The Straight Road - Another Update

We're getting down to the final countdown here. Any time in the next couple of weeks we'll see the birth of our new son!

I have been continuing with my somewhat reduced rotation of razors as I find my way from just learning to use any straight razor to learning which type of blade appeals to me the most. I've been more happy with hollow grinds than the heavier blades. I've also offloaded a few hones and have decided to just learn the ins and outs of my Nortons and then my coticule and Chinese natural. Maybe at some point, I'll get another finisher, but for now, things are good with those. I am also still keen to try the lapping films, though I haven't got around to ordering them yet. I've also refused to buy any further soft products until I use up some of the ones I have in my den. I still have tons of samples I haven't gone through yet, never mind all the full-sized products in there! The summer has been a bit slow for razor-related activity in terms of restoration, as weekends tend to be devoted to other pursuits and weeknights are usually busy with daughter-related activity.

Things sort of really hit home last night when, after spending some time cursing and swearing, I finally got the crib/playpen/changetable/bassinet thing set up in our bedroom. Just seeing that there, where the little guy is going to be spending a lot of his first few months of life, seemed to bring things into focus even more. Anyway, when I get some pics and some news on the little guy, I'll be sure to post some here. My shaving rotation is pretty steady at every two days, with weekends sometimes involving an extra day off. I should do a check-in every once in a while with a shave write-up to compare to my early days. It's fun to look back and read about how I stumbled through the first few shaves compared to how natural things feel now. Just the other day, in a fit of temporary insanity, I pulled out the Fusion. Despite lathering up with some nice products and doing a full prep, I got irritation, razor burn and a bad shave. Even the DE doesn't seem to do the trick for me anymore and I am more inclined to skip a shave than have one with anything other than one of my straights. Also, the king of all my straights in terms of smooth, close and comfortable shaves seems to be the Nagamasa kamisori, which I often use for little touch-ups even when I've done the majority of the shave with another razor. That thing is just super sharp and easy to handle with the new wrapping I put on it.

Anyway, hope you are all enjoying your summer and hopefully we'll have some good news in short order with a new passenger on The Straight Road!

Cheers,

Jack