Well guys, I received English's Gotta in the mail today and WOW, is this thing nice (some of you may remember it from the classifieds). I must have spent a good five minutes just admiring it. I tried to remember the tips I'd read here and there in the forums while taking a quick shower and once out, I gave my face a good wash (again) and rinsed with very hot water for a few minutes to soften up the stubble. I've got a tub of proraso shaving soap but my brush (vulfix badger) hasn't arrived in the mail yet so I thought I might be able to hand-lather it, but even after some vigorous rubbing it was like spreading toothpaste on my face so I just ended up using (gasp) canned shaving cream for now. My hand was a little shaky at first but I soon got the hang of it and anded up doing a full WTG pass relatively comfortably. I have a goatee right now so I don't have to worry about the upper lip and chin for the time being, which is a good thing for a newbie. There was a little tugging and left over stubble, but I think that's because I was too conscious of needing a light touch and that resulted in my over compensating and not pushing hard enough. All told it actually turned out pretty well for a first time straight shave; definitely not BBS, but no nicks, burn or bumps. I really enjoyed myself today guys, thanks for the tips and encouragement.
Take care, all
-Jeff