Thread: Jawing in the Locker Room

"You must be a patient man."
"Why do you say that?"
"I see you here everyday. I mean you're really into this stuff."
"Shaving ritual, you mean."
"Yeah. The brush. Soap. That — straight razor."
"It's my daily drink from the fountain of civility."
"It's nice to be passionate about some things."
"Passionate enough so that you can't wait till morning — so that you can slap on warm, fragrant lather and hear the scraping of the razor against your skin."
"Scary."
"Well, it's like having butterflies just before you step on the stage. Then you roll."
"Takes some kind of skill, I guess."
"It does. And it's a philosophy, too. A way of life. Gives one a sense of individuality. In a way you're your own man — I sound like a TV commercial."
"No. Watching you, I see what you mean."
"It's being one's self."
"How long does it take you?"
"Here at the gym? An hour. Hour-fifteen."
"Man, that's a long time to be shaving."
"That's counting some of the jawing I do with the guys. Always been a sucker for a good conversation."
"Me? I hate shaving."
"That seems to be the general consensus."
"Most people don't have that kind of time."
"Most people can make the time if they want to."
"I suppose. Most of the time I plug in the electric and shave in the car."
"You do hate shaving, don't you?"
"You ever tried the electric?"
"Long time ago. For a short time. It felt like bathing without water."
"What happens if somebody gives you an electric for Christmas?"
"I'd look at it as the Lord's punishment of a sinner."

Regards,

Obie