You may be wondering if I have given up shaving and possibly now resemble this:

In truth, I have been shaving a little sporadically, but more importantly, have little of interest to report. One thing I’ve noticed is that my technique has become so easy and seamless that I’ve lost the ability to discriminate good stuff from not-so-good, i.e. I can pretty much get an outstanding shave from just about any equipment and ‘lubricant”. I do find an overall tendency to favor less expensive and less pretentious stuff, e.g. J.M. Fraser shave cream and the Treet Blue Special are pretty much my benchmark shave products, with the Booster line my preferred post-shave accoutrement. Somehow I find these products more honest, cutting through all the marketing bull that is used to drive prices and profits through the roof. Ironically, I also find that they just perform better too!

I find that shaving is an excellent Rorshach test of one’s evolving mental state; the shaving reflects the psychological changes one goes through as he ages and (hopefully) matures. In my own case, I find that this tendency to simpler, less expensive, hype-free products, reflects a larger tendency towards the same things in life in general. Now excuse me, my iPhone 3G is ringing!