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Nurse Dave's Journal

2018 shave #136 (DE:23 SE:44 Str:66 Cart:2)

Weck w/ Personna (5)
L&L After the Rain
RasoRock Plissoft
Witch Hazel & Alum
L&L After the Rain post shave balm
L&L After the Rain AS

I went into the bathroom thinking I could use a mild shave after my two straight shaves in a row. They do take a toll on my neck. Well, my male lizard brain overruled the logical choice and went with a straight again. I guess I figured I wanted to build on the progress of yesterday. I would say overall, this shave was very similar to yesterday. Thought about light pressure and there wasn't stalling or anything. Maybe I was subconsciously trying to make sure the whole blade was making contact before. Anyway, I would
n't say Murphy bit me, because I did it to myself, but I did get the calling today. I was trying to figure out a simple down stroke on the first pass because my nose was getting in the way of my hand, and I put the blade to my face without it being in motion and felt it dig in a bit. I thought I got away with it for a while, but then the beads of red started to grow. Once all was said and done, I could see it wasn't just a cut that will close up, but a little flap of skin was actually hanging from an end. It's not very big, but it'll be visible for some time.
 
First off nice shave. And to answer your question about leasing.

Yes I do lease. I am now in my third one. My wife is someone who drive a car into the ground. So we buy hers, it is almost paid off should be done by this time next year.

But me I like the get the new tech and a new car every couple of years. I also only drive 6 miles to work and then 6 miles home. So I do a super low mileage lease. and at the end of the lease I usually have enough equity to cover the down payment to get into the next vehicle. I also save up and throw a little more down to ensure my car payment is always right where I want it. I have had very good experiences with leasing. I love having the new car, and usually by the time the 3 years is up, is about the time the bigger regular maintenance stuff is coming up. So it's perfect timing. If you have any further questions you can PM and I can help answer.
 
Cvargo said:
First off nice shave. And to answer your question about leasing.

Yes I do lease. I am now in my third one. My wife is someone who drive a car into the ground. So we buy hers, it is almost paid off should be done by this time next year.

But me I like the get the new tech and a new car every couple of years. I also only drive 6 miles to work and then 6 miles home. So I do a super low mileage lease. and at the end of the lease I usually have enough equity to cover the down payment to get into the next vehicle. I also save up and throw a little more down to ensure my car payment is always right where I want it. I have had very good experiences with leasing. I love having the new car, and usually by the time the 3 years is up, is about the time the bigger regular maintenance stuff is coming up. So it's perfect timing. If you have any further questions you can PM and I can help answer.
Click to expand...
I will be in touch for sure Chad.
 
OUCH, I've done that. We call that a hard touchdown. The only advice i have at this time is to lay that spine on the skin and go. If you do end up subconsciously applying pressure it will be distributed across the spine more than the edge. Don't even think of lifting the spine ...no matter how it feels. The spine against the face isn't the ideal angle but it does work and it can reduce irritation. You will want to stretch the skin a bit to ensure you don't end up with fillet of Dave. If the spine against the skin (not pressed into the skin, just laying against it) works, stick with it until you feel you have the motions down then start lifting the spine. I did this while i was learning and found it added some confidence and reduced injury.

As to the lease...
Leasing makes more sense financially but it does have some drawbacks. Leasing is just like buying a car but you have a guaranteed trade-in value at the end of the lease. You are essentially paying for what you use not buying the whole car. If you get a trusted brand and they construct the lease properly you end up not having to pay for much else, the warranty will cover most surprises and a lot of brands give you 2 years free maintenance.

One of the drawbacks to a lease is that at lease end you will need to either buy out the car (not always a good idea) or lease another, you won't "own" a car at the end. This works well when you have extra cars anyway but it can put you in a bind if you don't prepare for it. For the best value, I recommend asking your dealer to show you the cars that are on lease special before looking at anything else. Lease specials (the prices you see on TV) apply ONLY to very specific cars with very specific features, the dealer may not actually have one of those cars on the lot but if they do and you like it then you get a better price. I tell you this so you know they aren't exactly doing the old bait and switch, but it can let them know you are more serious about the price than the car. Personally, I recommend either sticking with a dealer you know and trust OR sticking with a trusted brand (Toyota is a good car with a good lease arrangement). I use a dealer I know well. I let them know in advance what my limits are and the features i "must have" then let them go.

A lease might not be good for you if you tend to put a whole lot of wear and tear on your cars or travel more than 12K miles per year. The car doesn't have to be in pristine condition but it can't have a lot of scratches and dings or unaddressed mechanical issues.

Good luck with the car thing.
 
CBLindsay said:
OUCH, I've done that. We call that a hard touchdown. The only advice i have at this time is to lay that spine on the skin and go. If you do end up subconsciously applying pressure it will be distributed across the spine more than the edge. Don't even think of lifting the spine ...no matter how it feels. The spine against the face isn't the ideal angle but it does work and it can reduce irritation. You will want to stretch the skin a bit to ensure you don't end up with fillet of Dave. If the spine against the skin (not pressed into the skin, just laying against it) works, stick with it until you feel you have the motions down then start lifting the spine. I did this while i was learning and found it added some confidence and reduced injury.

As to the lease...
Leasing makes more sense financially but it does have some drawbacks. Leasing is just like buying a car but you have a guaranteed trade-in value at the end of the lease. You are essentially paying for what you use not buying the whole car. If you get a trusted brand and they construct the lease properly you end up not having to pay for much else, the warranty will cover most surprises and a lot of brands give you 2 years free maintenance.

