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Another Shaving Journal

CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Gillette 1946ish Aristocrat/Bluebird Hi Stainless (9)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

The plumbers are here now. I would have posted earlier, but they were jackhammering and I didn’t want the noise to disturb you. As you can tell, it’s quieter now. Have a great day, Cadre. 🙂
 
IMG_0766.jpeg
One day’s work. Tomorrow all the cast iron will be replaced with 4” PVC. In the foreground the left leg of the Y was cut off - it goes to the floor drain. It will be backfilled with gravel and covered with concrete, after snaking and scoping further the line to the outside. It has already cost us many, many more dollars. They had to remove more concrete and dig out to expose the floor drain. Depending on what tomorrow’s adventures reveal, we will either be done, or we will need to spend many, many, many more dollars. 😭
 
Graybeard57 said:
View attachment 142069
One day’s work. Tomorrow all the cast iron will be replaced with 4” PVC. In the foreground the left leg of the Y was cut off - it goes to the floor drain. It will be backfilled with gravel and covered with concrete, after snaking and scoping further the line to the outside. It has already cost us many, many more dollars. They had to remove more concrete and dig out to expose the floor drain. Depending on what tomorrow’s adventures reveal, we will either be done, or we will need to spend many, many, many more dollars. 😭
Click to expand...
Found the leak…it’s the giant hole in your floor.
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (1)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

First time in years that I’ve used a Derby blade. Sam @woodpusher included it in some unclaimed items of Ed’s. I miss Ed on our Zoom calls - nice man. FTR, I miss SAM on our Zoom calls too, but Ed was nicer. 😉 Now we have no Canadian friends to talk to. Are they boycotting Zoom calls too? 🤔

IMG_0768.jpeg
This is what our basement looks like today. Cast iron removed and replaced with PVC. They’ll be back tomorrow to add some gravel, cut the exposed PVC to floor level, and concrete it over. The pipe on the left is the floor drain; on the right is for access. The big colonoscopy revealed several areas with tree roots grown in. The roots are small but they’ve created dense tangles. Their “hydro-jet” (industrial power wash) cleared them out somewhat so that “solids” (plumbers are more polite than nurses!) can pass through, but it’s a temporary fix at best. Using root killer can add a moderate amount of time, but not enough to last. So, it looks as though we will be spending many, many, many more dollars in the near future, probably late spring/early summer.
woodpusher said:
Bruce is getting a different perspective on colonoscopies!
Click to expand...
Actually, I’ve been on both ends of a colonoscope. I’m reminded of what my parents taught me in my youth: ‘Tis better to give than to receive.

That is all. Have a great day! 😊
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (2)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

Second day with the Derby. Great shave. I’ve never bought any Derby blades, but did get some thrown into starter packs and other bulk purchases long ago. When starting out at the old place (D&D?, S&M?) everyone was disparaging them, so I avoided them. Actually, they’re not too bad. IIRC, they didn’t last as long as other blades I was using. We shall see. For now, they’re fine.
IMG_0770.jpeg
Our basement is finished, for now. We’ll get an estimate for the rest of it next week. It’ll involve digging a 7 foot trench from a few feet away from the house, down to the street. They were able to extend the house drain about 6 feet away from our house, so they’ll need to access that and continue with 4” PVC to the street. We’ll get a couple more estimates and go from there. Fun times! 😩

Enjoy your day and weekend! 👍
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (3)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

I shaved with just the light from the window due to the power being out. We’re expecting to have it restored ~6p later. We shall see. 🙂

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Hmm… it appears that one of the plumbers with curiously small hands left his mark. Making this more mystifying is he evidently has the same initials as my beautiful wife. What are the odds? 🤔
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (4)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

Happy Tuesday, Cadre! Hope you are all having a great day. Below is a link to an incredible film I discussed on last Sunday’s Zoom call (we don’t just talk about shaving soap, you know). It’s a documentary about a scientific endeavor in small town America. All was fine till a mad evil scientist began some clandestine experiments that had unfortunate consequences. A must see film for all scientifically inclined cadre. This is a YouTube link, but eminent scientist KJ @Spider informed us that it’s also on Prime.
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (5)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

Again the Derby Extra blade comes through, giving me an excellent shave. As they say in Maine, finestkind. My AS lotion is only 1/3 full, so I’ll be cracking open my last bottle soon. Almost time to head over to eBay to order some more. Estimate for replacing the sewer line from the house to the street came in. As expected, it will cost many, many, many more dollars. Well get a couple more estimates and see where that takes us. No matter which company does the job, it will be painful. 🫣
 
CajunBlade Savon Nu unscented
RazoRock Bruce synthetic
Derby Extra (6)
Nivea 2 in 1 AS splash

I thought I’d posted this earlier. Glad I checked back. This being Friday, I went out to get together with good friends. I’m outing myself now to the whole group - regular Zoom folks already know. These gatherings I look forward to are AA meetings. I’ve settled into a routine of going to meetings every Friday and Saturday night, though there are daily meetings at all hours around Pittsburgh. I got sober in November of 1991, and life has been good, very good, since. Tonight’s meeting was an event celebrating the group’s 45th anniversary since its founding. The last surviving founding member, Roger, was there to speak about the group’s history in front of at least 80+ people, probably closer to 100. Roger was seated at a table near me. Nearly everyone at his table was someone whom I had met when I came in 33 years ago. It was wonderful beyond description to see them all together again. Without their kindness, compassion, and help I doubt I’d be sober today. Roger would have had 12-13 years sobriety when I started out, the others less. I looked up to them all then, but Roger was like a god to me - he was, is, so confident and self-assured. I cannot adequately express my joy, gratitude, and love for him and his friends. Wonderful to see him and other friends who were there for me at the beginning.

So why go to AA meetings after decades of sobriety? The simple fact is it works, it helps me to maintain my sobriety. Another equally important reason is that it’s vital for new folks to see us old timers at meetings - it can give them hope and confidence. AA meetings vary slightly from region to region, but all share a commonality which occurred to me some time ago. It’s about Sharing and Caring. Sharing our experience, strength, and hope, and caring about the people who walk through the doors and try to rebuild their lives. A popular AA analogy is that we are all survivors in a lifeboat, bound together by our fierce determination to live better lives. We need one another to survive, and this forges an unbreakable bond among us and all fellow survivors. Sobriety can be described as a gift, and giving back, paying forward, helps us keep our gift close to our hearts. I wouldn’t want to live any other way than this. It’s a joy to be alive and able to share this joy with others.

Good night Cadre, and be well my friends. ❤️
 
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