Thread: Total wet-behind-the-ears newbie, 2nd shave with a straight

The aggrieved parties will meet behind the shed tomorrow morning at sun-up and I will issue dueling pistols and all will be settled.

Please, before you write a post keep in mind we only have the written word before us. We can't guess what's in your mind.

Just be aware certain things can be considered insensitive and can offend some people in ways you would never think of for many reasons many of which are valid.

So, just think be fore you write and keep in mind the folks reading your post are not your good friends just folks reading the words you write.

Sylvain,

I mostly enjoyed your first post--good story well told--but agree that you went a little off-color with your MJ Fox comparison. You definitely dug yourself deeper in your response. I value this site as a respite from slights and rants. There is plenty of ribbing between and among us, always good-natured and in the rare occasion something requires an apology or an edit, the apology or edit are taken care of promptly. We tend to value humility and good manners over all other traits.

I do hope you'll make amends and stick around. Good wit is fun. But good manners really are key.

look sylvain I'm not mad at you or close to throwing a shoe at you I'm just a little off put with the joke itself i enjoyed the rest of the story. Having a similar condition to muscular dystrophy of course makes me more sensitive towards it but that doesn't mean that i or anyone else wants you to leave SRP keep posting ill keep reading
i do crack jokes quite often times very vulgar ones.i know how to take and give jokes.just try to calm down a little nobody is trying to crucify you
just want you to gain a little bit more empathy.best of luck on the rest of your shaving

P.S. i'm 6'2'' (shrek,tall,stretch,hows the air up there jolly green giant) do you have any idea how hard it is to find a size15 shoe if i threw one at a t.v. i'd destroy it and loose my hard to find size clown shoes

Originally Posted by Bluerain

look sylvain I'm not mad at you or close to throwing a shoe at you I'm just a little off put with the joke itself i enjoyed the rest of the story. Having a similar condition to muscular dystrophy of course makes me more sensitive towards it but that doesn't mean that i or anyone else wants you to leave SRP keep posting ill keep reading
i do crack jokes quite often times very vulgar ones.i know how to take and give jokes.just try to calm down a little nobody is trying to crucify you
just want you to gain a little bit more empathy.best of luck on the rest of your shaving

P.S. i'm 6'2'' (shrek,tall,stretch,hows the air up there jolly green giant) do you have any idea how hard it is to find a size15 shoe if i threw one at a t.v. i'd destroy it and loose my hard to find size clown shoes

I want to come right out of the gate here and say two things: Number one is THANK YOU for the dignified manner of your response. I had debated about whether or not to even log back in here because I felt attacked on my first post and thought there was an overwhelming "good 'ol boys club" mentality running amok on this site. I have badly misjudged the parties involved. Secondly, I do apologize for the initial comment, as well as the level of defensiveness in my subsequent response. It was a knee-jerk reaction to what felt like a cornering and a lynching of someone completely new to the site.

So, to summarize, I made a joke which I realize I probably shouldn't have. One which I didn't think would cause such a ripple. All things taken into consideration however, I really feel this is a case where the damage has already been done. I'm on my third post and there are probably gents on here who have already written me off as a nuisance because of all this. I'll log in here from time to time but you won't be hearing too much more from me. Sorry to have wasted this much bandwidth on this BS already, and best of everything to all.

P.S. Your post script was QUITE amusing..

Hi Sylvain,

I'm glad to see you back. You tell a good story and you, like the rest of us, are trying to resurrect a 19th-century skill in a 21st-century vacuum. You've stepped up and apologized; it's cool. We'd have come down on a senior member the same way, I assure you. Gentlemanliness is what paves our common road here. Yes, I agree, there's a lot of good ol' boys club mentality here, and that is an offputting thing, but here's how it differs from many such clubs: most of the ol' boys here actually are good.

Stick around, read lots, ask questions, provide answers. It's what we do. We're here to help and share what we're learning. Since almost nobody can learn this at Dad's or Grandad's elbow any more, we've all got to learn it at each other's elbow.

Best wishes to you, and welcome again.

Glad you came back and hope you stick around. I admit that my post may be a little harsh and insulting and I apologize. It was one of those knee jerk reactions. If you stick around, you will find that this is a very kind and generous forum. It truly is a brotherhood and I'd hate to see someone leave because they felt insulted. We have our arguments on the site(oh how we have arguments) and some can get pretty heated. but in the end, we realize we are all brothers(and sisters) and find some common ground and make nice. Once again, hope you stick around.

Originally Posted by Sylvain

I want to come right out of the gate here and say two things: Number one is THANK YOU for the dignified manner of your response. I had debated about whether or not to even log back in here because I felt attacked on my first post and thought there was an overwhelming "good 'ol boys club" mentality running amok on this site. I have badly misjudged the parties involved. Secondly, I do apologize for the initial comment, as well as the level of defensiveness in my subsequent response. It was a knee-jerk reaction to what felt like a cornering and a lynching of someone completely new to the site.

So, to summarize, I made a joke which I realize I probably shouldn't have. One which I didn't think would cause such a ripple. All things taken into consideration however, I really feel this is a case where the damage has already been done. I'm on my third post and there are probably gents on here who have already written me off as a nuisance because of all this. I'll log in here from time to time but you won't be hearing too much more from me. Sorry to have wasted this much bandwidth on this BS already, and best of everything to all.

P.S. Your post script was QUITE amusing..

Don't bother lurking in the corner and theres no damage we like reading your story and look forward to hearing more I'm new also so i like reading about a fellow new guys experience haven't you seen your stories view count is over 300. updates! we need updates man! you know how to tell a good story fun to read besides if i haven't written you off nobody has any right to.

i'll only write you off if you stop posting (sad face goes here)

LOL. Thanks, Bluerain. The update thus far is the thumb has healed nearly 100% and I've only used the straight once since then. I have been taking it easy with a DE (EJ DE89) because I have been having a really bad reaction to some Proraso preshave cream that I am trying to work through. My neck area has really thrown a fit and broken out quite badly because of it. Didn't help matters much that on the last time I used it (Proraso) was my inaugural use of my new Muhle R41 with a Feather blade. I walked into work looking like I dove face first into a wood chipper (Hope I didn't offend anyone who does this as a hobby or on a dare...LMAO ...I just HAD to, man...)

As of today the neck is almost totally cleared. Going to roughneck it and let it rest until Saturday morning and give the R41 another go with just some good 'ol Mama Bear's Lime Ice (amazing stuff). I should look like I just rolled off a park bench by then! LOL

Hey Sylvain,

I haven't used one but often read that the disposable straights are maniacally sharp. Some folks pull one through a cork or something before their first shave with it, just to tone it down a little.

Do you shave with hot water or cold? Try cold if you haven't before; it's easier on the skin.

Good luck with your neck.

Best wishes

Originally Posted by roughkype

Hey Sylvain,


Do you shave with hot water or cold? Try cold if you haven't before; it's easier on the skin.

Best wishes

Really? That won't be counterproductive and stiffen the hairs back up? I've heard of this before but I have never done so based on what is always hammered as basics in wet shaving which is "Heat, heat, moisture and more heat...keep whiskers warm" etc.

You are spot on with the sharpness of the Feather SS blades. I'm still on the first blade and I've shaved with it several times already. I don't plan on throwing it out anytime soon either. I bet I can get 20 shaves with one blade going only 2 passes per shave. The "professional" blades - which are the ones I currently use - are deemed the second most aggressive blade underneath the "Professional Super". I cannot begin to imagine what those are like. Staring at one of those for too long would probably cost you an eye.