Austere August SOTD - 8/1/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: cold shower -> splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

I don't know about you guys but I am fired up to be here - pretty cool, pretty damn cool. Been a long time lurker in this community with some stretches of consistent SOTD posts and I have been wetshaving for almost a decade. However, this is my first challenge in which I am participating and my excitement is uncontainable. August is going to be a big reset month for me and the Mrs. Lots of exercise, salads and ice chips, and no booze. Hopefully these posts will help make the routine easier at the expense of those who slog through these posts.

#UNCHALLENGE:

Look, I would love to be like all of you badasses and turn a stiff and funky new boar into a supple, pillow soft tool of skin-care luxury at the expense of my face through a month of extreme exfoliation; or wield a super cool Hattori Hanzo kamisori all month while narrowly avoiding my carotid artery; or get that righteous Stag flair and smell like a backwoods gasoline dump and have my wife avoid touching me for four weeks. But, alas, I am a coward. So, thanks to u/cowzilla3, I get to go the easy route and still experience a good dose of austerity while obtaining easy and effective shaves.

Is there anything more austere than the cold itself? When I think of austerity, among many other things, I think of my ancestors. A scarf donning babushka bracing against the Polish winter, gazing across a barren field of ice and dirt, rationing potatoes until spring arrives and wondering when her son will come home from war. Those were hard times endured by even harder people.

Considering all of the above, you may be asking yourself what, if anything, is easy about my set up for AA? Simple - if you are a menth-head you will know that the skin bracing, eye watering, sinus clearing effect of a soap like Arctique is a pleasure. It is not a hurdle to achieving shaving nirvana but rather a key to the gates of the same. And yes, I will be taking a cold shower every day as well, hopefully right before the shave. For the unitiated or unpracticed, the benefits and pleasures of a cold shower, regardless of how you shave, are too many to list here. Combine all of this with the excellence of u/bostonphototourist's omnibus base, the gentleness of the Merkur Progress, the mildness of fan-favorite Astras, and the supple feeling of a Stirling synthetic - I am going to have a month of great, easy shaves. There will be plenty of time for me to feel my face in September.

#sidetracked:

As a music lover it is impossible to not take part in u/Teufelskraft's #sidetracked challenge. Since this is a month of reflection for me, and since music and memories are one in the same, this will be brutally autobiographical (I am sorry for anybody who actually reads this post). Today's pick is Our House by Crosby, Stills and Nash. My father used to sing this song to me as baby. Although I myself cannot remember him doing this, it was a big enough thing for my remarkably stoic father that he told me about his memories of this song only once I grew older and confronted major life challenges with him at my side. Dad is still around and doing well, but he has gotten up there in years and I not infrequently face the reality of his age and that my time left with him is limited. They tell you growing up is hard, but nobody can prepare you to watch your best friends grow old. Hug your dads out there today if you are lucky enough to still be able to do so. Luck hath no greater gift for a young man than that of a kind and loving father.

AA SOTD - 8/2/22; The Iceman Cometh

• Pre: walk the dog -->cold shower
• Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle
• Razor: Merkur Progress
• Blade: Astra (2)
• Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)
• Post: B&M Arctique AS
• Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE :

Good morning everybody. Great shave to start day 2 for me. I feel refreshed after my morning walk with my hound, my brisk shower, and a #EasyPeasy shave. Can I feel my face? NO. Does that matter. FUCK NO.

#SIDETRACKED :

When I was a young boy my family lived in the far Southeast tip of America's figurative member, that hilariously cocaine-riddled state filed with the wildest combination of retirees, the ancestors of old Florida cowboys and Flagler industrial types, and immigrants from mostly the global south, a state who lives in the imagination of our European friends as an urbanized swamp filled with alligators, pornstars and money laundering tycoons all cramped together on South Beach (this is not to say, Euro-folks, that that image is necessarily untrue). My extended family, however, was not from Florida and at Christmas/holidays we often travelled to the Northeast. Travel meant two days on the road straight up I-95 with a stop in the Carolinas halfway through, usually at a roadside motel next to America's greatest dining establishment - Waffle House. I was 12 years old when we stayed with my grandparents for one such Christmas. My parents, my sisters, my grandparents and myself, all sardine-packed in a one bathroom home. I slept on a couch near the Christmas tree. One of my gifts that year was a copy of The Beatles - The White Album.

