I humbly submit for your review... (First Shave)
...this request for membership:
As i sit here enjoying a tall stacked turkey sandwich and my victory drink of whiskey/soda, I am please to announce: I have finished the intiation rite, my task is complete. I have accomplished my first shave. I never knew performing such a "common" task could be quite so soothing to the beast.
I recieved my razor and strop kit from LarryAndro today and as soon as i had it in my hand, I was headed toward the shower. The entire time i "studied" in my head over everything i had read and learned from my research into how to conduct a proper shave.
Once out, immediately went to the sink to get started.
I had a bit of a time getting a passable lather up. I expected as much and spent a good 10 mins or more sorting out the mechanics and chemistry and physics of the whole ordeal. I was finally able to conjure up a decent amount of the white froth to convince myself i was ready to proceed and swiped and swirl it around my face.
The next 5-10 mins were spent flipping my face back and forth, up and down, stretching my skin this way and that, lifting the razor, turning it, bringing it back down to change grips and so on and so forth. But finally, i made that first nerve racking tenative stroke.
A dull scrape... A slight resistance... a little tugging at each hair... and lift away.
Ok, lets see... No blood, good... All the skin where it started, good... A little less/shorter hair, good... Alright, not bad, a nice 1/32 square of face done with out death or dismemberment. On to the next.
And so i proceeded, nevous at first, but gradually gaining a sense of relaxation. I came to realize, barring an elaborate series of unfortunate events, i was not going to accidentally end my own life.
As i neared the end of my second full face WTG pass (I know, i cheated, couldn't help myself) I thought about watching my grandfather shave with a straight and felt the pride of knowing i was taking part in the same experience. I had to stop bc i was grinning from ear to ear.
I finished with no nicks whatsoever, although i can feel a bit of irritation starting (my own fault for the second pass on my first shave, but i'm ok with that). Also, i got a bit carried away and my signature chops are quite a bit smaller than when i started.
End result: A shave on par or better with a Mach 3 in quality and leaps and bounds ahead in enjoyability and relaxation, a slight razor burn, and a great sense of accomplishment and pride.
And so as i join the "club" with my first self inflicted REAL shave, i would like to say:
"Hi, my name is Josh... And i'm officially addicted to straight razor shaving."
