Well, today it arrived ... my very first straight razor and couldn't be more pleased. I have been a member for just under a month now and would like to thank everyone for being so helpful. This place really is awesome. I bought the razor from hellblond1! on Ebay and would highly recommend the seller. The price was right, it shipped fast, and it even included a strop which was not mentioned. Here is a picture (sorry about the inversion it was taken on my laptops camera)

http://www.imagebam.com/image/ac2e1f2965633


After reading about the horror stories of newbies like myself shaving without first having there razor professionally honed, I was wondering if there are any members in the New England area who I could send my razor to. I have no idea what this would cost, but I am a poor college student in the boston area and have unfortunately spent the majority of my funds on the razor itself. My friends all pointed out that I could have bought a lot of beer for 80 dollars haha. If someone could point me in the right direction that would be wonderful. Lastly, I was wondering, what's the ruling on strait razor shaving with gel (like Gillete). I don't know when I am going to be able to get a brush and soap, but I have plenty of bottles of shaving gel lying around.

Thanks for all the help,
AJ