Dignity and the Wet shave

[BigAlVista]

Day 3: New York, San Francisco, London, Brebbia and Shanghai

I learned what chicharones de Pollo were following my father to Latin America when he sold industrial pipe to Gulf and Western. I've had the pleasure of watching two enormous Manta rays swim within inches of my face wile SCUBA diving in French Polynesia. I lived in Barcelona when the Socialists took power from the Fascists, arriving when Catalan was an illegal language and departing when nobody spoke anything but. I was chased out of a disco in Soviet Odessa following a meeting with Comsomal students during the time of Yuri Andropov. I've built and deployed enterprise financial systems across Europe. And I'll never forget visiting an Israeli Moshav that was bombed several days after I departed.

But there is an entire hemisphere's worth of culture and history where my experiences are limited to what I've eaten at restaurants, had delivered courtesy of Uber Eats, and purchased through Best Buy or Amazon Prime. I've always wanted to visit the far east - twice I even had tickets to go to India for work, but the visits were not meant to be. Each trip was canceled at the last minute for one reason or another.

So I'm lying here, flat on my back, waxing nostalgic. My head is fastened to my torso by a stitched up neck and a cervical collar. My arms are a bit shaky having spent too much pre-dawn time typing upwards into my cell phone, trying to escape the boredom of recovery. I'm looking forward to the sun rising so that I can start my day with a blade evaluation of P&Gs London Bridge blades, made in Shanghai. Not a true cultural experience, but it will have to do.

-----

Following last night's Dante-esque set back, I have a bit more mobility today and was able to change up my kit.

Pre-Shave	SV mango butter, PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Lavender Preshave
Soap/Cream	SV Dolomite
Brush	SV 2-band
Scuttle	Pereira
Razor	Blackbird TI Lite
Blade	London Bridge Shanghai (1)
1st Pass Eval	8.5
2nd Pass Eval	9.1
3rd / Buffing Pass Eval	9.5
Razer, Blade and Cream Observations	Great 1st shave with this blade/razor combo.
Post Shave	Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm
Cologne/Fragrance	SV 70th Parfum
Overall Efficiency	9.4
Pre-buffing Smoothness	9.2
End of Shave Irritation (lower is better)	1
Nicks	0
Weepers	0
Overall Shave Rating	9.5/10 BBS-
Comments	Nice shave.

 

[huck1680]

I had never really traveled that much until I met my wife at the age of 55. I was married before in my early 20's but consider that a "learning phase". Anyway she traveled quite a bit and I was more than happy to tag along and learn. So far it's been great and we have specific places and countries we are looking to visit. It's a great way, no it's the BEST way, to understand a people and their culture. As to the foods that different cultures make etc I've got a pretty open mind but there's still things and critters I will not consider.Just because the sun shines on its back doesn't mean I have to eat it.
Also congrats on the extra bit of mobility. Each day is gonna get you that much closer to where you want to be.
Patience is truly a sometimes undervalued virtue...or as my father was fond of saying "Patience belong in a hospital".
BADABOOM! Here all week.

 

[thombrogan]

Hoping you’ll be able to visit South Asia and East Asia after you’ve recovered, Mark. The only places I’ve ever traveled outside the USA were Canada and Texas.

 

[BigAlVista]

Hoping you’ll be able to visit South Asia and East Asia after you’ve recovered, Mark. The only places I’ve ever traveled outside the USA were Canada and Texas.

Hilarious!!!

 

[BigAlVista]

I had never really traveled that much until I met my wife at the age of 55. I was married before in my early 20's but consider that a "learning phase". Anyway she traveled quite a bit and I was more than happy to tag along and learn. So far it's been great and we have specific places and countries we are looking to visit. It's a great way, no it's the BEST way, to understand a people and their culture. As to the foods that different cultures make etc I've got a pretty open mind but there's still things and critters I will not consider.Just because the sun shines on its back doesn't mean I have to eat it.
Also congrats on the extra bit of mobility. Each day is gonna get you that much closer to where you want to be.
Patience is truly a sometimes undervalued virtue...or as my father was fond of saying "Patience belong in a hospital".
BADABOOM! Here all week.

