Hey there & welcome --
I'm also in the LA area (Sierra Madre), also relatively new to this obsession [did I say that out loud!?], and I also started out as you did: new Dovo from Classic Shaving, also honed by Lynn, etc.
I've been at this for a couple of months, and am just at the point where I have some small command of the process. This way lies madness: acquisition of several other razors, some new soaps 'n' lotions, the contemplation of a Norton stone (and other hones?), and so on into the distance...
My wife also is horrified: she likes the look of the razors, and the feel of my face--but she's unable to watch while I shave. (She'll also take my credit card away after this last bill, but so it goes...)
Cheers,
R