw me working on my scooters and my chain saw. Plus, I have a well equipped shop and my only payment requested has been beer for my shop beer fridge. I do make the person stay with me so they can see what I'm doing. I may be crazy but I'd like to teach them to fish. I don't enjoy working on other peoples' stuff.

My wife has taken up the cello and I've taken up the bagpipes. Her instructor is a dirty hippy, bald with a pony tail and with one tooth that laments he can't make a living teaching the cello. I have a very clean cut, nice smelling, excellent Scottish instructor that is actually an electrical engineer full time but just loves the pipes. He teaches for the good of the instrument.

It seems like everyone in the neighborhood has bought at least one firearm. I'm retired Army and I have a neighbor that's a retired Marine. Both of us did a ride on the firearms instructor train while on active duty. Between the two of us I think we've given two dozen safety and firearms maintenance courses to neighbors. I've been surprised how many women have purchased AR15s. Call me sexist but that surprised me.

Anyway, last weekend mom and I went to a funeral for my sister's father-in-law. He gave me my first paying job when I was 13 years old. He died at 94. He had is mind and his health up until a month before he died. I hope I go that way. This weekend we're going to a wedding. The circle of life gentlemen.

I hope you all had a great summer too.
 
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