Clean coal fairy

Mitt seems to think that clean coal exists.  First he would burn clean coal to solve the energy crisis and then acquire huge amounts of cash from the Tooth Fairy to settle the national debt!  If Romney believes in one he must believe in the other.

Road Woes

I’ve been traveling this weekend and the shaves I’ve had on the road weren’t particularly satisfying.   My shaving setup was as follows:

• Shark Super Stainless blade
• Weishi razor
• Arko Shave Stick / Tom’s of Maine Calendula Shave Cream
• Aqua Velva Ice Sport AS

Two problems presented themselves during my first foray into DE shaving on the road:

The Shark/Weishi combination is not a good one.  The Weishi is too mild for this blade.  My shaves were smooth but not nearly close enough.  The Weishi stays home on the next trip and I’ll pack the more aggressive Feather Portable.  I will also audition some blade/razor combinations before setting out, although I already know the Crystal blade works well in the Portable.  I may also put my backup Gillette Fatboy into service as my travel razor since a Fatboy is my everyday razor and I already know which blades perform well in it.

I was very disappointed in the Arko Shave Stick.  The stick felt very hard and I wonder if mine had dried out before I received it.  I found it difficult to achieve a decent lather, even after face lathering with my boar travel brush.  Worse, as I shaved I found the Arko soap was clogging my razor to the point I had to remove the blade and manually remove the soap from the head before proceeding.

The TOM shave cream performed better than the Arko.  The lather was more generous and didn’t clog the razor.  The shave was comfortable but still not close enough.  The Calendula scent was too medicinal to be pleasant but was only a minor inconvenience.  I may find a container that will allow me to take my usual Van Der Hagen Select shave soap on the road with me.

Hello world!

Don’t Panic!  In spite of the blog’s name you haven’t stumbled upon a coven of Satanists.  Neither will you find existential angst presented here.  The title, simply too dramatic to not use, refers to a geographic reality.  I live in rural, southeast Michigan, an hour or so west of Detroit.  If I climb into my car, on good roads and in good weather, I can drive to Hell, Michigan in sixteen minutes.

This blog is mostly for my friends and anyone else who cares to drop in and read a message or two.  The topics covered will be mundane; the manly rituals of wet shaving; drinking wine, beer, and distilled spirits; and cigar smoking.  Restaurant reviews will occur occasionally, as will reviews of plays, movies, books, and music.  So for now, “Don’t Panic!” and welcome.