Aug. 14, 2022
- Brush: Zenith B36 "Copper Scrubby!" 28x50mm Boar
- Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
- Blade: GEM (14)
- Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Soap
- Post Shave: Porter's Lotion - WSP - Neroli - Cooling Aftershave Balm
- Fragrance: Cognoscenti - No. 17 Civet Chypre
- Passes: WTG, ATG
- Coffee: Ethiopia, Sidama, Oromia - v: Ethiopia Heirloom - p: Natural
- Music: Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
- August 2022 SOTD Photo Album
#GEMsOfWisdom / #RawHoggin
| Date |
Soap Before (g) |
Soap After (g) |
Usage (g) |
Loading |
| 8/1 |
235.5 |
232.5 |
3 |
|
| 8/2 |
232.5 |
228.0 |
4.5 |
|
| 8/3 |
228.0 |
227.0 |
1 |
|
| 8/4 |
227.0 |
223.3 |
3.7 |
|
| 8/5 |
223.3 |
220.3 |
3 |
40 seconds |
| 8/6 |
220.3 |
218.8 |
1.5 |
30 seconds |
| 8/7 |
218.8 |
217.9 |
0.9 |
40 swirls |
| 8/8 |
217.9 |
216.5 |
1.4 |
40 swirls |
| 8/9 |
216.5 |
215.9 |
0.6 |
40 swirls |
| 8/10 |
215.9 |
215.6 |
0.3 |
50 swirls |
| 8/11 |
215.6 |
213.9 |
1.7 |
60 swirls |
| 8/12 |
214.7 |
213.0 |
1.7 |
60 swirls |
| 8/13 |
213.0 |
211.5 |
1.5 |
60 swirls |
| 8/14 |
211.5 |
◊ |
◊ |
60 swirls |
At this point in August—about half way through, starting with a completely raw hog—the initial rigidity of this "Scrubby!" Zenith has forced me to spend most of my time face lathering with back and forth swipes, versus a lot of splaying. I think this is generally how u/VisceralWatch lathers in his videos. This method doesn't beat up my skin too much, it works well with any knot—since it doesn't require much splaying (we'll call it knot agnostic)—and doesn't shoot lather all over my bathroom unless I'm really whippin' it. I'm not wearing a funny hat, so there's no whipping allowed around here.
About 60 swirls of soap seems to be the sweet spot with this knot. The lather is rich and slick, doesn't take forever to hydrate, and gives me plenty for two passes. The MMOC is not a razor that demands a full three-pass shave, or even benefits from one.
I did manage to scrape up a little spot below the hairline on my neck yesterday, but I didn't realize it until that afternoon when it started to look irritated. My razor must have dipped more south than I intended and I went easy on that part of my neck this morning.
⁂
#sidetracked u/Teufelskraft
I'm a big fan of Gruff Rhys's work with the Super Furry Animals, but his solo recordings are just as varied and interesting. One of those is among my favorite novelty songs—if only because it's such a surefire way to annoy my wife.
During the heyday of mobile endless runner games in 2011, Ustwo released Whale Trail, a simple, candy-colored gem of a game that took the best of the genre (simple mechanics, addictive play, no time commitment) and combined it with a delightful aesthetic. And while the colorful visuals and dreamy look of the game—picture an airborn whale flying slow loops in the sky, popping bubbles and dodging crackling cartoon storm clouds—contributed to that unique atmosphere, it's Gruff Rhys' whimsical electro-psych soundtrack that completed it.
The theme song and repeated soundtrack motif, "Whale Trail," is sunny, energizing, and exceptionally memorable. Combined with a "Sesame Street" meets Yellow Submarine music video, this song will first make you chuckle, before immediately getting stuck in your head for days. Let me know if you also start mindlessly saying "I can see my house from here!" at odd times, before you realize nobody knows what you're quoting in a oddball, sing-song voice.
YouTube: Gruff Rhys - "Whale Trail"
sotd.djudgement_invitations: [<DjudgementInvitation 921>, <DjudgementInvitation 3039>]