(Slaps link to thread) You Can Fit So Much Wrong In This Journal

[thombrogan]

Well, yes. Get Wifey well; get Wifey home; nurture kiddo who’s already better at me in maths and graphic arts than I was at her age to build better world as a geneticist are my jobs. Contract at least two strains of hepatitis and face arrest and civil lawsuit from a practiced nuisance for very momentary ego-feed of seeming chivalrous is not my job.

 

[JoWolf]

Thanks. It was a great ending to a harrowing day.

My blushing Bride needed a final procedure to remove an arterial filter from last year’s terrifying issues. The hospital has a ”no visitors” policy, so I chilled in a parking garage and got some reading done.

About four hours in (the procedure was 10 minutes; the due-diligence CT scan was another 10; but life happens so it took just over 5 from drop off to Wifey’s surprise appearance at the garage), a booming, angry, and raspy voice was shouting profanity-laced threats in the parking lot. A quick alertness check confirmed it was not my inner monologue. Back to same reading while furtively glancing at all the mirrors I had done prior to hearing the emotionally disturbed person wandering the parking garage.

Got the Get-Your-Wifey text and headed out to retrieve the love of my life. The ticket I fed into the exit gate didn’t let me follow up a method of payment. I called the number next to the ticket reader and a gentleman instructed me to park near the gate and go bring my ticket to a cashier.

At this time, my Bride materialized at the entrance of the garage. Nothing says “too slow” like a post-op person popping into the garage to find you. A custodian informed us I could pay my fee at the hospital’s other garage if the cashier office was closed in this one. It was.

Off I went; ticket in pocket; to go use the hospital’s lavatory (it’d been over six hours since leaving home) and pay the parking fee. On the way to the hospital, I saw the source of the violent voice: a disheveled man who was directing his hate towards a woman with whom he was struggling. He threw her over his hip onto the corner of the hospital sidewalk!

Holy $#¡+! An assault!

They were between me and the hospital and it’s bladder-saving washroom. The man lurched a bit towards me as he walked in an opposite direction to me and I awkwardly repositioned, but no physical contact occurred.

The woman made some sarcastic remark to the small group of shocked onlookers I joined. We all meekly approached her when another woman helped her up.

At the hospital entrance, I received a disposable mask (handmade one from my Bride now safely pocketed) and directions to the lav. Yay! No, wait, what?! A couple were finishing a liaison in the bathroom stall next to mine. Argh!

Quickly washed my hands, left the hospital, and went to the cashier office at the other garage. The physically violent man was still on the pathway I previously used screaming vitriol to his heart’s content while security guards stood by and did nothing. Paid my fee, got an exit, ticket, and returned to Bride and vehicle. A car in front of us drove in manners suggesting its operator was a fan of the movie Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang and catatonic fits. Miraculously, the gate of the garage didn’t close on our vehicle whilst we made prayers for the motorist blocking our egress to regain enough lucidity to drive forward a few feet.

Out of Boston, bound for home! We left using the majestic Zakim Bridge.
View attachment 1215076
Not my photo. Didn’t drive on the sidewalks. Honest.

We procured a feast from a restaurant that sold both Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell and returned home to share the magic of tacos with our daughter.

Later, had the mostly pleasant shave.



True. There’s so much absolute luxury at prices affordable to most people. Despite much of the fine feel from the PAA shave stick and Southern Witchcrafts, I’m more tempted by stuff like Harris, Jagger, Linha, and Mühle.

I guess you could say I’m a croapless romantic…

Thom glad your encounter with a troubled man did not get complicated. Good to hear your wife was in and out. Hopefully good healing continues. I would have went for the chicken. Stay Well.

 

[Rosseforp]

Out of Boston, bound for home!

I think Boston pretty much sums it up. I've been to Boston, they do drive on the sidewalks! Glad you were able to avoid the street urchin whilst getting Wifey home safely!

 

[thombrogan]

Glad to hear everything went well with the wife!

Good to hear your wife was in and out. Hopefully good healing continues.

whilst getting Wifey home safely!

Thank you, gentlemen. Follow-ups ensue, but the doctor had good things to say so, currently,

@JoWolf - those hot, oily hens are tasty, but we wanted tacos

 

[thombrogan]

Tonight’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (7)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block

The last shave; especially lathering in the scrub-then-paint method popularized by @Sotiris_A and @TinyT ; gave me enjoyable results and I got greedy. Tried loading the Arko onto my whiskers and just using painting strokes to spread the soap into a lather-like substance and then painting water into it for the desired consistency. My lather bowl still has the sample of Southern Witchcrafts Incorporeal waiting for me to finish (or probably throw it away), so I didn’t whip up the Arko in a bowl before painting it on.

The soap started stinging before the shave. Between that and my ambition, the red dot at the right corner of my lip was joined by some more red dots under the left side of the jawline. Alum reminded me I lost the light touch on the thicker soap layer again.

Whipping up a lather in my bowl or on my face and painting on the water works great, but not using any whipping of the soap was not enjoyable. Could hand lather and brush water, but it seems needlessly complicated.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Sotiris_A]

[...] Tried loading the Arko onto my whiskers and just using painting strokes to spread the soap into a lather-like substance and then painting water into it for the desired consistency. My lather bowl still has the sample of Southern Witchcrafts Incorporeal waiting for me to finish (or probably throw it away), so I didn’t whip up the Arko in a bowl before painting it on.

The soap started stinging before the shave. Between that and my ambition, the red dot at the right corner of my lip was joined by some more red dots under the left side of the jawline. Alum reminded me I lost the light touch on the thicker soap layer again.