Helter Skelter- just listen to this thing, will ya?! My mind was blown by this song. That incredible opening slide, the drums humming in sync with the guitar, all leading to McCartney SCREAMING YEAH YEAH YEAH as that riff rumbles. Then my ears were hit by that orgasmic wall of sound; Ringo is working overtime here, shredding his hands (I GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGAHS) and tossing the sticks across the studio on take 18. Regarding Helter Skelter, Ringo is to have said "Helter Skelter' was a track we did in total madness and hysterics in the studio. Sometimes you just had to shake out the jams." McCartney and Lennon wanted this to be dirty and chaotic, and dirt and chaos is what they got. All of this doesn't even touch the rest of the history behind this song, Charles Manson and his race war theory, the murders, the conspiracies. Volumes of history have been written on lesser topics, on lesser moments.

Rocky Raccoon - McCartney originally named the protagonist "Rocky Sassoon" but changed it to Rocky Raccoon because he thought it sounded more cowboy-ish. This fact makes me chuckle, thinking of Liverpudlian McCartney postulating on what is and is not Western, presumably imagining a coon-skin cap on top of this character's head. After all, in America we are all rustics. McCartney also wrote this in jest, poking fun at folk-writers, but this song breaks my heart in many small ways, and even at 12 years old it made me feel an indescribable sadness. Poor poor Rocky, trapped in this love triangle, tormented by his unrequited love of Lil McGil, displaying his machismo and getting shot for all of this foolishness. Now shot, wounded and scorned by Lil, Rocky has to rely on this pathetic alcoholic small town rural doctor who is so drunk he takes Rocky's place on the table. The sadness of the doctor alone still makes my heart drop. Rocky then limps home to a room otherwise empty but for a copy of Gideon's bible. Whether or not Rocky recieves comfort from the Good Book we do not now know, but his fate is at least, hopefully, headed towards revival.

Every time we made that trip from Florida to the Northeast, at night in our stop-over hotel, I would open the dresser drawers and find a copy of Gideon's Bible, and a pang of sadness would strike my heart thinking about Rocky.

Edit: u/Teufelskraft sorry forgot to tag you

AA SOTD - 8/3/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: cold shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (3)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED:

Happy hump day to all. Damn easy shave today. Still can't feel my fuckin' face and that is fine because I know it is BBS. I am the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft):

Yesterday I betrayed my Sunshine State upbringing to the community. You can take the man out of Florida, but can you really ever take Florida out of the man? I’m of the opinion that you cannot, in fact, entirely purge the Florida out of someone who grew up in Florida. Like an irreparable scar levied on your body from a violent accident, Florida never leaves you. Once you’ve drank enough Indian River OJ to change your internal osmotic chemistry, once you’ve been spoiled by the easy availability of cheap Cuban cuisine, and once you’ve seen enough crazy bullshit to violently rob you of your faith in humanity, then you cannot really leave Florida.

To be honest, however, it was a decent place to grow up. I had a good family, I had good friends, I never wanted for much. Grandpa gave me my first car, a dark green 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis that he kept in pristine condition and got single digit miles to the gallon. A V8 goddess. Man, I loved that car - the bench seats, the pull down shifter, the wheel that was so loose it felt like I had to spin it 10 total revolutions just to turn right or left. It drove like a dream, and on hot steamy Florida nights, driving back and forth from friends' homes, it was a massive metallic space yacht cruising effortlessly on flat, wide Florida highways.

You grow up in a big enough suburban/urban space and if you have a car you will end up listening to a lot of music. Jack Johnson ("JJ"), Hawaii native, born into a lineage of surfing fame, and creator of mindlessly melodic beach acoustics was a favorite of mine. I cruised on highways, passed endless rows of stripmalls, occasionally went to the beach, all listening to these easy tunes. Gone is an idea representation of JJ. Simple, melodic, easy listening with an earthy, albeit somewhat trite, message. It was good music for a kid, still good music now, just don't read into the tea leaves here and hope for a life illuminating message.

