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Welcome to the Danger Zone!

Shave from yesterday...

Razor: 1962 Gillette Slim Adjustable
Blade: Ladas (3rd Shave)
Soap/cream: Wholly Kaw - King of Oud
Brush: Rudy Vey - Shavemac Two Band Silver Tip Badger
Aftershave: Thayers Coconut Water Witch Hazel
After the Aftershave: Wholly Kaw - King of Oud

Just a quick entry for posterity purposes. This was yesterday's shave and it was fabulous. I had to go do some interviews and I always want to be clean shaven for those. I am walking into a room where the people already don't like me...so I don't want to give them anymore reason to talk about me. I got up earlier than normal and needed to rush through the shave. But I decided to slow it down a bit and pay attention. I was rewarded with one of the better shaves of my life. I can't say it was entirely BBS, but I had BBS on the face and not far from BBS on the neck. I don't chase so a shave this good is very rare. I instituted a fourth pass...which is highly unusual for me...so I guess I did chase a little yesterday. I ended up going from the center of the face and neck outward in a horizontal stroke. I'm not really sure what you would call it...and I was very careful with a VERY light touch. But that was the trick. Super smooth. But I owe it mostly to the Wholly Kaw - King of Oud (Donkey Milk variety). I have been high on the Noble Otter lately...and I still am. But I hate to say it...the King of Oud really top notch. Yup...this is an elite soap and I don't know why I had forgotten that.

The Danger Zone

I did a lot of driving yesterday...about eight hours of it...and I am starting to hate these trips to Shreveport that I have to do every now and then! Just such a long boring drive to do in one day. To top it off...I ended up with a speeding ticket. Totally my fault and I didn't argue with the very direct, but courteous Trooper that issued it to me. I am sure that's going to set me back a couple hundred bucks. Guess who won't be buying shave soap and after shaves for a while.

The wife got new tires delivered to the house. She drives a Toyota 4Runner Trail model. It is loaded out to do off-road driving and all the fun. We joke that her truck is more manly than mine (I drive a contractor grade no frills run of the mill Ford F-150)...so of course she named her truck Betty. She got a great deal on Cooper Discovery tires and so we are getting them put on today. Yup...if her truck was more manly than mine then...It's going to be the Chris Hemsworth of SUVs now. That's what I get for marrying a Strong, Independent Woma
n...but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!

Have a wonderful weekend cadre!
 
Great shave Don...have to agree with you on King of Oud...such a great soap and scent! Sri really outdid himself with that one. Sorry to hear about the traffic ticket.
 
Almost always worth it, slowing down a touch. In reality just slowing strokes problaby only adds a minute or two to a shave, but pays off in relaxation.
 
Good shave, great read Don!

Sorry about the ticket, glad it was a fair interaction though.
 
Great shave Don!

Agreed King of Oud is a great soap!

Congratulations on the "Fast Driving Award"!
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Dagwoodz said:
Great shave Don...have to agree with you on King of Oud...such a great soap and scent! Sri really outdid himself with that one. Sorry to hear about the traffic ticket.
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It is probably my favorite scent in my Den right now! I failed to mention that it gives me the best post shave feel and for the longest time out of all my soaps. There are some that are close...but I think this one is the best so far!

NurseDave said:
Almost always worth it, slowing down a touch. In reality just slowing strokes problaby only adds a minute or two to a shave, but pays off in relaxation.
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Absolutely Right!

GearNoir said:
Good shave, great read Don!

Sorry about the ticket, glad it was a fair interaction though.
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It was fair...but since it was a State Trooper, I think I could have gotten out of it since I used to work for them. But while courteous, this guy didn't give me a chance to really talk. My agency has a couple of investigations with them and when he looked at the rental agreement and saw who I worked for...I am sure that is what did me in.

Dave in KY said:
Nice shave Don. Watch out for the Po Po !!
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Most definitely!

clyde72 said:
Great shave Don!

Agreed King of Oud is a great soap!

Congratulations on the "Fast Driving Award"!
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Oh, look who is the funny guy!
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Well, bummer about the speeding ticket, Don.

But with regards to Wholly Kaw soaps (w/donkey milk)....AWESOME soap! "Elite" status all the way! My favorite WK soap is the "Chypre Rose Concerto Special Edition".
 
Razor: 1962 Gillette Slim Adjustable
Blade: Ladas (4th Shave)
Soap/cream: Noble Otter - Lonestar
Brush: Rudy Vey - Shavemac Two Band Silver Tip Badger
Aftershave: Thayers Coconut Water Witch Hazel
After the Aftershave: Noble Otter - Lonestar

No Pic today guys...sorry.