View attachment 1810002

It's funny. I don't think I would have even met my wife had I not done all that traveling as a young man. My folks were pretty conservative and definitely had a tribal view on things like marriage. They certainly did not expect me to fall in love with a girl from eastern Europe, whose father was a local communist Party leader in Northern Poland. Had I not developed an appreciation for places and cultures other than my own, I probably would never have had my first date with her.

I'll never forget my first trip to Ostrołęka (a small city about 100km north of Warsaw) when everyone wanted to meet my wife's American husband. For two days straight, my father-in-law was pouring homemade Brandy while my mother-in-law served up kashanka, kiełbasa, gołomki and sałatki. Whenever someone walked in the door, another round of drinks! Whenever someone left? Another round of drinks! Did someone want to say something profound (or at least sound profound)? You got it...another shot! You should note that none of them spoke any English and I did not yet speak Polish. No worries, "daj mi kieliszek" (Polish for pass the shot glass). My father-in-law fancied himself a bit of a linguist. Whenever someone wanted me to understand something when my wife was out of the room, they would tell him and he would translate into Russian.

I don't speak Russian.

Again not a problem. He would just repeat what he said, but loader. And pass around the bottle.

My parents idea of "overdoing it" was to split a bottle of Malbec.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Mark, I see you used my favorite brushes, i.e., the SV High Mountain Manchurian Two band... I have three of them and just love them. I went brushless on this trip to Bali and I can't wait to get home to our cat and my badger shaving brushes.

I know this recovery isn't going as quickly as you'd hoped.... I'm glad to see you are taking your time and your lovely wife is assisting you.... Continued well wishes as you overcome the struggle, day by day.

 

[lasta]

Hi Mark, I just stumbled here after the daily Alum Shed jerry can watering session...hesitant to start another bout.

But I hope you get well soon and back into the kieliszek life!

 

[BigAlVista]

Mark, I see you used my favorite brushes, i.e., the SV High Mountain Manchurian Two band... I have three of them and just love them. I went brushless on this trip to Bali and I can't wait to get home to our cat and my badger shaving brushes.

I know this recovery isn't going as quickly as you'd hoped.... I'm glad to see you are taking your time and your lovely wife is assisting you.... Continued well wishes as you overcome the struggle, day by day.

Thanks, Kim. It is what it is, and am confident things will turn out well. SV does make great products.

 

[BigAlVista]

Day 4: 1st World Problems: Blade Acquisition Disorder

I start typing this at 3am, after belatedly taking my 2am FOP. (I guess I'll never learn). I am officially awake. I decided to catch up on the past few days worth of ignored emails. Inside one, was an offer from Shopify for a Leaf Twig razor for about $18! Eeee-hahhh. I've struck gold (zamac...gold...whatever).

When I started my wet shaving journey a year ago, I told myself I would be saving money. I invested $60 in a Merkur slant and bought 100 Astra blades and a jar of Body Shop shave cream. I figured the razor would last me for years, so my real costs were the blades and the soap. At $.10 and 4 shaves per blade, this would be my first almost free hobby!

Up until that point, my annual shaving expenditure consisted of:

• 3-4 packs of Gillette cartridges: $40
• 3 tube's of Shave gel: $21
• 1/3rd of a Fusion razor (I typically bought a new one every three years): $10
• 5 oz cologne: $50

Prior cost per day: About 35 cents

My cabinet now has 13 razors, 15 brushes, 3 lifetimes worth of blades, 2 dozen soaps and about a dozen pre-shave products. There are Colognes, shave balms, hydrating oils and G-d knows what else (Mental note to self: Call Travelers for a quote on a wet shaving gear rider).

As noted in Mirrium Webster's, Blade Acquisition Disorder (or BAD) is a mental health addiction problem effecting thousands worldwide. It is characterized by a desire to purchase just about anything related to shaving, the need to feel the scrape of a single edged razor across your face in pursuit of skin as soft as a baby's bottom, and an ever so slightly masochistic tendency to seek out the sting of alum. If you are an active member of this forum in good standing, with at least 25 posts, you may suffer from this infermity and should seek help. Alum Anonymous offers free, confidential group sessions and has been deemed effective by the American Shaving Society

After that first shave with my 39C, I knew I had it. BAD.

I should set an annual budget for myself. What would be reasonable, noting that I shave daily, like nice cologne, and appreciate shiney new toys finely engineered devices?

