We recently dropped in to our friend’s daughter to give her a wedding gift since we would be out of town on vacation during that happy event. My wife had woven quite a spectacular blanket as a gift and as the young lady unwrapped it and held it up for her friends to see, one of the other twenty-somethings screamed out, “that’s soooooo sick!” At first I thought my wife had made some grave weaving error and that the whole thing was beginning to unravel, but everyone’s laughter and agreement with her that yes, this was a pretty sick gift, gave me some relief that “sick” must be a current expression for something great…like “bad” used to be in the old-days. Ever wanting to appear youthful (my daughter finds it rather repugnant that I am blogging since according to her that’s for “young, hip people”), I mean to appropriate that expression and us it myself. Hey, you never know, I might wind up with a twenty-something (as my nurse, wiping the drool off my chin as she pushes me down the nursing home corridor no doubt!). Anyway, what’s this got to do with shaving?
My friend Italo returned from Ireland today, bearing what else, shaving gifts. Palmolive shaving cream in the green tube (only available in Europe now), an Erasmic shave stick, and a minuscule bottle of Total Shaving Solution (10 ml – 2 teaspoons) that you’re supposed to use all by itself, without shaving soap, cream, or anything else. And that little bottle is supposed to last 90 shaves – 3 drops per shave! I read some of the on-line reviews and they were just so-so. Not wanting to miss out on a great Erasmic-Palmolive superlather, I decided to try something totally crazy. Why not use the Total Shaving Solution (TSS) for the final touch-up pass, where I always have problems with getting at the last bits of stubble?
The Erasmic-Palmolive superlather was amazing! The smell of the Palmolive is extraordinary and indescribable. It could easily become my “go to” or “desert island” shave cream! The Treet Blue Special carbon steel blade was equally superb, slicing so smoothly and inaudibly through the beard that I thought I had forgotten to load one into the E-J Chatsworth razor. An absolutely amazing, sick shave. But then I used the TSS and the shave went from plain sick to Bubonic Plague. If sick is good, this stuff is terminal! I rinsed off in the shower as usual but noticed that the TSS had left a very smooth film of oil on my face (extremely pleasant, with a slightly mentholated feeling). After towling off I realized that my skin was already moisturized…no need for any balm, after-shave, etc. The absolutely SICKEST shave I’ve ever had, a 9.8 on my 10-point scale ( a height never before achieved!). This is so sick I need the ministrations of a twenty-something nurse tonight! And after my wife reads this entry, I’ll probably need one for real!