One of the drawbacks to a lease is that at lease end you will need to either buy out the car (not always a good idea) or lease another, you won't "own" a car at the end. This works well when you have extra cars anyway but it can put you in a bind if you don't prepare for it. For the best value, I recommend asking your dealer to show you the cars that are on lease special before looking at anything else. Lease specials (the prices you see on TV) apply ONLY to very specific cars with very specific features, the dealer may not actually have one of those cars on the lot but if they do and you like it then you get a better price. I tell you this so you know they aren't exactly doing the old bait and switch, but it can let them know you are more serious about the price than the car. Personally, I recommend either sticking with a dealer you know and trust OR sticking with a trusted brand (Toyota is a good car with a good lease arrangement). I use a dealer I know well. I let them know in advance what my limits are and the features i "must have" then let them go.

A lease might not be good for you if you tend to put a whole lot of wear and tear on your cars or travel more than 12K miles per year. The car doesn't have to be in pristine condition but it can't have a lot of scratches and dings or unaddressed mechanical issues.

Good luck with the car thing.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice on both fronts. I'll try the spine on the face thing. I've found when I get very shallow, the blade drags because there's so much surface area sticking it to the face. But I haven't purposefully tried to do it and keep it like that.

My daily commute with getting the kids is something like 15 miles, so I'm starting to think more a lease might be good. Good advice about asking about specials. I remember seeing a sign an a small SUV about leasing for $99 a couple years ago. I thought to myself at that price, even if I didn't need it, I'd save more than that in depreciation of the other cars while I drove it. I didn't see it when I drove past a couple weeks later.
 
Just got caught up on your journal. Interesting how much trouble you've had with the straight razor, just about the same time that things seem to be coming together for me. Sorry to hear about your car, too.

I drove a 2002 Mini Cooper pretty much into the ground and finally replaced it in February with a used Mini Countryman. Considerably larger than my old Mini. I bought a 2014 car, but it only had 20K miles on it and it looked almost brand new.

I've never leased. I'm the type that buys a car and drives it until it won't drive any more. We haven't had a car payment at my house in a long, long time. I bought used because that lets somebody else eat the steep part of the depreciation curve. But that's just my approach, and it might not be for everybody.

I'm kinda getting to the point where I much prefer the straight razor to any other means of shaving. But I struggled for quite some time, as you probably recall. I almost gave it up at one point. Wish I could say exactly what changed, or what happened, or why. If I could, I'd let you know, but I really don't know.
 
Some great reading, Dave! I feel for you on the car situation, it's always tough to give up on one that you have had that meant so much to you. My current car is a Challenger that is the first car I have ever owned from brand new, and it's been paid off since the first year. It has been heavenly having no car payment, but I know that I am getting to the more expensive half of the car's life. It's a 2010 that just crossed 108k miles. I have had to replace the alternator, and new tires twice, besides normal maintenance and two safety recalls. I know when I have to let her go it will be a sad day.

I hope you get dialed in on the straights. That Stark is a looker, and should have had a great edge. I was alwas told to never strop before the first shave so you can feel the edge at its best. I know Jerry will be happy to bring it back to life if there were any issues.
 
kingfisher said:
Just got caught up on your journal. Interesting how much trouble you've had with the straight razor, just about the same time that things seem to be coming together for me.
Click to expand...
Yep, I've actually thought about your journey while I'm shaving. And knowing you were at the point of almost throwing in the towel and kept going helps me to think it could be just around the corner.
 
NurseDave said:
Yep, I've actually thought about your journey while I'm shaving. And knowing you were at the point of almost throwing in the towel and kept going helps me to think it could be just around the corner.
Click to expand...

Dave’s shave this morning:

 
2018 shave #137 (DE:24 SE:44 Str:66 Cart:2)

Parker 76R w/ Israeli Personna (1)
Sudsy Soapery Citrus and Bay
RasoRock Plissoft
Witch Hazel & Alum
Nivea post shave balm
Ogallala Bay rum Cologne

Takin' it
back old skool today. The 76R was my first razor and I figured I might stay away from the big boy blades until I'm healed up from yesterday. Boy, that little cut looks more impressive today with a little texture and the edges pulling away from each other. With some mentioned of Citrus and Bay a couple of days ago, I figured it's been some time since I've enjoyed it. As usual it has the standard progression from foamy to a nice rich lather. Which I could use in all it's glory since I didn't need to thin it today. The smell is a bit of a sweeter bay rum which has almost a creamy egg nog note to me. I like it. This is my first use of the Ogallala cologne. I have the smaller bottles which don't have regulators in them and it does say apply liberally. I tried just to get a few drops in my hand, but there was a small puddle and I thought what the heck. I figured I'd be gassing everyone, all day long, but the scent was very short lived. This stuff is a joke in terms of wearing for the day.
 
Wow, have I missed a lot - but caught up now! I know exactly what you mean about the time constraint on posting!....all I can say right now is, it’s been a great read!
 
Just catching up and some nice shaves.

I share Chris's opinions on leasing but leasing works well for my situation. We tend to drive less than the typical 10-12K/year marker for leases. And we don't like the long term maintenance for keeping a car. From our experiences, after the dealership warranty ends, the car always ends up having some kind of issue. You calculate the cost of the financing + maintenance upkeep, we felt like things almost netted out even.

Plus, it allows us to drive a new car every 3/4 years which is nice.
 
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