• Razors: (Vector? Osprey? Maybe a Sailor?): $300
• Brushes (enough with the brushes already. We'll maybe one more): $150
• Blades (My great grand kids will be using the blades I already have, but my collection of AC blades is thin): $50
• Soap pucks (I'm looking at you, SV): $200
• Pre-shave soaps (just put PAA and Grooming Dept. on direct deposit): $100
• Cologne: $150
• Alum, balms, creams, oils, etc: $50

So, a grand will do. True cost per shave ? ~$3. Half the price of a Venti Latte! I can live with that.

I will be spending my lunch hours going to 12-step program meetings Mantic59 shave clinics and have already taken the first step towards recovery; I acknowledge that I have stubble.

The $18 Leaf Twig will be arriving Wednesday.

Today's shave:

Pre-Shave	PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Lavender Preshave
Soap/Cream	SV 70th
Brush	SV 2-band
Scuttle	Pereira
Razor	Blackbird TI Lite
Blade	London Bridge Shanghai (2)
1st Pass Eval	8.7
2nd Pass Eval	9.0
3rd / Buffing Pass Eval	9.1
Razer, Blade and Cream Observations	Ok 2nd shave with this blade/razor combo. Despite this being only the 2nd shave, there was a bit of tug.
Post Shave	Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm
Cologne/Fragrance	SV 70th Parfum
Overall Efficiency	8.8
Pre-buffing Smoothness	9
End of Shave Irritation (lower is better)	2
Nicks	0
Weepers	0
Overall Shave Rating	9.1/10 BBS-
Comments	OK. Nothing special.

 

[blethenstrom]

Day 4: 1st World Problems: Blade Acquisition Disorder

I start typing this at 3am, after belatedly taking my 2am FOP. (I guess I'll never learn). I am officially awake. I decided to catch up on the past few days worth of ignored emails. Inside one, was an offer from Shopify for a Leaf Twig razor for about $18! Eeee-hahhh. I've struck gold (zamac...gold...whatever).

When I started my wet shaving journey a year ago, I told myself I would be saving money. I invested $60 in a Merkur slant and bought 100 Astra blades and a jar of Body Shop shave cream. I figured the razor would last me for years, so my real costs were the blades and the soap. At $.10 and 4 shaves per blade, this would be my first almost free hobby!

Up until that point, my annual shaving expenditure consisted of:

• 3-4 packs of Gillette cartridges: $40
• 3 tube's of Shave gel: $21
• 1/3rd of a Fusion razor (I typically bought a new one every three years): $10
• 5 oz cologne: $5

Prior cost per day: About 35 cents

My cabinet now has 13 razors, 15 brushes, 3 lifetimes worth of blades, 2 dozen soaps and about a dozen pre-shave products. There are Colognes, shave balms, hydrating oils and G-d knows what else (Mental note to self: Call Travelers for a quote on a wet shaving gear rider).

As noted in Mirrium Webster's, Blade Acquisition Disorder (or BAD) is a mental health addiction problem effecting thousands worldwide. It is characterized by a desire to purchase just about anything related to shaving, the need to feel the scrape of a single edged razor across your face in pursuit of skin as soft as a baby's bottom, and an ever so slightly masochistic tendency to seek out the sting of alum. If you are an active member of this forum in good standing, with at least 25 posts, you may suffer from this infermity and should seek help. Alum Anonymous offers free, confidential group sessions and has been deemed effective by the American Shaving Society

After that first shave with my 39C, I knew I had it. BAD.

I should set an annual budget for myself. What would be reasonable, noting that I shave daily, like nice cologne, and appreciate shiney new toys finely engineered devices?

• Razors: (Vector? Osprey? Maybe a Sailor?): $300
• Brushes (enough with the brushes already. We'll maybe one more): $150
• Blades (My great grand kids will be using the blades I already have, but my collection of AC blades is thin): $50
• Soap pucks (I'm looking at you, SV): $200
• Pre-shave soaps (just put PAA and Grooming Dept. on direct deposit): $100
• Cologne: $150
• Alum, balms, creams, oils, etc: $50

So, a grand will do. True cost per shave ? ~$3. Half the price of a Venti Latte! I can live with that.

