You know what pisses me off? / Rant Thread

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Those things with the toes have to be the most annoying things to wear.

[John L]

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I'm fortunate that I am not a real hairy guy. And at twenty-eight, it took me my whole year in Korea to actually grow a decent mustache. So I can go several days between shaves. Just a quick touch-up with the electric razor, and I am good to go. I can 'feel it' for those who grow hair quickly.

Unfortunately, as I grow older, I am growing more hair. I wonder why this is? My ears are sprouting hair all over the place, and I am starting to look like Andy Rooney.

But I never, and I mean never, shave unless I have just taken a shower right before that. My beard, is so soft I can take it off easily. And I only have to trim my mustache occasionally. And I almost never apply any after-shave. But I do use my Thai Deodorant Stone liberally and I never have any body oder whatsoever.

The key to getting a great shave is pretty easy really. First, take a shower right before shaving. A water logged beard is the easiest to crop. Second, only use a shaving gel: not a foam. Gels are the slickest lubricants I can think of short of silicone. And third, fully understand how blades get dull.

Razor blades are now made out of stainless steel, and will go bad before the become dull. 99.99% of bad razor blades are the result of the edge being pulled and bent out of alignment. Eventually, the edge becomes so distorted that it tears rather than cuts. So it is very important to ensure the alignment of the blade.

There are several ways to extend the life of a razor blade/s, the first is having a water logged beard, and then a gel. But how the shaver holds his hand, and cuts the beard is very important. No matter which angle, it is imperative to keep that angle the same through the entire stroke, or at least try to keep it the same. Never shave by using your wrists. This puts different pressure on the cutting edge. When I move, my wrist is locked in place, and as I get under the chin, I move my entire hand up or down, in order to keep the same angle which I started. Oh, and I take slow, and pressured strokes: never light, quick strokes. Too much wear and tear on the SS edges.

Oh, and one other thing. Stick exclusively with Gillette blades. Gillette blades are the smoothest because the angle of cut, to the skin surface, is closer to parallel than with other blades. For some reason the competition sets the blades more toward the perpendicular angle, and Gillette goes the other way. Where the first will tend to tear if more pressure is applied, Gillette will tend to catch less hair because the blade will tend to 'plane' over the surface, rather than dig in. That is why I use a good deal of pressure on my strokes. But the more toward the perpendicular the blade, the more tearing/distorting pressure put on the blade's edge, and the easier it is to bend them out of alignment.

Some of you will not believe this, but it's true. I am still using the pack of Sensor II disposable blades I bought over two and a half years ago. That's six blades, and I still have one left to go. I don't shave as much as most people(I supplement with an electric razor), but I can easily get at least 50-75 shaves with the same disposable razor: probably more like 100 shaves. I swear this is true. I've made a science out of this, because I have a warped sense of what is importance I guess. It was just an intellectual challenge to me.

I was listening to that consumer advocate fellow, who comes on right after Neal Boortz(What IS that guy's name?), and he was talking about the science of extending blade life. And he actually got it wrong. His point is that keeping the blades slick and free of hair, is the most important thing. While that may be important, and I always make sure my blades are rinsed and moist at all times, there is more to it. So I set out to actually discover how I could extend the life of my disposable razors. And the above is what I have come up with.

Oh, Clark Howard, that's who I was thinking of. He's a real hoot. And he's so 'tight' he squeaks. LOL!

But I use my razor blades so many times that the lubricant patch on the razor wears out well before I have to throw away the razor.

I tried a beard once, and I can't stand it. Its uncomfortable and difficult to keep clean. And the ladies generally don't like them either, because they are a bit rough on their skin. And ladies generally want someone who has a 'soft touch'. If you come across one who likes being roughed up, run.

Anyway, that is how I keep my costs down on the razor end. Also on the deodorant thing too. The average cost of deodorant can really add up over a year. A Thai Deodorant Stone(not the the stick kind) will last you years, as long as you don't drop it in the sink and crack it. My current one was a 6 oz rock, and I have had it for several years, and it is about half its original size.

Sorry for the extra long post, but I just thought I would pass along what I have learned.

As for Sandals, they may look geeky, but they are very, very comfortable, if you get the right size.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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John, I'm a professional cosmetologist. I can shave a beard with a straight razor so close you'd never know the man had facial hair at all. And there will be no irritation. 99% of the products out there are meant to make you buy, not to truly keep you well shaved. If it were really to keep you well shaved, there wouldn't be so many products on the market.

That whole shower before hand is the same thing as the hot towel. But - some need the hot towel as well because the skin will "cool off" too fast by the time you shave.

FYI - you're growing hair farms in your ears and those curled eyebrows because all men get that way as they age. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_men_become_...s_they_age

[John L]

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The only reason why I recommend right after a shower, is because a wet, hot towel takes more time.

And as for 'immediately after' I mean just as soon as you dry off, everything but your beard of course.

