Ode to a can shaped glob of goo

Oh Cranberry,
What strange bedfellows you haff.
I find thee paired with so many–
It makes me laugh.
There you sit, entwined with Apple,
and Orange,
(nothing really rhymes with orange).
If I long for your flavour so tart,
I need only add 100% cran to my cart.
But on this special day,
On which we give thanks to the Creator of man,
I only long for thy gelatinous form,
in the shape of a can.

–Plum Gonzo

Well, it’s Thanksgiving, and we’re all supposed to count our blessings today. Really, we should give thanks to the Almighty every day. I won’t go into all the things for which I am thankful, because I’d fill up the internet, but suffice to say, on that list is cranberry sauce in the shape of the can! Seriously, does it get any better than that?

I’m thankful that I have this forum through which to talk about things that bring me pleasure, and I’m thankful for my handful of readers. Those that have been around me since I discovered it know that I’m thankful for www.badgerandblade.com where I can enjoy the company of other shaving fanatics and general weirdos. Seriously, those guys are awesome, and they have a metric ton of advice and tips about wetshaving. You couldn’t ask for a more friendly and generous group of guys (and gals!) than the folks over there. I’d like to throw a special thanks out to Farace, who sent me a 5 pack of greek Bic blades to try out. They seem to be working pretty well, Bob!

Most of all, I’m thankful I’m not a turkey. (though some would argue that point with me).

I should also point out that I’m very thankful for my beautiful, caring wife who puts up with the strange mind that writes poems about cranberry sauce and talks incessantly about wetshaving and “the guys over at the B&B.”

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

S-O-D-A where do you want to go today!?!

I just had to offer a little love for a local store. The wife and I discovered this place a few weeks back, and I just want to brag on them a bit. The name is “Simple Delight’s Emporium” and the missus and I just love it.

They have an old fashioned soda fountain with a separate menu just for sodas. You wouldn’t believe all the flavors they have. So far we’ve tried Violet (yes, it tastes just like the flower smells), Cherry cola, Dreamsicle, and Almond Cherry Blossom (Mmmmm, nutty!). They just recently opened full time and they added excellent paninni to their menu.

More than sodas and food though, they have a hodge podge of miscellanea. Everything from handmade soaps to Victorian jewelry. One of the showpieces of their collection (and it’s for sale!) is an old jewelled headdress like you see in the woodcuts from the 20’s. They sell all manner of fancy buttons, and yes, ladies, they even have makeup. It all looks like quality stuff.

More importantly, they have shaving stuff. Albeit, not much right now, but it’s a start. They carry Kingsley brand shaving soaps and they have a red handled Omega boar-hair brush with stand and cream. I understand the Omega boars come highly recommended.

It’s a family owned/operated store. The family that owns it, the Fife’s, are from a small town near where I live. It’s encouraging to see the downtown area attract this kind of business, and I hope business stays strong for them. They’re really nice people; we’ve met them all, and we’ve been in enough times that they recognize us as regulars.

The youngest son will be on the big screen soon. He’s an extra in the new Steven King movie, The Mist.

Simple Delight’s Emporium
122 East Hiram Street
Atlanta, TX 75551

If you stop in, tell them “The bald guy with the website” sent you. It might not get you a discount, but maybe it’ll score me a free soda! Us GBs gotta stick together, you know?

A hole in the updates

Some of you may notice a gap in the posts.  I have chosen to remove some posts that were of a private nature.  Those of you who commented, both online and off, my wife and I thank you for your prayers and your concerns.  It was very touching to see how much support we have had during these last couple of weeks.  The passing of my wife’s step-sister was indeed a shock and a troublesome event.  Without your help, it would have been much more difficult.  When I started this blog, it was not meant to be anything but a forum for me to talk about things in life that bring me pleasure, e.g. wetshaving, movies, reading, and finding a good deal.  Who could have predicted that so quickly it would serve as  a vehicle for sharing tragic news efficiently?  I hope that from now on, I can keep the posts to more light-hearted faire, because, as we all know, the web doesn’t have enough fluff!  So please, my fellow GBs, spread the word far and wide and let’s see if we can’t make some lint of epic proportions!

A question of Economics and Depilitation

Ok, so I’m cruising the (e)bay, trolling for deals on exotic blades and razors to satiate my various ADs, and a thought hits me. I see these guys selling bulk packs of blades, and the numbers start crunching in my head.

Okay, let’s say I want to buy 100 blades of “Scrayp-ur-face” brand blades, you know, the ones with “polychromic titani-platinum microsurface nano-edges and hand laser-etched blood-wicking grooves to keep your weepers clean.” Let’s say for the ease of math that these things cost $25.00 US with no shipping. Alright, that comes out to .25 a blade right? So, if Razordood_127 can sell me those blades at .25 a piece, what’s he paying for them? I’m guessing around .15 a blade, a clear .10 per profit. Not too shabby. I’m all for Razordood_127 getting a little on the side for acting as a middleman and getting me my blades that are only available in stores in Lower Slobberonia, but my question is this:

When Razordood_127 decides he wants to sell blades, where does he go to get the blades for .15 a piece? I’m assuming he has to buy a half-million blades to get that price, and are there really enough of us out there using those blades to warrant that big of a purchase? I mean, there’s got to be at least another half dozen guys selling those very same Scrayp-ur-face blades, making that same .10 per blade… and if it only costs Razordood_127 .15 a blade, that means that the manufacturer probably makes them for less than a penny apiece, leaving me wondering why they don’t just sell them direct at .20 and cut out the middleman, thus giving the end consumer a better deal and possibly selling more blades. Because hey, at that price, I can afford to change a blade every 3 shaves instead of my usual 7.

Quite the Dandy!

Well, here it is! I’ve finally dropped into the 21st century and started a blog. I feel like quite the dandy. I realize everyone and his brother has a blog, but I needed to add my voice to the cacophany. I plan to use this space to extoll the virtues of everything that catches my notice. I may not have all the answers to the world’s problems, nor am I an expert on anything, but I know what I like, and I think others might enjoy my ramblings. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!