#64 - Shave with a Straight Razor

The original number #64 - Avoid the urge to dye my hair/get a tattoo/buy a corvette/dump my wife for a younger woman - was at worst silly and at best unnecessary, since I have little hair left to dye, no money to buy a corvette and no shot at a younger woman.  As old age sets in and my memory fades I may actually opt for a tattoo, but it will be some handy information, like my social security number, bike lock combination or maybe my recipe for focaccia.

So, out with the old #64 and in with the new.  It is now #64 - Shave with a Straight Razor.  And, as of today, this one is also complete.

For some time I've been researching straight razor shaving, there being several attractions in it.  For one, it's SO manly.  James Bond shaves with a straight razor.  Or to be completely accurate, Bond Girls shave James Bond with a straight razor.  I have convinced myself that straight razor shaving must be more environmentally friendly than those disposable plastic 8-blade cartridge monstrosities, since you don't throw a straight razor away, you just sharpen it.  And the straight razor has to be cheaper in the long run, although it could be quite a long run.  

Those disposable blade cartridges are ridiculously expensive, but as it turns out, so is a good straight razor.  Not to worry; I bought a not so good straight razor for not so much money.  Technically, what I bought is not an actual straight razor, but a replaceable blade straight razor.  It uses safety razor type blades which have the advantage of being really inexpensive and require no honing, stropping, etc.  It's sort of a straight razor with training wheels.  When (and if) the wheels come off, I'll upgrade to a real straight razor, but that will be another day.

The really good news is that you can at least still cut the crap out of yourself with a replaceable blade straight razor, which I demonstrated admirably in my first foray.  

Fortunately, I also bought a styptic pencil.  All bleeding stopped for the moment.