But the razor blade industry is caught in a dichotomy. On the one hand, a good shave is paramont, but on the other, they want to make the maximum money possible. Its just that Gillette has a reputation to uphold, and they want to maintain it. So they sacrifice quantity for more quality, that's all. I'll never buy another razor blade if it doesn't have Gillette on the label. That's under normal circumstances though, because if someone else make one better, and cheaper, I can be had.

[Gunnen4u]

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Thanks, Twitch and John. I am very aware of all the tips and tricks of the shaving facial hair. I've shaved with gels, soaps, lotions, creams, etc. I usually shower first or wash my face with disinfectant soap and then put a moist towel on it when I don't shower.

It just sucks because afterward, my face feels like shit no matter what I do - it dries out and becomes chapped, so on, so forth. I sometimes wish I didn't grow facial hair that well like some men, but the Viking genes in me dictate I should have a proper beard.

Drill is over, so back to having a beard.

[Twilla]

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Have you tried getting a waiver or whatever it's called now? When I was active duty, I saw quite a few guys (mostly black guys since they seem to have ingrown hair problems more than white guys) get shaving waivers to allow for stubble.

[John L]

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You want to know what Pisses me to no end? I mean Really,...........Really............Pisses me off?! Well, I'll tell ya. Its having to be stuck behind the average female driver. Now as a disclaimer, somewhere between 10-15% of female drivers are great drivers, in fact better than most male drivers. They don't have their head stuck in their cell phone, act like they have a complete football team of snively ten month olds on board, or just have their fearful head up their ass, and require oncoming traffic to be at least 100 metres away before even thinking about pulling out into traffic.

I shopped at Aldis this morning, and got ready to take the groceries home. But there was one of those poor defenseless, and intellectually oppressed ladies in front of me. And all she needed to do was just make a right turn so I could do same for heaven's sake. Well, I sat there,.....and I sat there,......and I sat there, even though the amount of traffic was very sporadic, and she could have crawled across the road without remotely worrying about getting run over.

I knew that if I laid on the horn, she would probably be unable to move for the next hour. So I got out, walked to her car, and asked her if she was alright. She nodded her head, and I shouted "Then get your head out of your ass G-d Damit!

Most women are without a doubt some of the stupidest people around when it comes to telephones and automobiles. And there should be special requirements before they be allowed to drive, or operate a handset in their cars. Most of them shouldn't even be allowed out without adult male supervision.

That's what really pisses me off.

Normally I just yell at them from within my van, but today I was ready to go postal.

[LKTraz]

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You want to know what Pisses me to no end? I mean Really,...........Really............Pisses me off?! Well, I'll tell ya. Its having to be stuck behind the average female driver. Now as a disclaimer, somewhere between 10-15% of female drivers are great drivers, in fact better than most male drivers. They don't have their head stuck in their cell phone, act like they have a complete football team of snively ten month olds on board, or just have their fearful head up their ass, and require oncoming traffic to be at least 100 metres away before even thinking about pulling out into traffic.

As a truck driver I sympathize with you John.

But I have noticed that in recent years there is a high percentage of male drivers (I refuse to call them MEN) who exhibit the same behaviors. As well there is an increasing number of people who say they are "scared of the interstates". Evidently fast moving traffic frightens them.

Fucking scared rabbits is what they are! They don't travel more than 10 miles from home, do so with ridiculous overcautiousness that borders on paranoia, and many times are all but frozen in place by their irrational fears.

Those who DO travel the interstates are oblivious to anything more than 3 feet away from their vehicle. Probably because they have a death grip on the steering wheel and are singularly focused on getting to whatever place they are going.

[Rhubarb]

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On drivers I wish when elderly drivers have to reapply for their license at 70 they have to do the awareness test too.

No1 son has just returned from his motorbike tour of Scotland. Dave was knocked off his Blackbird at a junction. The elderly lady driver said the words you never say to a biker. 'I didn't see him'.
Witness say she stopped before the junction to let pedestrians cross, then just pulled out of the junction, stopped, then carried on, straight into Dave. He had already taken the Avoidance move, we have to do in the motorbike test, but she carried on into him.
She defended herself by saying she uses the road every Wednesday to go to Keep Fit classes at the village hall and it is always quiet at 8pm.
Well 'lovey' it is the holiday season the campsite in the village was full, that was why the hikers were crossing the road.

Our friend a police motorcyclist has takes bikers on the refresher course for those bikers who haven't ridden for a while says Dave is the best biker he has ever seen ride.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Seniors are the worst nightmare here too, Trudi. I see them hunkered down over the steering wheel, looking through the top of it, knuckles white with tension from the iron grip they have, driving 25 MPH on a 50 MPH road in the fast lane. It's all over here.

Now that it's Benny season, we have assholes who do not know you cannot turn left but have to take the "jughandle". I can go on forever.