Mediocre Bad Guys is a bird of a different color. Upon reflection, JJ nailed this one. I worked in the criminal justice system as a younger man and I can confidently tell you that you will meet a lot of shitty people, but you will only meet a handful of truly bad people in your life. I mean evil people, if you believe in evil. Some men just can't be reached. But most of your life will be full of mediocre bad guys - assholes, jerks, shitty people who are selfish, mean, and sad. When you're a kid you don't understand why your teacher is picking on you, or why your baseball coach is just an ass all the time. What you don't know is that that person might just be a jerk, might just be an ass, might be sad and alone. These are mediocre bad guys; they can't really hurt you, but damned if their efforts don't bring you down anyways.

Edit: great to see the Floridians represent!

AA SOTD - 8/4/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

Quick two pass shave that left me surprisingly BBS. God, I freakin' love this set. No cold shower this morning as I took mine before bed last night after working out. I remain the iceman.

#SIDETRACKED u/Teufelskraft

Writing about my childhood these past few days has made me nostalgic for many things, but none more than baseball. The game was an enormous part of my youth (and, sadly, not so much a part of my adult life). As I grow older, I can’t help but think about the Glory Days, so that is my song for the day.

Bruce talks about his friend who could throw that speedball by you - I had those friends. If we're all being at least a little bit honest this month, I can tell you I sucked at baseball. But I had some friends that were damn good and fun to play with. Either way it is fun to remember baseball, the heat of the Florida sun, that baseball clay grinding beneath our spikes, the sound of a ground ball coming off a bat.

Glory Days also makes me think about the fleeting nature of youth, the punch of sadness you feel when you think about the good old days, and how you never really know you're living the good old days until they're over.

AA SOTD - 8/5/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: cold shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

Happy FFF to all. Great shave today. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

My senior year of high school I had a class first semester that started at 7:00AM. I lived pretty far outside the city where my school was, far enough that I either had to leave at 5:45AM in order to miss the first dose of rush hour traffic and get to school at approx. 6:20, or leave “late” at 6:15/6:20 and potentially hit so much traffic that I would miss the class. So, 5:45AM it was.

Florida is hot and humid. In the morning it is hot and humid. In the middle of the day it is hot and humid. In the afternoon it is hot and humid. In the evening…you get the point. At 5:45AM it is slightly less so but still hot and humid. It is so humid in some months that you awake to find your car soaking wet, as if a rainstorm just passed over your house. But you know it didn’t rain, in fact it hasn’t rained at all since yesterday afternoon, when you had the usual 15 minute deluge of rain, little Florida “micro storms” so small that it could be raining on one side of the street and dry across the way, and so regular that you could almost set your watch to them. But it does not matter, it is 5:45AM and my car is wet and I have to go, mom, I have to go or else. And it’s dark. Dark like the middle of the night. And quiet. I would drive to school looking through my water speckled windows in the dark, quiet, wet morning and play Re Stacks.

For Emma, Forever Ago is a love album. It is about heartbreak and pain and loss and self-discovery that comes through all of those things. Re Stacks is J. Vernon’s memoir on his own self-excavation, on the archeological study of his soul and past, and whether or not he can live with what he finds. In many ways it is about pushing your stacks into the center of the table, the proverbial shove of life, playing the hand your dealt after picking up the cards and finding out what you’ve got, good or bad. I am what I am.

I took this Bon Iver album to college with me, kept listening to it, kept playing it. First year of college was rough for me - I was in over my head, halfway across the country from everybody I knew and loved, and I was cold. It is so god damn cold in the Midwest and I still do not know how people up there endure it. You get used to it, sorta, I know, but man that cold would get into my bones. And for a couple months there I was fucking miserable. But things got better; I turned things around in the second half, made friends, fit in, worked harder. I can remember one night walking home, looking into the inside of buildings, trying to absorb the warmth of their insides through my eyeballs, anything to make that walk warmer. And it was snowing, lightly, just dusting my shoulders, lightly painting the ground around me and the windows into which I was gazing - my headphones had this song on and I gazed into snow speckled windows in the dark, quiet, wet night and I thought how funny it was to be thousands of miles away from one place and yet still be me, same old me.

AA SOTD - 8/6/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (6)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Great Saturday morning shave. BBS. Happy Saturday to all! I. Love. This. Set.I remain The Iceman.

