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The Wild West Show - Jim's Shaving Journal

Howdy, Strangers!

I am trying to keep my fingers in all the different pies, and @Spider gave me the prodding I needed to come on back and see how you all are doing. I know some of you still see me on FB, but I have missed being on the forums.

Shavewise I am pretty much down to once or twice a week. I am fully Work From Home so I am in comfy mode almost every day. When I do shave, my trusty Asylum RX still gets the job done. CBL Outlaw/Stetson AS or The Holy Black Galleon Soap and Splash are my current standards.

I also recently found out that I love Outlaw Soaps, specifically their body washes and lotions. I joined their subscription service, so every two months I get a full bottle of body wash and one of lotion as well. The scent I am using is called Blazing Saddles, which combines Leather, Gunpowder, Sage, and Sandalwood. Classic Jim, right? And every box includes an air freshener for my car in the same scent haha.

Anyways, I will try to be around a bit more. Keep on riding, fellas!
 
WildWest74 said:
Howdy, Strangers!

I am trying to keep my fingers in all the different pies, and @Spider gave me the prodding I needed to come on back and see how you all are doing. I know some of you still see me on FB, but I have missed being on the forums.

Shavewise I am pretty much down to once or twice a week. I am fully Work From Home so I am in comfy mode almost every day. When I do shave, my trusty Asylum RX still gets the job done. CBL Outlaw/Stetson AS or The Holy Black Galleon Soap and Splash are my current standards.

I also recently found out that I love Outlaw Soaps, specifically their body washes and lotions. I joined their subscription service, so every two months I get a full bottle of body wash and one of lotion as well. The scent I am using is called Blazing Saddles, which combines Leather, Gunpowder, Sage, and Sandalwood. Classic Jim, right? And every box includes an air freshener for my car in the same scent haha.

Anyways, I will try to be around a bit more. Keep on riding, fellas!
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Graybeard57 said:
I was thinking the same thing! Perhaps @CBLindsay could whip you up a custom batch. It could even qualify as a stunt shave.
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I am VERY familiar with Outlaw soaps and their scent line-up. I used to have quite a bit of their soaps (bath/body), I actually found that the soap got WAY better once it was aged a year (I had that much soap). I even have a half used puck of blazing saddles shave soap and a HUGE round cut of Campfire shaving soap...both from WAY back when they were located in California. The campfire scent is incredible, when they first tested their beard oil they made it in a similar scent and called it “twine”...OMG it’s the best scent ever (yes I still have it hidden away in my fridge to preserve its scent). To be honest, it’s not very good as a shaving soap but they both smell good and are great pre-shave soaps. I don’t even know if Outlaw even sells shaving soaps anymore but if they do it may not even be the same formulation as the old pucks I have, mine are at least 3-4 years old.
 
I almost feel bad with how little I have been grooming my facial hair.
The one thing that helps me is knowing I don't have to be in public.
But still, I really feel lazy some days, haha!
My wife doesn't care as long as I trim it at least once a week (so it doesn't get pokey).
That said, I am ready to start going back to the office more, to keep myself in check!
 
I think it is about time to knock the dust off this thing. I am just home from work and SWMBO deserves a date night, so a full restart is coming soon. But I have missed talking with everyone. Times are tough, and I know @dangerousdon will agree that working for free STINKS!!!

Keep the powder dry and, and I will be back around.
 
There are only so many ways you can tackle big jobs. Kind of like eating an elephant, the best way to do it would be one bite at a time. I know it has been QUITE some time since I have haunted these digital halls, and fellas have I got some catching up to do.

First, let's talk about my career. I believe I mentioned that, back at the end of 2019, I moved from being a government contractor to being an employee of the Department of the Navy. I took a GS-13 Program Analyst position, and was given the lead role producing weekly Project Management metrics for all of the aircraft carriers and submarines that are undergoing maintenance work at the four Naval Shipyards. So, basically I am responsible for tracking and reporting on the performance of every nuclear ship that comes in for repair. I get to be the first point of contact for anyone from the project team on the waterfront all the way up to the one- and two-star admirals at HQ in Washington DC who use my reports to help track performance and understand if they are going to get their boats back to the Fleet on time. And believe me, knowing how to talk to an Admiral and help them understand the numbers from the same standpoint as the guys in the trailers on the pier takes a lot of subtlety and patience. I had a serious case of Imposter Syndrome when I first came aboard, but 6 years in I am one of the most trusted names in the Navy, and it feels pretty fantastic. I know that Dad would be busting a gut with pride.

