A Fine Way to Start One's Day
Early this afternoon (around 1:30) I rolled out of the mound of flannel sheets and comforter that is my bed. I was dressed in my standard "chilly" sleepwear, which consists of flannel pants, but upon putting my feet on the floor, I grabbed my already laid out morning wear, which is a white cotton undershirt and a comfortable sweatshirt. I like to leave the T shirt inside the sweatshirt to make it easier to get on.
I headed across the room to my computer to check my various emails and forums. A read here, a post there, and the morning fog was gone. I was also notified that an order from CigarsInternational had arrived, so I headed out to pick it up. Upon opening the box, I thought "Why not, I'll have a smoke."
I headed out to the porch (second story, so a covered balcony is more accurate) with my Vector torch, plopped down in my chair, and lit up. My buddy and I had each ordered a box of 50 cigarillos made by Shrapnel. A single box is $20 and contains 50 sticks, but ordering two boxes only bumps the price up to $30 per box, so that's roughly $.34 per stick, including shipping. Clearly, we were not looking for top notch, long smoking cigars, but I will say I was presently surprised. They were rather light to smoke, burned evenly, and produced a decent ash.
I headed back inside to put on some tunes and continue my morning. I went with my Stevie Ray Vaughn based playlist on Pandora and pondered what to do about breakfast. I decided to cook up some pancakes, and, with some nice tunes going, headed to the kitchen. As I was mixing up the batter, my mom gave me a call, and we had a nice chat that lasted the duration of my cooking time. I then headed to the dining room, still within earshot of the music, to enjoy the wheat pancakes. I must say, they complimented the lingering taste of the smoke.
Next up, I pulled out my Revitt blade and got to stropping; I was going to have a long hot shower and a shave. I like to strop before showering to keep my face warm and wet without the need of a hot towel. I also let my brush soak in my scuttle while I shower, so they both get a headstart on heating up. The shower was...everything you'd expect of a long, hot shower. And, of course, I had more music as well.
I hoped out of the shower and refilled my scuttle jacket and bowl with hot water as I went to grab my blade. As the mirrors defogged, I built up a nice, Proraso lather and had myself a wonderful shave. I decided to only go with and across the grain because I wasn't in a particularly nitpicky mood. Afterwords, I cleaned and stropped the blade, applied some aftershave balm, and put away me gear.
I now sit here at my computer, still in my towel, ready to get dressed and get on with the day. But I thought I'd share the morning's events, because it seemed to me to qualify as a "fine thing."
Obviously, I do not have the time or the mindset to enjoy a morning like this every day, and I'm sure not all of you do either. But sometimes, just a nice shower and a straight shave alone puts me into a wonderful mood; to me, that is a big part of what straight shaving is all about.
Please do share the events of your fine mornings, afternoons, and evenings as well. One of the best parts about indulging ones self is sharing with others.
