Thread: A Return to Newbie-ism

Originally Posted by Nightblade

All this and more from a primitive yet elegant piece of carbon steel that treats you well only till you stop paying attention and then it reminds you to sit up straight....

lol - Beauty! You should submit that one in the "shaving aphorisms" thread

Heh,not sure how to do that ,but I'll look into it eh.It's the truth though huh?The minute you start acting up,it puts you in your place.

Is it really any different than anything else when you really look at it? Everyone has off days. Professionals on occasion injure themselves with tools they have used for many years without incident.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Is it really any different than anything else when you really look at it? Everyone has off days. Professionals on occasion injure themselves with tools they have used for many years without incident.

Which has come to prove a point in this day and age..........Seems there is a big polarization between predators and food at the watering hole.Most people are food cause thay just walk around not paying any attention to important things and are more worried about their facebook accounts and cellphones.Then there are the hunters who use straight blades and know exactly what happens when you stop paying attention haha.A little extreme I know.....I'm just saying is all.

Show of hands: who gets a perfect shave each time? No one? Ok, one hand in the back.

Well, I try, and that could be my problem. So many variables to get just right...especially when rotating through many blades in varius states of condition, while also rotating through different soaps and creams and pre-shave preps.

Yet, having achieved a level of competence that produces bbs shaves -- I mean BBS to the point that I demand that my wife give it a feel-- I expect that I should have that every day regardless of the variables. And so when a blade feels a little harsh, damn the torpedos, I push through. I stretch and pull with a by god I'm gonna get that perfect shave again. And we all know where that can lead....burn, a cut....a bad day.

So, I'm trying to back off. I've made a resolution (just now maybe) that I'll forego perfect; I'll abandon a blade that doesn't feel right even in mid-shave despite my deep intent to prove that I really honed just right; I'll go for comfort even if it means catching the fibers of the most delicate silk nylons dragged against the grain (legged or sans leg), etcetera. But I must tell you, its been 13 hrs since my last shave and man is it good....really...feel....

Enjoy and don't lose sight of the big picture. What is the big picture?

Best to all J

By the way, I liked what you said Ryan about looking at your past posts; a reminder of how far you've come. Does everyone do that and smile?

Originally Posted by Nightblade

Which has come to prove a point in this day and age..........Seems there is a big polarization between predators and food at the watering hole.Most people are food cause thay just walk around not paying any attention to important things and are more worried about their facebook accounts and cellphones.Then there are the hunters who use straight blades and know exactly what happens when you stop paying attention haha.A little extreme I know.....I'm just saying is all.

That polarization is why I left the white-collar world and became a trades apprentice at age 41. Wasn't learning anything worth bartering around the watering hole.

I'm another night-time shaver, for the reasons everyone else has cited, plus it gives my skin time to get over it before facing the hot and/or dirty world.

This is all a reminder to be fully present in your activity... which is not a default. My left thumb is currently pocked with lapses of mindfulness, current and former blood blisters where the hammer wandered arm in arm with my attention.

Full attention is incredibly satisfying, and is a large part of the charge I get out of straight shaving. It's much more exciting than driving staples and makes me look way better too.

I've been shaving with a straight for about four years now, and find that getting the best shave possible is similar to how I golf....the "harder" I try to get a good, nay GREAT, shave the worse I tend to make things. Same for my golf, often my best rounds of the year (or at least my best feeling swings) come early in the season, before I start trying to tweak my swing or strategy. Now, I'm not saying that continuing to learn, striving to do better, isn't important...staying engaged in the process is a big part of why we shave this way (and continue to golf, etc). But, once you've got good basics, forcing a "great" shave can lead to frustration and poor (or downright bad) outcomes. Plus, our expectations change as we become more proficient...what was a great shave when we're learning may feel like a mediocre one down the line, and we so badly want that glassy-smooth shave that we all know we can achieve.

Don't beat yourself up. This is just a friendly reminder from your razor/body to pay attention to this activity. I find that when my mind is elsewhere is when I have days like this. It's a good kick in the pants that says "Hey! Smarten up and focus when a sharp blade is against your neck."

I think I may have found the culprit. I bought a tube of Musgo Real cream and that is what I used for the first time when I tore myself up. I normally use CarrieM's cream.

I tried the Musgo Real a second time with exactly the same results. I should have mentioned that in the OP, but thought for sure it was me not paying attention.

At the end of the day, it is still my fault. I would think that if I had been paying closer attention, I would have made some changes to angles and pressures during the process when I discovered all was not going well instead of keeping my technique the same as when it is going well.

So let that be a lesson to me!

I am very happy to return to CarrieM's.