mike the mountain

I love it when the movie planets align and I can just settle into the sofa, light up the big screen, and watch back-to-back-to-back-to-back flicks! All different channels, giving a nicely eclectic mix of genres, right up my alley:

Pi
300
Robin Hood: Men In Tights
Videodrome

Can’t wait to see what kind of dreams I’ll be having tonight…

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Oh, and a big “how’s it goin’, eh?” to my friends over at Diesel Sweeties for giving a shout out to my Prairie Paradise!!

The long arm of reality gave me five across the eyes yesterday.

A couple of weeks ago I was up at Sunshine, and the FIRST freakin’ run, the easiest wimpiest green run on the mountain, I catch an edge. A wee little tumble, hardly anything at all. Except for landing on my elbow at a funny angle. And hearing this odd “pop”. And feeling my whole arm go numb.

Well, the doc confirmed it. Minor dislocation, torn rotator cuff. Luckily, not a complete tear, so I don’t need surgery. But I do get the joy of physiotherapy for the next 6 months or so. Which means my snowboarding season is likely done. Which would be REALLY F’N ANNOYING!!!!

Bah, I’m a quick healer, and the season’s long. We’ll see how I feel after a month or two.

Stupid non-invincible muscle fibers. When the heck are my super-powers going to kick in anyway??

I know I’m way late to the game with these clips, but dang they’re just some of the funniest s#!t I’ve seen in a long time!!

The lovely and hilarious Ms. Silverman with an unfortunate confession…

… and a truly “bravo” response from her gentleman counterpart Mr. Kimmel.

About a year ago I decided to finally ditch the overpriced multi-blade monstrosities and cheap smelly goop from a pressured can. Stopped paying $2 a blade for poor design, bad performance, and painful skin torture. Do you hate shaving? I did. Razor burn a constant partner. The morning shave something to dread, rush through, and regret while wistfully remembering the joys of a full beard for no reason other than to not have to drag a row of dull metal edges across my soaped-up unlubricated skin before further punishing my leather-like visage with whatever sugary perfumed crap could be found to dry my skin out even more.

Shaving for me used to be a necessary evil, an annoyance, certainly nothing to ever look forward to, experiment with, or be proud of.

But that’s exactly what I do now.

I LOVE shaving. I look forward to it. I play with it. Take my time. Try different combinations and techniques. Take care of my face at least as well as my car or my shoes (actually better).

Like most guys, I’d long thought about looking at a straight razor, but having no idea where to find one or how to use it, the idea stayed back in the “cool ideas that don’t go anywhere” file. But then I started reading this guy, and began looking into the “wet shaving” scene for real. Read everything on Corey’s site (like this, this, and this), then LeisureGuy, Badger and Blade, Shave My Face, and Mantic59′s videos.

I was sold.

Hit Lee’s Safety Razors and ordered a Merkur HD (aka: “Heavy Duty”) and a Vulfix #2233 Super Badger shaving brush. Ordered some Israeli Personna “Super+” DE razor blades from Encure (about 25 cents a piece, including shipping). Kiss My Face Cool Mint Moisture Shave Cream, Alum Block, Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner, and Jojoba Oil from my local organic market.

After much sampling and testing I’ve since added Crabtree & Evelyn’s amazing men’s shave line to my repertoire. Dreamgirl loves the Sienna line, I use their shave cream and aftershave balm, along with the Naturals Face Scrub. And a dollar-store cappuccino mug to whip up some luxurious lather in.

So yes, I use half a dozen different products on my face when I shave, take a good 20-30 minutes, and enjoy every second of it. After 4 or 5 passes with a fine blade my face feels smooth as silk, smells amazing, subtle, and masculine. My razor burn has completely disappeared.

This ain’t “metro”. I’ve reclaimed one of the old classic men’s grooming rituals that has been nearly extinguished by the marketing power of Gillette and their ilk. Go ask your fathers and grandfathers how they used to shave. There’s a reason men used to go to a professional (aka: a barber) when they needed a good shave. There is nothing more meditative, more relaxing, and more masculine than a proper shave. I invite all men to discover this wonderful ritual once again.

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PS – I just found a barber in the city who not only offers straight razor shaves, but who makes his own! Looks like I’ll be pulling that idea out of the file after all…