My Favorite Pin-up

My Favorite Pin-up, originally uploaded by gentlemanbeggar.

Via Flickr:
Nikon D40
No retouching.

We were losing light, and I didn’t have a tripod. These were the best shots I was able get of my favorite pin-up model. I think TWGW is stunning in these shots.

 

Thanks for the Cuppa!

I’d like to take a brief moment to say “Thanks” to TWGW. She gave me an awesome anniversary gift for our 6th. She found an online survey about the Senseo coffee pod machine, and after filling it out, discovered that we qualified for a free one! Granted, we did have to pay $15 shipping and handling, but otherwise, it was a $70 coffee maker for free.

It arrived Thursday, along with a box of assorted pods, a canister for keeping them in, and 3 $20 off coupons to give to my friends. For those not in the know, the Senseo coffee machine uses individual “pods” to make coffee, one 4oz. cup at a time. Actually, if you use 2 pods you can make a full 8oz. mug of coffee. The beauty is that it makes your cup in about 30 seconds with a nice frothy surface.

While I drink my coffee black, I found that it made for a slightly weak java, not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. I’ve heard complaints that 1 pod makes coffee too weak, and 2 pods is too strong, but I’m happy with it. I’ve only used the decaf and the “Paris” sample so far, but I was generally pleased with it’s quality. I am by no means a coffee connoisseur, but I found it to be a quite passable cup of brew. I was surprised to find that 4oz was actually a good sized portion, just enough to satisfy my craving for a little of the magic bean. At only one (half)cup of coffee per pod, I can see where it could get a little expensive, but the expense is countered by the convenience of a perfectly sized and well brewed portion of coffee, with very little cleanup.

I’ve read where some people are making their own pods, and I’ve seen where you can buy reusable pods, though I suspect that’s a messy option. I have a drip coffee maker that makes one travel sized mug of coffee and uses a small metal basket filter, and cleaning it is a royal pain. While I like conservation, and think we should reduce waste in general, I can’t overlook the convenience in this simple design. Thanks again, honey, I love it.

 

This is not your father’s shaving advice.

What is it about wet-shaving that appeals to so many? Is it a sense of nostalgia? Could it be a strongly held fascination for quaint technology? Might it be a deep seated appreciation for lost arts? Is it just obsessive collectoritis?

Yes.

If you ask an enthusiast what brought you to using “outdated” shaving equipment and techniques, you will likely get as many different answers as people you ask. Some are in it simply because they are collectors while others enjoy the economy of a modest shaving set. Regardless of their reasons, they are legion and will probably be glad to bend your ear and wax poetic about “last night’s shave.”

This shaving “hobby” can be a very rewarding experience. I would like to take a few moments to offer some advice to those who have just discovered Grampa’s razor and haven’t a clue what to do next.

1. Mingle
This first piece of advice is not completely necessary, but I feel it is invaluable; Find like minded people. The internet is the world’s town square and you can find almost anyone hanging out there at any given time. There are forums and informative blogs dedicated to this obsession of shaving with vintage tools and these places can help to prepare you for what lies ahead.
2. Get a dictionary.
It helps to know a few terms and what they mean before you get too involved in reading about the different techniques people are using. Here are a few to get you started.(But, don’t fret if you see a term you don’t understand, just ask, we’re mostly a friendly lot and will be glad to explain.)
Grain–This is the direction in which your hair grows.
ATG–Against The Grain–The act of shaving against the direction in which your hair grows.
WTG–With The Grain–The act of shaving with the grain of your hair.
xAD–This is an acronym for _____ Acquisition Disorder.–This is the obsessive need to collect some item. “x” represents a variable here that could be anything from Razors to Shaving Creams.
SWMBO/TWGW–She Who Must Be Obeyed, sometimes referred to as The World’s Greatest Wife.–Often the same person.
3. Choke up on the bat.
Many will suggest holding your razor near the tip of the handle. This is initially good advice. While holding the razor near the tips serves to teach one how to shave with a light touch, eventually you will want to choke up a bit and find your razor’s more natural balance point. Some of you might even prefer to hold the razor closer to the head. This isn’t necessarily wrong–a tad unorthodox perhaps–but not wrong.(I might suggest a Gillette Travel Tech) Remember when you’re sliding a scary sharp piece of metal around on your face, you want it to be as comfortable as possible.
4. It doesn’t matter when you shave(or where, for that matter).
Sure, some will tell you that you should only shave in the morning, but lots of us de-fleece in the evening when we have more time to devote to the ritual, and it hasn’t caused any major harm, yet. There’s also nothing wrong with shaving in the bath-tub. It was good enough for James Bond, it’s good enough for you.
5. Ask questions.
When in doubt, ask. No doubt someone else has had the same question before, and will be glad to share what they’ve learned. Sometimes we take for granted that everyone understands what we meant when we say we did an N/S pass with our Fatboy set at 6, following an EVOO prep. If that didn’t make sense, we won’t laugh at you for asking for clarification.
6. Ask questions.
See #5.
7. Be patient.
Wet-shaving takes time. It can almost become a ritual. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to learn about the different techniques. You probably won’t get it all straight away, but as your technique improves, your appreciation will grow. We won’t disown you if you don’t throw away your Fusion on day one. After 2 weeks, we’ll need to talk though–sometimes it’s just time to let go and move on, dude. Seriously.
8. Have a sense of humor.
If you find yourself over at the B&B and we make merry at your expense, please try to remember:
A. We kid because we love.
B. It’s all in good fun.
c. As long as they’re picking on you, they’re leaving me alone.
D. Who am I kidding, they’re probably picking on me, too.

