May 2017 30 Day Rule/Focus Pix & Discussion

Great picture, Mark!

 

Thank you, Andrew!

 

I am very familiar with Santander from selling cars. They are one of the largest banks that deal with sub-prime auto lending. They made me a lot of money back then. Fortunately, though, I didn't have to deal with them directly. We had finance managers for that.

Next door in Illinois when you buy a car you leave with it fully tagged and titled. The dealer's finance managers are all tag agents for the State and collect the property tax (which we usually included on the loan) and it's a one stop shop. In Missouri you buy the car at the dealer then pay the sales tax at the DMV office when you get your tags. Sounds easy, right? You also have to have a safety inspection (used cars of course - mine is a 2014), and in the STL metro area an emissions inspection. The dealer does provide that, you just have to have the paperwork in order. Then your proof of insurance and finally, my favorite (NOT), paid property tax receipts for the year or two years prior, depending on if you're getting a one or two year registration. That depends on whether or not it's an odd or even year and your model year is odd or even. I think they use a secret decoder ring to figure that out. Don't have your paid property tax receipt? Have to go to the County Collector's office to get a copy of that. After going to the Assessor to confirm you filed your taxes properly. Even that is a little off-kilter to me. They send you the assessment form for the current year in December just prior to the year starting. You have to return that by December 31. Then, they bill you the following December for that bill. So, my 2017 property tax bill (which is just for my car) will be sent in December 2017 along with my assessment for 2018, which will bill just before 2019 etc. I usually end up getting lost in the cycle and having to go to the Assessor, figure out which bill I still owe and pay it, then get receipt, then go to DMV, do a ritual fire dance, offer a small goat or calf as a burnt sacrifice, then stand in line until I'm deemed worthy to approach. Assuming all of the paperwork is in order, the dance was done correctly and the goat or calf were acceptable, I then get to write the sales tax check (you can pay by card but they add 2.15% for any amount over $100). After the check is sanctified and approved with 7 kinds of proper ID along with a promissory note for my first-born in case it bounces, I am then, finally, handed the plates with proper stickers attached.

Welcome to Missouri!

 

Mayhem SOTD 5/2/17
Razor: Vending Machine DE modified into DEvette
Blade: Ladas Super Stainless
Brush: Troth Handle w/ 24mm Envy White Badger
Soap: The Shave Den Lanolin Barber Shoppe
Post Shave: Cold Water Rinse, Alum, Swear Words, Thayer’s Rose Witch Hazel
Aftershave Myrsol F/Extra

With most DE razors, you can only go so far with riding the cap to get the ideal angle of the blade to your face. The design of the razor uses safety bars or combs to limit the angle the blade can reach the face, creating a “safety” razor with a mild design. Being as this is Mayhem, what do we say to things that keep us safe?

This razor has a hexagon aluminum handle, and two stamped pieces that are brass plated on the head. I read online that these razors were originally sold in vending machines as a semi-disposable razor. I have seen enough of them online that I didn’t feel bad about cutting off the comb on one side of it to make my DEvette. I left the other side so I can rest the razor on the counter without having it rest directly on the blade, and treat it like a single edge. @Shave Fu, is this razor ugly because of an open blade, or beautiful because it is half way mild?

The TSD Lanolin Barber Shoppe is an amazing soap. @Queen of Blades has, IMO, the best interpretation of the classic barber shop scent out there, and the performance is outstanding. Plenty of slick, cushiony goodness to do even stupid shaves. I lathered it with my badger brush, dialed in the water to a little on the runny side, and away I went. This morning I learned something, I use the sound of the razor a lot more than I thought I did. My wife was showering while I was shaving, and I couldn’t hear the razor. As a result, I got a three pass DFS plus for smoothness, but I got a lot of irritation from having the angle too high. Once I feel the razor cutting hair, I normally use the sound to get the angle as low as possible. I also got two weepers, and reopened one of the cuts from Saturday’s Tape-a-razor-blade-to-my-finger shave. Once again, the Alum was freaking hot! Thayer’s Rose Toner and Myrsol F/Extra helped calm things down. Second Mayhem shave in the books for me. I am still wondering who is going off this bridge with me.

 

I'm really digging the meme ... Love the brush too Adam! Sorry about the irritation. But hey, next save is a safe one, right ?

 

Yup. Nice and safe with a more than 1 inch wide extra hollow Spanish straight razor. Should be relaxing.

