Thanks Clint! Somewhere tucked away in it's original box is a quartz watch I've never worn. The battery ran out. It was a gift and just too fancy for my grit & grime work at the time. I plan to get my wrist time in with this one. I looked up the date code - it's about a year old so the battery may still have life. Once I start wearing it, it'll become habit.

Aren't we all, Charlie? In Clint's position, I'd be checking who's playing at The Masquerade.

Clean up the mess and no one will know ANYTHING happened!

Take on the 100 yard stare of noncomprehension if they try to explain why it's taking so long and say, "Whatever".

I don't know Danny. I get the "stuck inside a helmet smelling yourself for a hundred miles" effect. I like Barbershop scents, but that might turn a guy.

Great shave and I have enjoyed seeing the New LC. Take care.

It is so unfortunate that we can't have civil discourse when it comes to different perspectives. I may disagree with someone, but I will never commit acts of violence and such against you. Some people are out of control and need help with their anger issues. It is unthinkable to mock, to vandalize property or assault someone because they display a bumper sticker, wear a shirt or hat to tell the world where they stand politically.

Thanks, James!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Very nice gifts, Keith. Looking forward to pictures of that box for sure. The carving on the spoon looks cool as well.

Nice combo, Gary. Agreed on the FlareTip- a solid, utilitarian, overlooked, well-built good razor. I respected mine enough to pass it on to my father-in-law as part of a 'reentry to wetshaving' kit.

Is that a homemade menthol mix, Terry? Did you dissolve crystals in alcohol? something else?

Great Fat Friday combo, Perry.
I'm definitely thinking of your family today and hope Wilson's troubles are short-lived.

Great pic, Danny! The Karve is on a roll, no question.

Awesome, Clint. If the WSP barbershop is comparable to Seville, then it is a quality scent, no question. You are one of the few folks who rocks that F plate, for sure!

Yippee! Enjoy the long weekend, Jim. Nice brush, with a very unique shape on the top part.

Yup, bring that out in Decadent December for sure, Joseph.

Thanks Jason........so is your New LC. Take care

Will do, Jason.

E

Not Safe For Work for the possible offensive word or subject matter.
Important for the topical nature of previous conversation.

Thank you Gary, you as well.

Thank you, Jason!

Mic drop, Clint- With a soap that will lather (I have had only one in all my time that will not), my experience mirrors yours- enough product with enough hydration will equal lather.

There are a few soap discussions/debates that I usually avoid like the plague. One is tallow vs non tallow (I'll continue to leave this alone) and the other is blooming vs not blooming.
I guess I must be in 'one of those moods' today, so here goes:
I cannot figure out why there is a blooming 'problem'. We have to hydrate soaps or they are unusable. Personally, I rarely ever put water on a puck and let it sit. However, that to me is just one method of the necessary hydration of a soap. I merely choose other ways. Blooming/Soaking/Whatever other term used is just someone's way of starting that necessary hydration process. If someone says blooming is unnecessary, they are technically right, but have really just stated that they prefer other hydration methods. If anyone says they will not ever bloom a soap, then I sincerely hope they never use a cream or a standard soft artisan soap because the hydrating has already been started for them by the manufacturer. Who starts with a completely dry brush? If someone has a wet brush (at all), they are doing it to hydrate the soap. If we rub a shave stick on a face, are we wetting our face first? Hydration. Super lather method? Hydration.
I get great lathers without blooming, but I spend a fair amount of time adding water slowly. It works for me. Others 'bloom' first and therefore have just added water differently. In the end we all get the lather we want, I suppose.

Edit- just read this as I posted- it sounds snarkier than I intended...hope no one takes away my 'polite Canadian' status.

How do you feel about Shave Cream? The difference between a puck of hard soap and tube of cream is hydration, and some preservative in the cream. The softer Artisan soaps can attain hard puck status if left to dry just like Charlie's CO Bigelow 2 tube tub.

Yup, there's room for everyone to have an opinion. The good news is you can change your mind about things. I did after doing nothing but badger brushes and face loading for a month's Focus. I CAN do it. I just choose NOT to.

YES! The choice is either keep doing it the same way expecting a different outcome, or find better ways to use the same products.

That's a different subject, but sort of related. Things change. For the better or worse? If something or someone offends you, you don't have to use the product, or consume their productions. Rarely do reformulated products perform better than the original since the motivation tends to be to cut manufacturing cost while tricking the consumer into thinking "New & Improved". British news programming called the presenter a "news reader"? Too much American News slips into Editorial without admitting agendas. I've watched a couple episodes of that car show J.C. does. I wasn't aware of his personal issues. He'd have been better to keep those to himself and just do the job of reviewing cars?

Well stated, Jason. This is the best all-around discourse on 'blooming' I've seen yet. It takes water to make good lather. How you incorporate the water is personal to your style and habits. Some soaps I bloom while I'm in the shower and others I use the supergoop method. Either way, water is being incorporated to aid the lather development process.

Only on Sunday, providing you have the matching belt.

Only in croc!