So there it is, wet-shaver, a little advice to help you get started. Take it or leave it, but just remember, take note of what you learn on the journey that lies ahead; you never know when someone will need your advice.

 

Now in Glorious Superlaphonic Hi-Fidelity!

Facing the prospect of spending a day trolling around the city, perusing the same stores we always visit, looking at the same merchandise we always see, my senses were on high alert, seeking a break from the mundane.  While meandering in a local indoor flea market, my eyes fell on THE prize.  It was an audio system, circa 1980 something, missing it’s lid and sitting, wedged forlornly, on a rickety plastic shelf among an assortment of empty votive holders and winking Jesus knives.  The Soundesign beauty beckoned me closer.  As I approached, I noticed the pricetag: $14.99–too rich for my miserly blood.  Then, as if on cue, a cardboard placard inched it’s way into my line of vision–“Everything in this booth 1/2 off”

“Woohoo!” I exclaimed, waving my wife over as she rolled her eyes.  She smiled at my little-boy excitement and sighed inwardly, knowing that I had latched onto another one of my flights of fancy.  I could hardly contain myself for the rest of the evening, hurredly throwing groceries and other sundry goods into our cart, itching to get home and sample the sweet hissy-pop goodness that is audio on vinyl.  As we entered the house, I quickly put away the groceries and rushed to my hidden stash of LPs.  “Where have you been hiding those?” mused the missus.

“Oh, I had them put away.”

“Well, let’s see what you’ve got…”

I pulled out The Rolling Stones Some Girls.

She nodded approvingly.

I pulled out Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

She nodded, unsurprised.

I pulled out Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

She said, “I should have known.”

Then I pulled out a couple of more albums.

“Wait, go back, was that Purple Rain?”

“Yeah, and I’ve got Jethro Tull, too.”

“Jethro Tull!?!”

I had her.  She was hooked.  We finished setting up the record player, and loaded it up.  It sounded great!

“Can we go back to town tomorrow and hit the thrift stores for records?” she pleaded.

The rest of the long weekend was a whirlwind of thrift stores and roadside junkshops as we raided every source of LPs we could think of.  You would not believe the treasures we found, many going for as little as 25¢ apiece.  The haul we ended up with is much like our CD collection, varied and strange.  We have everything from whistling Fred Lowry to “Teach Your Pet Bird to Talk.”  The true treasures of the weekend were priceless, however.  No amount of money could buy the fun we had, searching together, for rare, forgotten music we had never heard before along with tunes that we just knew would carry us back to our quickly fading youth… priceless indeed.

I’ll be putting up pictures and reviews of some of my favourite gems, periodically.  For those who want to see pictures of the collection, TWGW has pictures on her blog.

 

Anticipation

My question is, what’s so wrong with Cipation that Anticipation would even need to exist? And how exactly does one cipate?

We ordered a 100 pack of Derby Extra razor blades yesterday and I can’t wait until they come in. This blade ranks right up there next to Wilkinson Sword blades. After trying one on a friend’s recommendation, I found that it is an excellent “budget” blade. While not quite as smooth and resilient as a Wilk, the blade provided a very pleasurable shave, slicing a two day old growth with ease. After using it for a week, it was still holding it’s own, performing much better than the cheap American Personnas that one finds at Walmart for $1.68. Don’t get me wrong, the Personna is an excellent standby blade, but when I want a little luxury, I reach for the Wilkinsons. Now, I can have close to that same luxury every day! At $17 for 100 blades, the Derbys are only .17 apiece, only 1/5 of a cent more than the Walmart blades. Even with TWGW using the blades too, we should be set for awhile on shaving bliss.

Speaking of anticipation, I got some moulds in the mail this week (Thanks Mamma Bear) and I just used them last night to make a couple of pucks of shaving soap. I’m probably going to start selling my soaps soon! Look out for Uncle Albert’s Amazing Solid Cream Shaving Cakes in a B&B post near you! I worked out another scent last night to add to my short list of fragrant soaps that I can make. This one smells strongly of licorice, and I’m still trying to find a creative name for it. The names of my other soaps are Atreides (Smells kind of like Old Spice) and Captain’s Galley (Orange and clove). Any suggestions on the new scent?