Aug 20, 2021 – Austere August. Day 20.
- Prep: Hot Shower
- Brush: Zenith - B16 24mm Boar
- Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2
- Blade: GEM PTFE (20)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Sheep
- Post Shave: Zingari Man – Unscented - Aftershave Balm
- Music: Zac Clark - Love You Later
Every day, I get a little more excited for Austere August to end and seeing the dates starting with a 2 is a big step in the right direction. The things I thought would be the hardest: MMOC, new Boar Brush, and using the same blade every single day are not the hardest part of this for me. Sure, I’d like to change those things up, just for the sake of mixing things up, but I’m now very comfortable with all those… But the thing that is killing me is u/rocketk455’s damn unscented challenge. I miss the scents way more than I ever thought I would. Shaving has become a ritual for me. Something that I enjoy. And part of that ritual is determining the scent, based on how I’m feeling that day, unscrewing the tub, and inhaling a big whiff before I start to load the brush. And of course, smelling my aftershave of choice for hours after the shave and having my wife comment “You smell nice today!”
It’s been a long 20 days without that and while I know I can go another 11, this part is way harder than I thought it would be. The chance to win something awesome from him is (hopefully) worth a little piece of me dying every shave.
Today’s shave itself was good (provided you ignore the how soul-crushing 20 days of unscented life is). The MMOC shaved great and the boar brush was good as well. I was never a face-latherer before this, but I’m starting to wonder if I prefer face lathering to bowl/scuttle. Gonna be interesting to go back and see how AA has impacted my shave routine once September rolls around.
Today’s #sidetracked music selection is my man Zac Clark. Dude looks a little like a homeless person and literally lived in his van for most of last year, driving around the country, playing his music. He needs more attention, because his music is awesome and he seems like a very interesting human. Right before the pandemic, my wife and I saw my play to a crowd of maybe 30 people in the upstairs old, run-down theater venue in Rhode Island and it seemed like half of the audience was his family, and it was awesome. Instead of using his own piano, he opted to use the theater’s own organ “because it has more character”, and he was right. Zac’s music is laid back, almost-folk-piano-rock, and he preaches love and kindness through his beautiful voice. Give it a listen and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Tags: #unscented #rawhoggin #GEMsOfWisdom
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