I will be spending my lunch hours going to 12-step program meetings Mantic59 shave clinics and have already taken the first step towards recovery; I acknowledge that I have stubble.

The $18 Leaf Twig will be arriving Wednesday.

Today's shave:

Pre-Shave	PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Lavender Preshave
Soap/Cream	SV 70th
Brush	SV 2-band
Scuttle	Pereira
Razor	Blackbird TI Lite
Blade	London Bridge Shanghai (2)
1st Pass Eval	8.7
2nd Pass Eval	9.0
3rd / Buffing Pass Eval	9.1
Razer, Blade and Cream Observations	Ok 2nd shave with this blade/razor combo. Despite this being only the 2nd shave, there was a bit of tug.
Post Shave	Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm
Cologne/Fragrance	SV 70th Parfum
Overall Efficiency	8.8
Pre-buffing Smoothness	9
End of Shave Irritation (lower is better)	2
Nicks	0
Weepers	0
Overall Shave Rating	9.1/10 BBS-
Comments	OK. Nothing special.

Sir you certainly knows how to liven up things. Now that was a shave of the day report. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it1

 

[lasta]

The savings start when you realize you have everything you wanted.

But the journey to that realization can be very expensive.

 

[BigAlVista]

The savings start when you realize you have everything you wanted.

But the journey to that realization can be very expensive.

Then, it will be time for a new hobby!!!

Been there.

Done that.

Have the T-shirt (and the dye-litho machine to make the T-shirt)

 

[BigAlVista]

Sir you certainly knows how to liven up things. Now that was a shave of the day report. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it1

Thank you, Blethenstrom. Feel free to call me BigAl or Mark

 

[blethenstrom]

Thank you, Blethenstrom. Feel free to call me BigAl or Mark

I will be glad to Mark. I am Boris by the way.

 

[BigAlVista]

I will be glad to Mark. I am Boris by the way.

Nice to meet you, Boris.

 

[Rico Suave]

Hi Mark. I just read through this thread, and I want to add my best wishes for a speedy recovery. I have been where you are, more or less. For me it was L5/S1, more than 20 years ago. I got better after surgery, and I hope that you will too. You seem to have your head in the right place and that is more than half the battle. Hang in there brother.

David (aka Rico)

 

[BigAlVista]

Hi Mark. I just read through this thread, and I want to add my best wishes for a speedy recovery. I have been where you are, more or less. For me it was L5/S1, more than 20 years ago. I got better after surgery, and I hope that you will too. You seem to have your head in the right place and that is more than half the battle. Hang in there brother.

David (aka Rico)

Thank you, David. Glad your surgery was a success! It would seem I'm on the frequent flyer program (C6-C7 in 2006 and L4-L5 in 2022). Both procedures went well for me as well, and I'm optimistic about this one. I'm happy to hear you have been spared return visits.

I'm not sure why, but the boredom and muscle pain on this go around has been tougher than the two prior. Keeping this journal and hearing from members of the community is definitely making the recovery easier.

Be well!

 

[BigAlVista]

Day 5: Wong-Baker, Mr. Sejsnic's ropes and Tibetan Sand Mandelas

It's late October of 1970. I'm an 8-year old sitting on the gymnasium floor at Heathcote Elementary School. In front of us hang three thick ropes suspended from the ceiling. There is a big knot at the bottom of each. The knots are about a foot-and-a-half off the floor. There are thick gym mats below the hung lines. Our gym teacher is Mr. Sejsnic. He is tall, and what would a half-century later be called "buff". He reminds me of Jack Lalanne from the television show, but with sunglasses. He explains that today, we would learn to climb the ropes. One of the girls in our class is hearing impaired, wears thick glasses, and comes across as what my mother would call "sickly". She asks Mr. Sejsnic about the mats and he tells us that, if we were to fall and didn't have them, we could pinch a nerve in our neck. I pinch myself hard to get a better appreciation of this whole "pinched nerve" business. It doesnt hurt much, so I take my turn at the rope without trepidation.

Someone once told me that the graphical pain scale on display at hospitals was invented by Purdue Pharma to sell Oxy. I've since learned that the happy-to-sad faces visible in almost every hospital room everywhere were invented in 1983 by Donnie Wong and Connie Baker to help children communicate how much pain they felt. On that car ride home from the hospital this past Thursday, I didn't get the sense that the faces truly captured the nuances involved, though I do imagine that Purdue benefitted from them.