SIDETRACKED u/Teufelskraft

Today’s song is a little diddy by the man himself, John Prine.Why? Because everybody should know and love John Prine. That’s it. That’s the bit.

AA SOTD - 8/7/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: B&M Arctique (ombnius)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

Houston, we have a problem. This soap is so damn good, and had enough uses on it prior to AA despite being purchased this summer, that the ring of death has formed. Getting 24 more shaves out of this will be a real challenge and I think I may end up having to buy more. Hope everybody has a good Sunday and is not stuck at the office like me.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Blind Willie Johnson was born in 1897 to a sharecropping father and a mother that would die before Willie was a young boy. Willie's father remarried, the first of a series of unfortunate events that would irrevocably alter Willie's life until the day he died. Despite his namesake, Willie was not born blind. Little concrete information is known about Willie's childhood but the prevailing historical narrative is that Willie was blinded when his stepmother confronted his father regarding infidelity of the latter. The stepmother, or so the narrative goes, either purposely or accidentally threw lye-water on Willie's eyes, permanently blinding the young boy (7 years old at the time) for life.

Willie did not go on to become a musical success. He did not sells millions of records. His voice did not reach across the country through the miracle of radio. Instead, Willie died in the burned out ruins of his Texas home after contracting malarial fever, ostensibly from the ruinous conditions he was living in, and went untreated. Again, the history is unclear on this point, but the two narratives are that the local hospitals would not admit Willie to treat him for his malaria either due to his blindness or the color of his skin. He was 48 years old. His grave was unknown, the graveyard itself forgotten until its rediscovery in the early 2000's.

The story of Willie Johnson is heartbreaking. Dying alone, feverish, blind and suffering in the ruins of your home shakes your inner humanity. But Willie's voice has gone farther than any other human voice in history. Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground is on the Voyager records. And, as of 2013, Willie's voice had reached interstellar space.

AA SOTD - 8/8/2022; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: hot shower (boo)

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (2)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

I had to be out the door this morning not later than a certain set time. So, this was a speed shave. 2 quick passes after a rapid lather. Still BBS. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

I will never forget the first time I heard Astral Weeks. I was hunkered down in a room at the library in college; full bunker-mode writing a paper mid-winter. My phone shuffled through songs as I outlined my work, but nothing was helping me to study very much. Then Astral Weeks started playing. Within three minutes I found the entire album online and I don't think I did another second of work until I finished listening to the entire thing.

The production story of this album is incredible:

"So what magic happened during those three recording sessions on West Fifty-second Street? At Merenstein’s insistence, most of the band Morrison had been touring with that summer were not invited to the studio. Instead, the producer gathered an élite group of session musicians, featuring the bassist Richard Davis, who had performed with Sarah Vaughan and Oscar Peterson, and the guitarist Jay Berliner, who had recorded with Harry Belafonte and Charles Mingus. Perhaps intimidated by the company he was in, Morrison skulked to the vocal booth and kept his interactions with the musicians to a minimum. Davis recalls that Morrison strummed his songs once or twice for them and then let them improvise their parts as the tapes rolled. It hardly seems like a recipe for success, but it was very much in keeping with the unstructured and unorthodox temper of the time. Merenstein and the musicians were thrilled with the results, but Morrison, ever the contrarian, had a different opinion. “They ruined it,” he said later. “They added strings. I didn’t want the strings. And they sent it to me, it was all changed. That’s not ‘Astral Weeks’.”

For the rest of us, though, it very much is."

- Jon Michaud, The Miracle of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks", Mar. 7, 2018, The New Yorker.

AA SOTD - 8/9/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (3)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Quick shave today as I had to run out of the house and get the dog to the vet. A little irritation on my cheeks but that's just from shaving every day, certainly no fault of this incredible set. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Two RIP's today related to my sidetracked section.

Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of yesterday at the age of 73. I don't know how many times I watched Grease during long summer nights at the beach with my family as a young boy, but it was enough for the image of ONJ as Sandy to be permanently burned in my mind. I heard on NPR this morning that when they produced Physical, she was thought it was too risque and wanted them to make the music video about "exercise" to tone it down...not sure she got what she wanted out of that choice lol.