Got up this morning and did my normal routine. Feed the dogs (which is a longer process than what you would think as one of our dogs is on a raw diet, so there is base mix to make and fat to put in and to figure out what protein to give him), make the coffee and then get some stuff ready before the shower. Decided to go with NO - LS. I rarely plan out shaves and certainly not days ahead of time. I just grab what speaks to me. So it was a Lonestar kind of day. I am addicted to the post shave feel this soap gives, and the aftershave is certainly one of the most moisturizing I have tried. Since I had about three days of growth on I decided to get a close shave and conduct three passes. But being the quirky guy that I am (or I think I am) I did my passes out of order. I wanted to change things up a bit to see what would happen. The result? Same results from my standard three pass shave. I will say, however, it was a little more uncomfortable to shave this way....but nothing overly harsh. I'll get back to my regular scheduled programming tomorrow. Nevertheless, this was a great shave and I love how my face feels on this soap. Is this better than Wholly Kaw with Donkey Milk? Not really. But it's not far behind. And yes...I would rate the performance of Noble Otter as...Elite.

The Danger Zone

I made my yogurt again last night and it was ready to go this morning. I scooped out my start for the next batch and then scooped out some for me this morning...and then on with a lid and in the fridge to set up. I made this batch with half and half instead of milk. Because there are less sugars in half and half to ferment I added a few teaspoons of inulin for something the bacteria can feast off of. The
result was a much thicker yogurt. I added some chia seeds for my portion and am happily eating it now. It tastes like cream cheese with just a hint of a tang. I ran out of my first batch a little over a week ago and have procrastinated in making it since. So I am back on it and see if we can see some of those benefits again.

Have a wonderful Tuesday Gents!
 
Great stuff Don...I've mixed up my passes before in the past and experienced the same...it's just not quite as comfortable as when I do the passes in order.
 
Great stuff Don!

I know that when it comes to dog food our local PetsMart actually sells raw food for the pups and it is in a refrigerator I imagine it is probably cheaper to just make your own. Our little pup gets Science Diet but she switches from Puppy food to regular food soon. Our problem is keeping her out of the cat's food!
 
That whole hair reduction with each pass is interesting to think about. It would be fun to learn, with a good microscope, what's happening at the point of contact of the blade and the hair. Logic might say the feeling on the skin and hair follicle should be the same regardless if the hair is 0.2mm or 0.25mm, but we have all felt the difference. So who knows a grad student that needs a thesis?
 
Great read Don!

I’m not sure I could reverse my passes like that. I skip passes once in a while, but I find that once I do my ATG pass, the shave is pretty much over. My WTG (at least the way I do it now) never reduces as much as my XTG, which never reduces as much as my ATG.
 
cmh737 said:
Just out of curiosity, why the raw diet for the pooch?
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I will try to keep the answer short, but I'm not sure I will be able to. I have two dogs...Chauncey and Allie. Allie is our 50 pound black dog (lab something mix). We have her on a diet of high grade kibble and we supplement with healthy fats (mainly fish oil) as well as raw meat from time to time.

Chauncey is our dachshund. He is an uber sweet guy, but all weenie dog. He is on a raw diet.

Kibble was created to make pet owner's lives easier and until recently, was not a real good source of nutrition. Kibble is basically dehydrated food made up of all sorts of things (meal, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc.) Kibble tends to keep your dog in a constant state of dehydration, that is one of the reasons every dog food container says to make sure your dog has access to plenty fresh water (yes the dogs need fresh water for their own hydration purposes, but even more so when they are on a kibble). This dehydration can be problematic for joints, back, legs, and other muscular/skeleton functions.

Chauncey a few years ago hurt his back to the point of paralysis. I know we have covered the whole acupuncture thing, so I won't get into that. If you want to know more about Chauncey's acupuncture sessions, let me know and I will answer any questions you have. Anyway, to help his recovery from back injury, the wife and I decided to start him on a raw diet.

A raw diet is not as simple as throwing your dog a T-Bone steak. That is just muscle protein. Think of how a wild animal eats. If you have a Lion in Africa that hunts its prey. The first thing the Pride eats are the vulnerable areas...abdominal organs, eyes, trachea, all the soft spots that are easy to get to. The next thing will be easy to get and softer muscles like the back and shoulders. Then it's onto bones and the marrow that is in it. The last thing animals in the wild eat on a kill is the lean muscle groups. Some people call this eating nose to tail. Meaning the animal gets a host of fats, proteins, and other nutrients by eating various parts of the animal.