I spent several hours pulling together and drafting my thoughts on the topic. I carefully documented each level from 0 to 9 based on personal experience (I never experienced a "10". I hope I never will). I considered sensory stimulus, the need for medication, social graces, the impact on work, communication and the perception of time. I mused on whether my 8-year old self would ever have climbed that gym rope if he understood what a pinched nerve really was.

I thought my depiction was accurate and insightful. It was also depressing and unlikely to be helpful to anyone (accept maybe a shrink). Once I was confident I had my thoughts properly conveyed, I selected the text and hit the delete key.

Pain sucks. Time to put on my big-boy pants and continue climbing.

Today's shave of the day: London Bridge blades, made in Shanghai: 3rd shave

China has become the world's breadbasket for manufactured goods. They have established themselves as leaders across consumer electronics, artificial intelligence, power storage, security and surveillance, automotive and more. Despite all of that, they are not known for producing the finest cold-rolled steel. If these London Bridge blades are any indication, I can see why.

Today's shave of the day:

Pre-Shave	PAA cube and Grooming Dept. Lavender Preshave
Soap/Cream	SV Felce
Brush	SV 2-band
Scuttle	Pereira
Razor	Henson Ti in ++
Blade	London Bridge Shanghai (3)
1st Pass Eval	7.2
2nd Pass Eval	8.1
3rd / Buffing Pass Eval	8.3
Razer, Blade and Cream Observations	Switched back to the Henson so I could do an apples to apples comparison with the UK varient.
Post Shave	Thayers, AofS Bourbon balm
Cologne/Fragrance	SV 70th Parfum
Overall Efficiency	6
Pre-buffing Smoothness	7
End of Shave Irritation (lower is better)	4
Nicks	0
Weepers	0
Overall Shave Rating	7/10 - Socially acceptable shave
Comments	Meh. Binned before it got rough.

 

[blethenstrom]

Day 5: Wong-Baker, Mr. Sejsnic's ropes and Tibetan Sand Mandelas

It's late October of 1970. I'm an 8-year old sitting on the gymnasium floor at Heathcote Elementary School. In front of us hang three thick ropes suspended from the ceiling. There is a big knot at the bottom of each. The knots are about a foot-and-a-half off the floor. There are thick gym mats below the hung lines. Our gym teacher is Mr. Sejsnic. He is tall, and what would a half-century later be called "buff". He reminds me of Jack Lalanne from the television show, but with sunglasses. He explains that today, we would learn to climb the ropes. One of the girls in our class is hearing impaired, wears thick glasses, and comes across as what my mother would call "sickly". She asks Mr. Sejsnic about the mats and he tells us that, if we were to fall and didn't have them, we could pinch a nerve in our neck. I pinch myself hard to get a better appreciation of this whole "pinched nerve" business. It doesnt hurt much, so I take my turn at the rope without trepidation.

Mark, when you started your post I could not help to remember back to the days when I was tasked with climbing the rope. Very similar scenario to what you described. I think the reason that I remember that time is due to my very painful rope burn that followed. You know what I am talking about. It is fine as long as you are climbing. You reach the top and about to descend and you release a bit too much pressure on the rope and you descend at a good clip and the resulting pain when the skin burns and rips off your hands was something that you remember. That was my experience with the first gym rope climbing. However, I take burnt skin in my hands any day over pinched nerves. You hang in there. Day by day it will get better.

 

[BigAlVista]

Mark, when you started your post I could not help to remember back to the days when I was tasked with climbing the rope. Very similar scenario to what you described. I think the reason that I remember that time is due to my very painful rope burn that followed. You know what I am talking about. It is fine as long as you are climbing. You reach the top and about to descend and you release a bit too much pressure on the rope and you descend at a good clip and the resulting pain when the skin burns and rips off your hands was something that you remember. That was my experience with the first gym rope climbing. However, I take burnt skin in my hands any day over pinched nerves. You hang in there. Day by day it will get better.

I hear you, Boris. I had totally forgotten about the hand burn! For me, the memory is a good one. Thanks for mentioning it!