Lamont Dozier passed away yesterday at the age of 81. He was a major force in the Motown scene and helped write and produce a ton of remarkably good music, including hits by Martha and the Vandellas (Heat Wave!!!).

AA SOTD - 8/10/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

\^ me pretty much every morning. Great shave. Going light on loading to try and preserve this soap through August. Ring of death progress pictures will come tomorrow. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Quick write up today as I am underwater at work. Two songs for everybody's listening pleasure:

Voices by Joshua Ray Walker; and

25 and Wastin' Time by Vincent Neil Emerson

If you are a fan of alt-country, of guys like Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, and Colter Wall, then you should get to know these two guys as well. Both are out of Texas. Both have a great sound.

That is all for today. Happy Hump Day to all.

AA SOTD - 8/11/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Mekur Progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Shaved as quickly as possible to get out the door and off to a hellish day at work. Fine shave. Need a new blade, this one is caput. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Like I said above, miserable fuckin' time at work right now. I've got all the fuckin' work I need.

Dan Reeder is the man. Buddy of mine from grad school tracked him down in Germany and we bought paintings of his directly from him. Really weird dude but he was nice as hell and basically sold them to us at a loss. That painting hangs in my office.

AA SOTD - 8/12/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

New blade today made all the difference and so I had a great 3 pass shave. BBS. Ring of death update pics provided. I am still nervous as we are not even halfway through AA, but I am making good lathers with quick loads so I still think I can have this tub for the whole month. Happy FFF to all! I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Another Dan Reeder song today, You'll Never Surf Again.

This is a beautiful song, but I have difficulty listening to it. I am reminded of the day I received correspondence ruling me out from the only job I ever wanted for the entirety of my life. The letter came in a small envelope, only three pages of finely typed writing. I think my father knew what it was; he decided to silently wait in the doorway of my bedroom as I opened the envelope, unfolded the papers and read them. Must have been no more than two words that came out of my mouth before I started crying, hung my head and dropped the papers. As the papers fell to the floor through the liminal space between my hands and the carpet you could hear my dreams ending. Dad didn't say a word. He just hugged me.

Not reaching your dreams is just a part of life. Things don't always work out. Sometimes you just have to move on.

AA SOTD - The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (2)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Four pass shave with an amazing lather. Really took my time tonight. I remain the Iceman.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

As we near the halfway mark, do you feel boreYou are not alone.ing the will to keep going? You are not alone.

AA SOTD - 8/14/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: Wim Hof cold plunge -> splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Ok so this morning I did an hour of sauna (20 minutes) then a quick rinse in the shower followed by a cold plunge (2) minutes. They call it the Wim Hof method. Joe rogan does this shit or something. I dunno, I’m not trying to sell anybody minerals that purify your blood, I have no idea if this is actually healthy, but it feels really fucking good. Came home, splashed hot water on my face, then got a great shave in. Easy. Peasy.

SIDETRACKED (I/Teufelskraft)

Radiohead is a great band that I feel like I missed in college. While lots of other people were discovering them, I never game them a listen until a few years ago.

Fun fact about High and Dry - Thom Yorke originally performed a version of the song with a band called Headless Chickens.

Happy Sunday to all.

AA SOTD - 8/15/22

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Good shave, very quick. Ring of death update photo.It’s going to be a close call over the next two weeks.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Weather is shit here today. Was so dark this morning I could barely get out of bed. Truly a Blue Monday.

Elvis once said Fats Domino was the real king of rock and roll. I love Elvis, but he might have been on to something there.

AA SOTD - 8/16/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

Great shave this morning. Ring of death is growing, however, and has become a daily source of fear. I remain The Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Olsen Olsen by Sigur Ros. Love this song and video with this life performance. A peaceful remembrance of fall and winter times.

AA SOTD - 8/17/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (2)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Really quick shave today but still bbs. Did not take the time to work the lather much as I was running late, but still had plenty of slickness. I might have added some moisture to the lather with my tears. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Hump day special for y'all with two songs, all by one of my favorites Tom T. Hall "The Storyteller").

For the uninitiated, Tom is a country legend of old.

First song is I Like Beer. It's a silly song but catchy. This song matters to me, however, because my Dad loves to sing it to annoy my Mom. And yes, both me and my Dad like beer, quite a lot.

