My go-to combination

I’ve been using a Fat Boy loaded with Feather blades for the past few months, and after a random trial with other razors I’d put aside (Slim Adjustable, Super Speed, etc), I realized that the Fat Boy & Feather combination is unbeatable for me.

Before I bought my first Fat Boy, I thought they were somewhat overrated, more of a collector’s item than a superior shaver. Man, was I wrong. They certainly do have collectible value, but the shaving performance is top-notch. Now I’m going to be scouting for more.

My other razors are great. I wouldn’t part with them (yet). But I’ll use them when I need a break, and be able to come back to the Fat Boy and truly appreciate how well it works for me.

The economic meltdown explained

I hereby trademark this explanation.

Mortgages, many of which are subprime = apples
Stocks = oranges
Bonds = pecans
Other investments = bananas

Rather than sell them separately, bankers decide to chop up all the investments and make them into a fruit salad. They sell small portions of the salad to other banks and investors.

Mortgages go into default, they discover that the apples have salmonella, and the whole fruit salad goes bad.

Government bails out the investment salad with some Fruit Fresh. Now it will cost a few thousand just to buy some peaches!

Revival…

It looks as though I’ve forgotten about this blog. Not really…I knew it was here, I just didn’t have much of anything to say. My time has been consumed with my work. Consequently, my work blog (jonathanfowler.blogspot.com) has fared much better than this one.

Earlier this month, I bought a French Press for my coffee. I love it. The big 12-cup Mr. Coffee has been whisked away to the pantry shelf, waiting for company to come and the need for 12 cups of coffee at 1 time to be brewed. Truth be told, though, I’ll probably buy a 12-cup press for that.

I have taken a low-tech approach to many things…shaving with vintage (sterilized) DE razors, writing with fountain pens and vintage ink, and now, coffee. I have moved from a monster Mr. Coffee and Krups espresso machine to a Bodum press (two, actually) and a moka pot for espresso. The Krups gets used for steaming the milk, but I’ll find a better way soon.

Coffee from the press is one of those great things that you thought you knew but rediscovered. Beans I had used for a long time tasted different in the press–more crisp, more alive, more intense–and I chucked the Mr. Coffee after using the press just once. In the absence of machined mediocrity, I realized what the press had removed from my coffee. Plastic aftertaste. Burn, brought on by the warmer. Flat flavor. The press simply pushed these mistakes out of the way and allowed the simple process of water and coarsely-ground beans to come alive.

Kitchen radio

From the “absolute geekery” corner…

I’m pretty psyched about moving a table radio from the den to the kitchen. It didn’t get good reception in the den and I wanted it in a central location with a good signal. I’ve often thought about a WiFi radio but this is essentially free. I put it on top of the cabinets, slightly recessed, and ran the power cord in a gap between the cabinets (behind a facing board). I am tall, so it’s pretty easy to turn on. Now, when I come home from work, I can turn on NPR and continue my listening of All Things Considered from the car. Then, Marketplace.

Yes, this is absolute geekery. But my wife loves it, and that’s what counts. She even allowed it a space between her antique glassware.

A PayPal alternative

If you use PayPal often, allow me to suggest this site. It’s like PayPal, but without the fees, and with a bit of a Facebook feel to it. The $25 bonus is real, at least until April 15.

Grey water recycling

Angela & I were talking about how to recycle grey water in our house without any major fuss. I thought about the oil vacuum pump I use for changing the oil in the lawnmower and came up with this.

1) Purchase a plastic bucket, lid, and two lengths of flexible tubing from a home center. For my prototype, I bought a 2 gallon bucket, a length of 1/2″ flexible tubing, and a length of 3/8″ flexible tubing.
2) Cut holes in lid of bucket that are barely too small for the tubing. Slit the tubing about 1/2″ from the end and compress it so that it fits into the hole. Do this for both lengths of tubing.
3) Both lengths of tubing should protrude inside the lid just enough to make them securely fit.
4) Caulk around the tubing entries into the lid to cover any possible air leaks.

After I ran a sink full of cold water, waiting for it to get hot, I placed the 1/2″ tube into the sink and drew air through the 3/8″ tube. The water drained into the bucket. I was able to use this water to flush the toilet later. We don’t have a tankless water heater yet so this is a good use of the otherwise wasted water.

Proofreading & editing

I’m hanging my shingle as a freelance proofreader & editor. Here’s the craigslist ad:

In short, my wife and I are full-time educators looking to do a bit of proofreading and/or editing on the side.

I have a BA in English Lit and MEd in School Counseling. I am a school counselor and continue to keep my reading habits in literature and letters current. I have been published and have experience (part-time jobs and assistantships in college) doing quite a bit of web editing, proofreading, and grading papers.

My wife has a BA and MA in English Lit. She teaches high school English and taught composition courses at Clemson. She was also a copy editor for The South Carolina Review, and has a strong background in analysis and writing.

If we may be of service to you, please contact us through craigslist. Going rates for freelance editors are $2-4 per page. We can do much better than that.

Indeed, we can do much better than that. Email me for inquiries.

Obama and RFK

So much has been made of Sen. Obama’s likeness to John F. Kennedy. (Read Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement here.) I don’t disagree with that comparison. I think it’s spot-on. I now know how folks my age felt when they heard JFK speak and believed in him.

But I also think it’s important to look at another Kennedy – Robert. As I learn more about his candidacy and the momentum leading up to his tragic assassination in the recently-demolished Ambassador Hotel, I feel a profound sense of loss for what we missed out on as a country. RFK would have most likely won the nomination and election, and the country would have come out of the 1960s very differently. But couple his assassination with that of Martin Luther King, Jr., and you have the death of part of the American spirit, the extinguishing of a light that our generation really hasn’t seen.

So when I hear Barack Obama speak, I feel the same way I’ve heard many others describe their feelings of hearing RFK or MLK speak. There is a gut feeling of hope that things can change direction, that partisanship and divisiveness has lost its sting, that folks can start seeing each other again as human beings and not through labels and affiliations.

SC for Obama!

http://thepage.time.com/obamas-south-carolina-remarks/

I’ll get a video up soon when it’s posted somewhere.

I haven’t mentioned politics on this blog but I’m so energized after Obama’s win tonight. I’ve been an Obama fan long before the election season began and I’m so glad to see our state make a vote for change. I was almost in tears after watching this speech on CNN. He brings so many things to a process that is otherwise off-putting to many people, and voices a message of faith and hope at a time when we need it so much.

’62 Slim Adjustable – WOW.

1/7 – first day with the ’62 SA. WONDERFUL. First pass at 3, second and third at 5. BBS (almost) with no irritation. Razor glided smoothly over my face. Balanced well.

Yesterday, first shave with the ’57 SS. Wonderful, but the SA has better weight and is adjustable. I think I may be putting my Merkur in the drawer in favor of these two gems.