Stretching can be tricky, try wrapping your stretching arm over the top of your head.
Pull the skin sideways to shave around the adams apple.
The short blade might be more manageable to start with, but I don't really know.
With regards to blade cleaning, don't stress too much if all the lather doesn't come.off during the shave. But you could wipe the blade on a damp sponge or cloth to get the worst off during the shave.