Speaking of Dad, he's been on my mind a lot, given the job that I do. Also because I ended up losing Mom this past August. She has been a tough bird, battling several lung issues over the past 8 years, but they finally caught up to her, and she decided to let it go and go see him for good. It has been tough, because she left me as her executor. This was because she knew my sister was going to be useless at dealing with anything relating to her estate and handling the finances. Mom set everything up pretty well in advance, so it hasn't been as difficult as it might have been, but it has unfortunately led to a divide that might never be healed, since my sister proved within days that all she wanted was to know how much money she was getting. Tough to handle. But, my lovely wife has been helping me navigate it. Which has been a blessing, considering we lost her dad in April of 2024 to leukemia. He was diagnosed in May of 2023, so it wasn't even a year until it took him.

The kids are grown and thriving. I don't know if I mentioned that my youngest was part of a Scottish Pipe and Drum band. Well, after some serious drama, they left the Tidewater Pipes and Drums with a couple of other players. That band had always been a Grade 5 teaching band. Together, the members who left formed a new local band called Siren City Pipe Band. They became the first band from Norfolk, VA to compete at the American Pipe Band Championship at the Virginia International Tattoo, where they challenged up a grade (they were Grade 4, competing in Grade 3) and placed! Then last year they were invited to compete in the World Championship in Glasgow, and were again the first band from Virginia to do so. This year they were promoted to Grade 3, making them the highest ranked band ever in the state. On the family side of things, my youngest let us know about 18 months ago that she was transgender, so Andrew became Ashley, and I finally could say that I have a daughter! She can still play guitar and snare drum better than me, as well!

Seamus learned about growing medical cannabis and also works part time for the local concert arena, so until he has bigger aspirations he is doing what he enjoys.

We are now bracing for a "BIG WINTER STORM", which in Southeastern Virginia could mean anything from a foot and a half of snow to a little bit of sleet on your driveway. We shall see.

Here is a little sample of what Siren City brought to the show when they were in Scotland!

 
WildWest74 said:
I am one of the most trusted names in the Navy
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Ha! Just kidding Jim. Thanks for coming back man, we missed you. We need to get you calling another Bingo game soon.... the players will LOVE it, lol. Great update man. Always sucks losing family members, but it sounds like everything else is going well for you and your family.

I sure do love me some bagpipes, and they sound great! Can you elaborate on the grades and what they mean?
 
Spider said:
I sure do love me some bagpipes, and they sound great! Can you elaborate on the grades and what they mean?
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Sure! Each locality is governed by its own Pipe Band Association (here in Virginia it is the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association), but the Grades are recognized across Associations for the purposes of interstate or international competition. Here is how they break them down:
  • Grade 5: Entry-level/Beginner.
  • Grade 4 (Junior/Senior): Novice.
  • Grade 3: Intermediate.
  • Grade 2: Advanced Intermediate.
  • Grade 1: Advanced.
  • Professional/Open: Highest level.
When you compete at a particular Grade as a band, you can also "Challenge Up" to the next Grade, with the permission of the PBA, and compete against bands at a higher level than you. For solo competitors, when they compete, if they do very well they can be given extra marks known as Above Grade Levels (AGLs) meaning that they are performing much better than their current Grade. Normally, at the end of a season (in the fall), players and bands are promoted (or demoted) to their next Grade, if they placed well across multiple competitions. I know that my daugther, Ashley, climbed from a Grade 5 snare drummer to a Grade 2 drummer within 4 years, which is an amazing track record for an American player who only started playing in their late teens. She is also the lead instructor and drum score writer for the band.
 
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