Buy eating nose to tail, an animal ensures that it gets all the fats and proteins it needs to survive. Back to dogs now. While our friend Fido has become a very loyal, cute, and wonderful pet...they are not really much different than their Wolf cousins who still eat nose to tail. A raw diet ensures that Chauncey gets the essential fats and nutrients to keep his joints and more importantly for him, his back, well lubricated and functional. Additionally, the raw diet ads hydration to his body in ways that can only be done through his diet.

Now there are owners out there that adhere to the "prey model" of a raw diet. Meaning that they feed their dogs an entire animal or parts of an entire animal...fur, bones, and all. I am not kidding you...look it up sometime. And it isn't just large dogs like German Shepherds and such...it's smaller dogs also like Yorkies. We don't do this for many reasons. So we feed our dog muscle protein in addition to a base mix. The base mix simulates all the macro and micro nutrients that come from the rest of the animal. We scoop some out, add water to it and our choice of fat...and Chauncey chows down like there is no tomorrow.

Chauncey is about nine years old, and since he has been on a raw diet, he has been more energetic than when he was a puppy. You can still tell he is aging...his movement is a tad slower and not as sharp...but his energy levels are through the roof. I also find that it is easier to control his weight on a raw diet...basically I don't have to worry much about it. He has trimmed down and very muscular.

As far as Allie goes. See is much younger than Chauncey so she is able to tolerate things a bit better. We do supplement with fats and meats from time to time, but she gets a very high quality kibble. The food we give her is a grain free dog food with good quality fats and proteins. The brand we use is called Zignature. Now she has a duck based food, but she just finished off a bag kangaroo based food.

It is my opinion that if a dog food has corn or wheat in it...get rid of it because it's not good for them. If it has any kind of soy in it...I feel the same way. To a lesser extent I feel the same about other grains, rice, barley, etc. Think back to what animals in the wild eat. The carbohydrates they consume are some fruits, mostly berries, some roots and veggies, and herbs. Dogs don't harvest wheat or rice or shuck corn. These are all fillers to cheapen dog foods. Wheat and corn in dog foods are known to cause allergies and skin conditions.

I know this is a lot to take in and I know I am a bit preachy. There are some studies on dog foods, but not many. The only thing that I can offer to you is that I have seen proof with my own two eyes. There are a lot of things that changed in my dogs when their diets improved, fur, skin, eyes, energy, ability, etc.

I don't think it is feasible to put every dog on a raw diet, and it likely isn't possible to put all dogs on a grain free diet. But I do implore pet owners to feed them the best food you possibly can give them. There are a lot of options out there that are grain free and affordable.

I have left out a lot because I fear you all have labeled me "that guy" already, but I also wanted to say that just because your vet sells the food, doesn't necessarily mean it is good for them. As for Allie...I want to put her on a raw diet, but feeding a 50 pound lab mix is a lot different than feeding a 16 pound wiener dog.

I hope this answers some questions.
 
Great info, Don - thanks! We have to use a grain-free food with our lab. If we don't, then she gets the "tummy troubles" if you know what I mean.

Acupuncture, and now raw diet - until your journal, I had never heard of either for dogs. Very interesting reads and quite informative.
 
I feel like I just read an episode of something on Animal Planet. ?

Great info Don!
 
cmh737 said:
Great info, Don - thanks! We have to use a grain-free food with our lab. If we don't, then she gets the "tummy troubles" if you know what I mean.

Acupuncture, and now raw diet - until your journal, I had never heard of either for dogs. Very interesting reads and quite informative.
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GearNoir said:
I feel like I just read an episode of something on Animal Planet. ?

Great info Don!
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Thanks guys for reading through that not so organized train of thought.

I'll post more about it later, but my sis-in-law actually formulates her own raw diet for her dogs. They have the luxury of hunting on their property and her uncle raises cattle. So she gets organ meats, muscle, meats, bone, and hide and makes her own feed and treats for her dogs.
 
Don don't worry about being labeled that guy. That happened for other reasons.

Just kidding of course. Consumers are pushing the envelope on what we eat it is only natural that we do the same for our pets!
 
Cvargo said:
Don don't worry about being labeled that guy. That happened for other reasons.

Just kidding of course. Consumers are pushing the envelope on what we eat it is only natural that we do the same for our pets!
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Thanks for the vote of confidence Chad!?

But yeah...I just suggest everyone with a pet take a close look at what they feed them.
 
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