Second song is Homecoming. This is a great song and a subtle masterpiece of writing. Tom writes the song as if he's having a conversation with his somewhat estranged father, a man that he maintains a distant relationship as Tom travels the country as a big country star and his dad is back at home still cattle ranching and living a simple life. This song reminds me of my Dad, not because he's estranged to me, but because I just don't call him enough and sometimes, if we are really catching up, our conversations can feel a bit like this song, with Dad asking me non-judgmental questions about where my life is going and me responding like I'm 14 again and trying to make sense.

Happy hump day y'all - call your pops today if you still can.

AA SOTD - 8/18/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (3)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Quick shave. Easy peasy. Ring of death continues to grow. Almost to Friday hang in there everybody. I remain, the Iceman.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Lonesome in my Home by Junior Kimbrough.

Say it with me: I (I) will listen (will listen) to more (to more) blues music (blues music).

Good. Now listen to this Fuckin’ magisterial legend of the delta.

AA SOTD - 8/19/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Three passes, very good shave. At this point, 19 shaves in, I am hysterically unaffected by the tears that come out of my eyes as I shave. Seriously, I love this soap.Ring of death is getting really fucking big, no clue how I am going to get my remaining shaves out of this. Spartan loads.

Happy FFF to all.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Football is so close I can almost taste it. Some of my fondest memories as a kid were days home from school. when I would turn on ESPN mid-day, before every numb nuts commentator had their own hot take show, and watch NFL films. How can you not love the stories of those classic games, the old school footage of true grid iron play, and of course the music?! Classic Battle raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Happy Friday to all, especially the football fans out there.

AA SOTD - 8/20/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: cold shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Good quick shave. Running out of soap.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Hungover as hell today. Not Feelin’ Alright.

AA SOTD - 8/21/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Frankly, not a great shave. First weepers of AA appeared on my right jaw line and they hurt. Need to change this blade too. I remain the Iceman.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Found myself at a Brett Eldridge concert on Friday night with two good buddies. I don’t listen to Brett Eldridge, or really any country musics produced after the 90’s. The concert was stereotypically redneck, although I gotta say Brett is talented, his band was very good and they put on a great show for the crowd.

I do, however, listen to Waylon Jennings. Lovin’ Her Was Easier is actually a Kris Kristofferson song, but I think Waylon does it best. This is a beautiful song. The opening guitar notes, Waylon’s deep voice coming in, the way the band comes in behind. Great song. Happy Sunday to all.

AA SOTD - 8/22/22; The Iceman Cometh

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: B&M Arctique (omnibus)

Post: B&M AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

I'm almost out of soap. Last two shaves including today have been downright miserable as I can barely build a lather and I am scrubbing my face like hell to get something going. I am at a crossroads. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson. I have had two bad shaves in a row and I am at a crossroads with my soap set up, so here's the on point song of the day. Robert Johnson is another blues legend that people should be acquainted with.

AA SOTD - 8/23/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (2)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique (omnibus + Stirling MitA)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

As of yesterday this was all I had left of my Arctique. I have had two terrible shaves in a row trying to ration this soap and build some sort of passable lather with 5-7 second loads.

AA for me really isn't about the challenges or the possibility of rewards; it's about finally taking serious participation in one of this sub's bigger events and rethinking my relationship with wetshaving and wetshaving products. I made a commitment to 31 shaves in a row no matter what, and I made a commitment to not buying any new products until AA is over.

So, instead of dreading my remaining shaves and possibly quitting, and instead of buying more soap, I went ahead and combined my remaining Arctique into a tub of Stirling MitA, which I love, but I have had for almost two years now and needs some serious use and reduction. I present to you MARGARITAS IN THE ARCTIQUE. Yeah yeah, I know, I technically failed AA, but you know what? Today I had a great shave, BBS, no irritation, and incredible lather. I still can't smell the MitA scent over the remaining Arctique, but I assume I'll get to that chilly reward soon enough. I remain the Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

In honor of my beloved Arctique which has passed on to shaving Valhalla, today's song is The Body of an American by the Pogues. May you lather among greener pastures, my sweet tub of Arctique. You were a free born soap of the U-S-A.

