2024: New Year Resolution

Great idea, mrdoug. I'm already seeing good results from using a limited rotation of shaving tools. The razor is feeling more nimble, and my face feels a lot better.

I'm still loving my Tatara Masamune razor couple with a Wizamet blade. Made of stainless steel, the Masamune is heavier than the aluminum and titanium razors I've been using lately, so I'm taking it easy with only one pass. But I have to admit I'm feeling bristly after five hours. So when it starts to feel that I have a good grip on this razor, I may move up to two passes. The Wizzies give me a full week's worth of good shaves. Sometimes even more. They're not exactly cheap, but they are durable, and that balances the price for each use.

I've held steady with one soap base, Declaration Grooming's Milksteak. It's frightening slickness gives me the confidence to use a weighty razor. The results have been very good. All irritation has disappeared, and the shaves have been close and comfortable.

Phoenix Shaving (PAA) synthetic brushes have been serving me well. I've been alternating between the Peregrino and the Amber Aerolite. They have a good heft, so I can dig into the puck without any effort. But more importantly, they don't have any sharp bristles. Too many synth brushes have a few sharp spines embedded in them in order to give them backbone. I just find them annoying. These Phoenix Shaving brushes are soft all the way through. 

And I've sworn off aftershaves, gels, and balms. Can't say I've missed them at all.

Okay, after 3 shaves with a Silver Blue blade, I think and feel that I need to switch it out. I haven't used this blade (brand) in at least a year or more. My recollection (when it was my go to blade) is that the first shave was always a little rough. Now I am post-third shave and I am still getting some irritation. And I am using the Henson, which gave me a two great initial shaves with a German Personna Red. I wanted to stick with the razor/blade combo for at least a week, but now my face is saying, Please, stop!

I did as I mentioned yesterday, and put a NOS Personna PtCr (Rite Aid packaging, I think) into the Henson Mild and was rewarded with a great shave, one red spot at my mouth's corner but nothing that need more attention than some cold water. What a difference a blade makes!

And this thread has me thinking about how I'll approach DecemBoar this year. As of this morning, I plan to stick with a setup for 3 days, then swap out the brush for sure. This way I can both rotate my boars more frequently and yet get some consistency as well. Why 3 days? I have five brushes, 31 days, and so each brush could expect to be used 6 times during the month. If I hit a problem on the first day with a brush, I can try to fix it by the next (consistency and technique training) rather than ignore it by moving to a different brush. That is essentially what I did with the blade mentioned in my previous post, I tried wetter lather, lighter touch, and still couldn't get a comfy shave. If that were to happen with a brush, I'd try again later but would be moving it to the time out box Paul mentioned and think about selling it to someone who could appreciate it more!

Whenever folks mention New Years Resolutions, for me, its always been about coming up with a solution, to solve a problem. And I am happy to report, that I already solved one of them, before the New Years. Well, when Black Friday comes around, you can't blame a person for wanting a good deal! LOL

One of my problems is, that every 1 to 3 years, I keep going through headphones. This happens because I keep buying cheap 200 dollar or less headphones, thinking I am getting a good deal, and discovering later, when the hinge snaps, AUX cable port goes dead, or a driver fails completely, that I didn't get a good deal, I got myself a problem to solve. I decided enough was enough! I am an audiophile who does content consumption and production, and for my New Years resolution, I decided that I was going to do it right this time, and buy top of the line headphones. 

Presenting my new headphones, the Denon Flagship AH-D9200's, the literally top of the line, 100% made in Japan......

Initial impressions:

( 1 ) Super solid - built like a tank!
( 2 ) Beautifully designed with love!
( 3 ) The ear pads are super soft leather, they could be deeper, but they are comfortable and large!
( 4 ) The headband is also made of leather, and it seems to work well!
( 5 ) This uses a dual connection, which means you don't have to rout a cable through the headband!
( 6 ) Ear cups have enough tilt and swivel to mesh with my girthy head, and can adjust headband to size!
( 7 ) 50mm drivers sound awesome, but require a breakin period, also known as burn in, to loosen up!
( 8 ) Due to use of metal and wood, headphone has some solid weight to it, but its not too bad!
( 9 ) Included cables exceed my expectations, no need to upgrade cable!
( 10 ) My S.M.S.L SP200 AMP is more then sufficient to drive these headphones!

I have a big New Years Resolution problem that I need to get solved next year, since it doesn't look like its going to get fixed this year. I need to get my water situation sorted out. I know I haven't talked about it on this site yet, but just know, when it comes to the pleasures of running water, most people in this country take it for granted. I have serious water issues, starting from the main city water meter, all the way to the plumbing in my house, its all jacked up! I don't even have running hot water anymore, I have to use a kitchen sink on-demand water heater, electric kettles, or my stove, to heat up water. Hot water heater also got so jacked up, that if you turn the breaker on to the main hot water heater, it starts putting out blue smoke, aint that nice? I'd prefer the Mosquito repulser to go on the outside of the house, I don't need to repulse myself inside thank you very much. 

So yeah, if I can get the city water company to stop resting on their laurels, come out here and replace the water meter, that would be a great start. Then maybe I will have a chance and fixing a couple of massive water leaks under my home. Then maybe, if I am lucky, ( which sure as heck aint often! ) maybe I can get back to a small shred of a normal life over here. But until that happens, my water situation continues to be the doom and gloom of my existence. Before you ask what is wrong with the water meter, well to put simply, the valve doesn't turn all the way off! If you stand over it, you will see the fastest moving number every so slowly moving. Pretty hard to fix a leak with a water line you can't shutoff, and your main incoming house line is all jacked up, and that valve don't work either. 

So, the way the city water company does us in hardcore, is they combine the water and sewer into one lovely bill. So that when you also have a water leak, and a city provided water meter that don't turn off proper, now you got a hefty 500+ dollar water bill to greet you and want to bankrupt you. So now you got a slice of how my year has been going so far. Which is why I am magically hoping, that 2024 being an even numbered year, ( I have OCD and prefer even numbers ) that magically, things will start going right for me, and not going against me. So there's the big New Years Resolution. Because if the city won't work with us, then I will have to cancel my water service with them, and get water jugs delivered by a water delivery company. So thats where I am at, welcome to my life. lol

SWCT so sorry to read of your water issues. Hope you can get them sorted out soon. And I loved your "girthy head" comment, made me laugh! I don't have a big head, my cranium just has extra girth!!