Whipping up a lather in my bowl or on my face and painting on the water works great, but not using any whipping of the soap was not enjoyable. Could hand lather and brush water, but it seems needlessly complicated.

[...]

Thom, with a stick, you are skipping loading the brush and you have to do it on the face. I normally start with a touch more water into the brush and splay a bit in the beginning until it is loaded with the soap that was rubbed on the whiskers. I then proceed as usual. However the extended time you spend face lathering can cause brush burn. Dry Arko on my face also creates a tingling sensation.

 

[thombrogan]

I normally start with a touch more water into the brush and splay a bit in the beginning until it is loaded with the soap that was rubbed on the whiskers.

That’s how I normally start, too. And normally continue. Last night was an experiment and it gave me valuable information.

 

[thombrogan]

Tonight’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (1)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block

Didn’t shave last night. Stayed up too late watching “Vera” with my family.

Was going to reintroduce skin stretching on this shave, but felt waiting the extra day was the nee variable.

Loaded my whiskers with ARKO!, scrubbed in a lather, and painted on the extra water until the desired hydration level was reached. Quicker than scrubbing in the extra water and slicker, too. Wonder how this will work with my other creams and soaps.

Right-hand side went really well. Started on the left thinking “no weepers this time? Nice!” and then the red dot appeared on the right side of my lips. And the weepers appeared under the left side of the jawline. The neck/sub-jawline ones didn’t stop on their own.

Finished the shave, washed off the soap and used the alum. Stung a little under the jawline, but not much and was quiet everywhere else. Needed styptic.

Can I join the cool kids and shave every other day? Can I join the cool kids that shave every 5-7 days? Can I be second ATG single pass daily shaver ? Will this current lathering technique let me use my MMOC at the loud angle without paying for it? Childish questions, but not questions a child might ask.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Esox]

Can I join the cool kids and shave every other day? Can I join the cool kids that shave every 5-7 days? Can I be second ATG single pass daily shaver ? Will this current lathering technique let me use my MMOC at the loud angle without paying for it?

 

[thombrogan]

Having an easier time shaving and less mangled skin doesn‘t have quite the same allure as shaving daily. I know it should, but bedtime rolls around and it’s time for ARKO!

 

[TinyT]

I know it should, but bedtime rolls around and it’s time for ARKO!

Sleeping with it now?

 

[thombrogan]

Not now. At bedtime. I‘m not an Arkoleptic.

 

[TinyT]

Not now. At bedtime. I‘m not an Arkoleptic.

 

[thombrogan]

Mr. Murray is too flustered-looking. Either he didn’t use Arko as his shaving soap or cream or has sinus issues.

 

[thombrogan]

Tonight’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (2)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block

After my accidental missing a day resulted in an improved shave, this was an intentional missing two days between shaves (that’s like 72 hours for people with Phoenician-inspired timing systems).

Scrubbed up a lather. Scrubbed some water into it. Realized what I was doing and then painted the remainder of the water into the lather.

Went as design shallow/cap-riderizing as the razor’s curved design allowed and found myself using long, smooth passes . Needed and provided some cleanup and missed some spots a little.

No weepers. Very minor, and fast-fading alum sting followed by a little heat on the neck.

Loaded a fresh blade for next time and looking to see what waiting even longer will do.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (1)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block
Stirling Unscented Menthol with Witch Hazel & Aloe Vera
Stirling Glacial Unscented Aftershave Balm


With five days of growth, I felt like this d00d:

Tried holding off for seven days, but hated feeling grubby. And then the stubble kept more of the lather on the whiskers versus the face. Returned to using skin stretching.

Provided myself with weepers and irritation, but there was barely any tugging on the blade.

With this very limited data set, it looks as though my easiest shaves are performed every third day, but I prefer them daily. Will see if reintroduction of skin stretching will improve daily unstubblings.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Tonight’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (2)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block

Wasn’t the best of shaves, but the ARKO! was applied thick and wetted down to perfection.

It’s been some time since practicing skin stretching. Did some of it better than expected and some of it worse.

Even with lather perfecto, a light touch was out of my grasp. Probably trying too hard at proper skin stretching helped me lose that concentration. No idea.

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[thombrogan]

Last night’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (3)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block
Styptic pencil

Simultaneously tried getting better at “low angle shaving” and skin stretching. Found sheepishly putting on styptic and leaving it on leads a pulsating burning/stinging sensation that does pair well with going right to bed…

Back to skin stretching and developing an even lighter touch than my current light touch (not used in last escapade).

Happy shaves, everyone!

 

[Sotiris_A]

Last night’s shave
RazoRock BBS
Personna Platinum (3)
30mm Maggards Synthetic Brush
Damp washcloth aka “shave binky”
Pre-shave: hot shower
Lather: ARKO!
Post-shave face wash with shave binky
Post-shave alum block
Styptic pencil

Simultaneously tried getting better at “low angle shaving” and skin stretching. Found sheepishly putting on styptic and leaving it on leads a pulsating burning/stinging sensation that does pair well with going right to bed…

Back to skin stretching and developing an even lighter touch than my current light touch (not used in last escapade).

Happy shaves, everyone!

I hope you are not overdoing it with the stretching. IME, a little goes a long way, but more than that is usually too much of a good thing, even if the touch is light.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I hope you are not overdoing it with the stretching. IME, a little goes a long way, but more than that is usually too much of a good thing, even if the touch is light.

Good point!

Yes, overstretched skin gets goose bumps, which a blade will try to plane off. Taking up the slack, rather than actual stretching, will lend stability without increasing vulnerability.