AA SOTD - 8/24/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (3)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique (MitA + Arctique)

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Great shave today. BBS. Very little Arctique is left on the puck from my mashup. Everybody survive Monday.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

I don’t know a thing about electronic music. Never got into EDM or dubstep or that scene in college. But I love this song by Mount Kimbie. Marilyn, and the rest of this album, is a really cool listen. The group is a duo of English dudes who apparently are landmarks in the “post-dub step” scene …. I don’t fuckin know what any of that means but the fact that this album is a great listen for somebody like me makes me think it’s approachable to most.

AA SOTD - 8/25/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Great shave. Almost Friday thank God.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Havana Burning by Dan Reeder

If I had a pistol, I could join a revolution Just like Che Imagine me Hunkered down low in the sugar cane Watchin’ Havana Burnin’

AA SOTD - 8/26/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: cold shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (1)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGED

Great shave today. Happy FFF to all.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

WE GOT COLLEGE FOOTBALL THIS WEEKEND EVERYBODY. SATURDAY MORNING GAME DAY FINALLY. YES - I AM YELLING. WE'RE COMIN' TO YOUR CITY BY BIG & RICH.

AA SOTD - 8/27/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: cold shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (5?)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Easy day. Easy shave. That’s all.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Easy livin music. Just my imagination, running’ away with me.

AA SOTD - 8/28/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (3)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGED

Shave today just to shave. Did not particularly enjoy this shave. Made a boneheaded cut on my jaw probably because I was distracted. Here’s to three more good shaves before a break for my face.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Red Snapper by Clbrks and Dylantheinfamous

I don’t know who either of these guys are, but I have found over the last year that British rappers make a ton of music with great samples. I don’t listen to a whole lot of rap anymore but songs like this are more contemplative and lend themselves to work/productivity. Hope everybody has a good Sunday.

AA SOTD - 8/29/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (4)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

UNCHALLENGE

Ok shave. Ready for new soap. Mondays suck.

SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Wife got a new job today. Couldn’t be more happy for her. Weird day at the office, practically nobody was there and I was moderately productive. Felt introspective, I guess.Igloo by Clbrks.

AA SOTD - 8/30/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: splash of hot water to the face

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (5)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Okay, today was an excellent 3 pass + cleanup shave. With a proper 24 hours worth of growth on my face this razor, blade, brush and soap set up performs as it should. BBS, no irritation. There hasn't been any Arctique remaining in my soap for approx. 4 shaves at this point, but I am making a dent in the MitA which is good. Can't believe we're almost to the end. All you StagBois go crazy these next two days, y'all hear? I remain The Iceman.

​

#SIDETRACKED (u/Teufelskraft)

Going to California by Led Zeppelin.

When I first met my wife in graduate school the aux function for music in my car didn't work so I ran an old OG ipod via usb into the system and played a set list of music that I had limited ability to update. I used to listed to a lot of LZ, and my wife's car sucked, so we drove in mine all the time and listened to my music, especially LZ. This song never fails to bring a smile to my face. The softeness of the guitar, John Paul Jones stringing the mandolin, it just all works.

AA SOTD - 8/31/22; The Iceman Cometh (modified)

Pre: quick shower

Brush: Stirling 26mm synthetic pro handle

Razor: Merkur Progress

Blade: Astra (6)

Lather: Margaritas in the Arctique

Post: B&M Arctique AS

Post: Nivea cooling balm

#UNCHALLENGE

Well, this is it everybody. 31 days, 31 shaves, approx. 5/6 Astras, 1 and 1/2 tubs of soap, and lots of BBS later and here we are. Today was a good shave. Three passes, no irritation. My skin is going to be getting a break from shaving for a while, probably not shaving until Monday night before going back to work on Tuesday. This has been a fun experience and I am glad I joined in.

I humbly remain, The Iceman.

#SIDETRACKED (u/Tuefelskraft)

Today's selection is trite, but it must be done. The End by The Doors.

If everybody couldn't tell from my cold shower gif, I am an Apocalypse Now fan-boy. So like Captain Willard, I am going to ride off into the Heart of Unshaven 5-oclock shadow Darkness over the next week or so.

Thanks to all of you who took time to read my posts this month. I hope everybody has a good fall season. See y'all in the funny papers, boys.