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Shaving Style. . .




After the Young Master climbed aboard the school bus early this Friday morning, I poured a second mug of coffee, headed upstairs, and hit the shower, followed by a shave. I next dressed for a day spent with the Grand Duchess in nearby Ann Arbor. The city -- with its fantastic bookstores, array of charming cafes and restaurants, along with various other specialty establishments -- provides a lovely escape from East Lansing where we largely have very little like that.  Odd for a school of this size and its adjacent areas, but there we are.

Although both institutions (with surrounding communities) are part of the original Big 10, and both have Research 1 status, the difference between the two is like night and day.  That's a topic for another time however.

The main point of today's post, besides sharing my attire, is to extol the virtues of shaving with a mug, shaving soap. and a shaving brush, a once routine habit I have fallen out of during the last 10 years or so. It take s a bit more time, sure, but not that much.  And it certainly feels nicer as the boar's bristles apply the lather to one's face. In turn, that helps the whiskers stand up, which yields a closer shave with fewer visible nicks.  

I'll spare everyone the sight of my leering, middle-aged mug, but I was very pleased with the results. And I'll make the effort to renew the practice, at least for the next three months.  

-- Heinz-Ulrich

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