[Leaning in to around 2 inches from my face] Dad! Do you want a big piece of kiwi?
Mom! Dharma spilled a constellation of dog food… It looks like the Big Dipper.
Mom! Dharma ate the north star!
[Listening to Flogging Molly's "The worst day since yesterday"] Dad. Today is both the worst day and the best day since yesterday… it’s the only day since yesterday!
That kid…
The tools...
After a few weeks of shaving with the old man’s safety razor and my regular shave cream, and at the prompting of my recently married friend Chris (congratulations), I decided to take the next logical step and remove as much of the disposable, modern crap from that most manly of activities (no… I mean shaving).
After getting some information from Chris and doing a bit more research on the Tooberwebz (that’s Internet to you n00bz), I ordered up a reasonable starter shave brush. It turns out badger fur makes the only acceptable shave brush… yup, badger. You can get boar or synthetic brushes, but badger is apparently the right way to go. I was amazed at the range of prices for brushes: synth and boar for around $10; bets badger >$1200.
Like many men of the Brownish persuasion (MKs), it has taken a very long time to come up with a set of products and processes that will minimize the level of skin irritation I suffer as a result of shaving. Knowing that there is a reasonable chance that my skin will simply not allow me to continue with my life-long goal of living more like Nat Love, I want to keep my initial spending to a minimum. If it all works out, the cheaper shave brush will wear out and I’ll confidently invest in a better one. If not, I’m only out the $18 that the Tweezerman Deluxe Shaving Brush cost me.
With the brush ordered, I headed to my local sundry shoppe and found that they did not actually sell plain old razor blades… not at the grocery store, not at the department store, not at the drug store. I found a box of single edged blades in with the paint scrapers at the hardware store but that was it. Back to the Bloggerwebz I went and ordered 6 5-packs of Derby Extra stainless blades with chromium-ceramic platinum tungsten polymer coated edges for something like $0.50. I’m pretty sure the coating lets me open doorways into other universes.
The blades arrived and I let the beard grow in anticipation of the awesome shave soap that would be arriving shortly. It was a week before Molly pointed out that I hadn’t actually ordered any soap. Dang.
This time, the grocery store came through! There on the shelf with the rest of the shaving creams and lotions were 4 dusty packages of Williams Mug Shaving Soap (For a Lasting Lather)! Unbelievable!
The same day my grandfather gave me the ring, the razor, and the folding rule, he gave me an old shaving mug with the Old Spice logo on the side. I’m sure it was noting special and that he didn’t have any grand plans when he gave it to me… it was just another thing in a pile of stuff.
Well, them mug is back in action now! Last night I used it for the first time. It was an excellent shave.
I really dig my kids. I’m sure they were in the midst of a pitched Bionicle vs. Hot Wheels battle… or rocking out the the Ramones, Flogging Molly, or The Figureheads… or reading to each other… or arguing with each other.
Mom to kids: Hey, let’s go see a movie today!
Kids: No, thanks.
Mom: But “Cloudy with a chance of meatballs” is out in 3-D! It’s one of your favorite books. Please, please, please… Let’s watch the trailer on my computer.
[play trailer, kids laugh, begin quoting the trailer to each other.]
Mom: So, are we going to go?
Kids: No, thanks.
Dillon: Maybe when we’re a bit older.
Mom: Aaaawwww…
It’s okay, Mol. I’ll take you to a movie.
Molly: No thanks…
Speaking of The Figureheads, you should check them out:
Also, listen:
Kiddo Anthem by the Figureheads
Well, I’ve not had much time to work on my bike over the last several weeks. I’ve been tied up with work, family, and home (BIG thanks to Mike, The Liebls, and The Fullers for all the help with the shed!!). But now that I may actually be able to get my garage/basement workspace in order, I’m ready to get to it. Budget approvals are all in order, so now I’m shopping for a new rear tire, new chain, and brake pads. In addition to the new gauge housing, I’m considering trying to get an internal throttle control setup. Buying one is out of the question ($225), but figuring out how to make one could be fun… This guy did it:
http://boardtracker.blogspot.com/2009/02/internal-throttle.html
http://boardtracker.blogspot.com/2009/02/bruce-dickinson-says-more-throttle.html
http://boardtracker.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-more-throttle.html
I’ll start with something a lot simpler, though… like a set of strap clamps.
A few weeks ago, while making yet another attempt to get my workarea/garage/office sorted, I came across a few things that my grandfather had given me before he died. Anyone who’s spent any time with me has heard at least a little about the old man, and the things that I have that were his are some of my most prized treasures:
- A stainless steel ring he made by working a machine hex nut with hand files (I wear this pretty much every day).
- A set if simple silver cuff links. (These were broken when he gave them to me. Molly had them repaired last year. She’s an excellent person)
- An old hardhat with built-in ear muffs from Ladish (He worked there until he retired)
- His 30-year pin from Ladish (I’ve worn this a few times… special occasions only)
- A toy car he built just before he died.
- A dribble glass.
- A briefcase full of polka music and stand up comedy (think Hal Roach, Abbot and Costello)
- A couple of battered old hand tools, tie clips, keys without locks, and a broken folding rule (which I use often).
- A simple hemlock and maple chessboard he and I built together right around the time Molly and I started dating. This is finished with tung oil and has not only a set of chessmen (shipped from Mexico by way of a friend in Texas), but a set of homemade checkers in its drawer. Joe Ziminski preferred checkers (The plan had been to carve and turn a set of pieces, but that was a little beyond my skills at that point. Plus, the oak dowel I bought was the perfect size for checkers).
- A pair of safety razors… the kind that only requires a new blade, not a whole new plastic and metal assembly. There is one that takes a single edged disposable blade, and one that takes a double:
The double edged
While I was cleaning (read: walking around overwhelmed by the distinct lack of places to put things) I came across these two wonderful little tools and decided that they deserved some love. A quick soak in some wd40 and the application of a nylon brush had them looking pretty good. That night, after everyone was in bed, I loaded the razor pictured above with a fresh blade and shaved.
It is an interesting experience to shave with this kind of device. It would be very easy to cut yourself pretty severely. They were called safety razors, sure, but keep in mind that this was relative to the standard shaving device of the day, the straight razor (interesting note: my younger brother shaves with a straight razor every day). It’s not like the 3 and 4 bladed contraptions we normally use… it’s next to impossible to cut your face with those. I took it very slowly and came away without any serious damage, but with an exceptionally close shave.
I love using my grandfather’s old stuff… even his old jokes:
[While turning out the lights in the shop and heading to the bar for a shot and a beer] Like the shepherd said to his partner at the end of the day, let’s get the flock out of here.