 

Razor: Portland Razor Co Chimera / Supply Provision Custom 3 dot head
Blade: Chick
Strop: Drygulch 45
Brush Handle: B-400 The Brush by Tom
Knot: APShaveCo Tuxedo
Soap: Route 66 Barbershop Hop
Post Care: Thayers Witch Hazel
Alum
Osage Rub
Fragrance: Penhaligon's Bayolea

Wonderful shave this morning, it's been too long since I've used a soap from Route 66. Fantastic scent, great protection and the razor just slid across my face. One pass with the Supply and two with the Chimera and I ended up just short of a BBS shave. The Penhaligon's is a great match to this soap, I love the scent and post shave feel. This was a great way to start the day. Have a great day folks!

 

Mayhem is just another day at my house. 100 year old Penn blade in the 1919 Penn Adjustable for full beard and head shave. I messed around with an Injector hack but sometimes it's just more trouble than it's worth and while I appreciate Billy's GEM hack for the Penn I thought it deserved a round with the stock blade cuz what's the worse that could happen with a hundred year old blade on your head. Not a bad shave, no way to get to BBS as ATG is just not happening in the tough areas, no surprise, but solid otherwise.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

Nice picture, Perry! I really like Bayolea. I have the soap, and hope to get the AS at some point.

 

May 2 - Zeus's offspring

Merkur 34C
Gillette Platinum (day 2)
Dark Chocolate (JR 148)
DIY PSO
RazoRock Son of Zeus soap
alum/Thayers/Nivea

Yesterday, I ended the day looking like I had acupuncture on my face. Several pores showed dots of blood. Not sure if this was totally poor technique or if the soap somehow irritated me. Past experience with TOBs

The more I use JR 148 brush, the more I like it. It just has all the desired attributes I like: good backbone, soft touch, great at loading a brush and hold water to my liking. Since my joke of surpassing my frugality as a guise to using more soap in order to help perfect my lather making has been exposed, I will continue trying to perfect my lather.

Having lots of success using a demitasse sized dollop pressed into my bowl, I decided to go back to loading with my best brush. Today, I decided to grab a new soap inspired by the Pass Around Box, RazoRock Son of Zeus. Someone had placed it into the box but it was gone before I had the chance to try it. Having enjoyed other RazoRock soaps ( and this was on sale!!!), I decided to grab it. Vendors comment on the scent is as follows:

I will not try to describe the scent other than it has a citrusy scent and I enjoyed it a lot. Part of my inability was due to the overwhelming scent of a Whole Foods Market Sandalwood bar soap. This soap totally dominates the bathroom. To me, the scents combined and I was in heaven.

I loaded the wet brush for a long while creating a ton of lather in the soap jar and then transferred it to the bowl. Of course I forgot to shake out the brush but that seemed to not matter. Only 5 or 6 drops of additional water resulted in a slick and cushiony lather. RazoRock tends to make a lighter weight lather than my other favorites (B&M and Stirling) but it loses nothing to me in the process. Again the bowl was filled, the lather felt great and smelled awesome. Terre de Hemme is the cologne this and Stirling Arkadia are said to match and both are begging me to acquire a bottle.

3.5 passes resulted in a BBS shave. The Gillette Platinum seems to be a nice sharp blade and rather smooth. Pretty happy so far with this blade. I noticed my facial growth seemed to be more even than with other blades. After my irritation or poor technique, I was able to get a great shave with minor irritation in comparison with yesterday. In all an enjoyable shave.

 

Not flying United

 

To me it smells like composting earth with cedar, pine, and oranges in the heap. I'm still kind of on the fence with this one. Its good, but I don't love it.

 

Only the government could set up a system that makes it ridiculously difficult to pay them and still stay in business. (I'd apologise for that being political, but it is the DMV, and I'm pretty sure I've got nonpartisan support on this one.)

 

I bought into that in the beginning and don't bother anymore. I've found I get the same results without bothering to "bloom". I'm sure others will have all kinds of blooming rituals to share. Try them all and see what works for you.

 

Congratulations to @jtspartan on being the first ever winner of a 30DC Mayhem Award PIF!
PIF TBD as I get the board organized. I would encourage all brush receivers to go in and cut and paste Affirming PIFs (as they feel so led) to the results board in appreciation for his inspirational efforts. I'll eventually take the most updated version and cut and paste it to the original board in order to update it.
For those interested, the thread has been moved to
http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/30-dc-first-annual-mayhem-award-pifs.55616/#post-1239570

 

Oh, the paper chase. I've done this one enough times. As we progress towards a "paperless" bureaucracy surely it will get easier.

 

Yikes! Oh god... I saw your new thread, and it is a cool idea, but I really don't want it to be a place to get an 'in kind' for the brush. I'll take a PIF, I will replace it with something I donate.
Please, please don't have it be for 'brush receivers'... I might actually have to make something that looks professional...

 

You really are a classy dude
Quit that or people will keep being nice to you

 

OK, Jason. I will remove the PIF portion of the award as you wish and leave you with the honor of the first ever winner, and the appreciation of many here in the crew.