The Double A Lounge

We have progress on the bathroom. Starting to look a little more inhabitable this time around.

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Up, up, and up some more! Yes, New York State is raising it’s Thruway tolls yet again. To add insult to more insult, those who use EZPass automated toll collection (like me) are getting a very sharp increase. I will give our Thruway system here this: they do keep it in great shape. Only problem is if they were doing a great job with the money they had, why increase it now? Is there some new stretch of interstate highway we are funding and we don’t know it yet? The State Comptroller for NY has audited the Thruway Authority and found all sorts of financial waste and other assorted oddities. He flatly stated that an increase could not be justified until they examine more closely their own spending. As it was, we had to just about riot just so they would remove the tolls from a spur route around the city. What I find interesting is all the miles of interstate highway in NY state that do not have any tolls at all. It certainly has to make you wonder. Rising gas prices and rising tolls…what a combination!

It had to happen eventually, but the second bathroom here is being totally remodeled. A man came today and totally demolished the inside of it. Considering how thick the tile and plaster was, I’m impressed that he got it done in one day. Somehow he managed to pick up a 350 lb. bathtub by himself and load it into his van. I took some pics for you to check out.

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More and more I keep attributing my various health issues to being overweight. My blood pressure was sky high before I was put on medication and diet to manage it. Problem is I have to take about five medications to keep it under control. I hate popping all those pills every day. Even if I could cut down on a few I’d be thrilled. Finally addressed my lack of sleep issue with a CPAP machine which has made a big difference. Has taken some time to get used to it but I’ve felt so much better since using it. My cholesterol was way out of balance but with medication that is currently under control.

I’ve gained at least 30 pounds since last summer. This past winter was brutal. Bitter cold temps combined with a constant barrage of great food, treats, and boredom from being stuck inside so much. All that conspired to throttle my appetite into the stratosphere. Let’s see….no exercise combined with major increase in food intake equals major weight gain. Pretty simple formula.

First thing I need to learn is portion control. I love to eat. I’m 36 years old and I can pack away a lot of food. Not as much as when I was younger but it’s still a lot. My girlfriend and I can both eat a lot, but I have shocked her on many occasions with my intake level. Over this past month I’ve made an effort to cut way down on extra snacks and to limit the amount of food I ingest. Apparently there is this unwritten rule I was destined to follow that says you must finish your whole plate when eating even if already full. Nothing wrong with taking some home to eat another day. No need to ingest many handfuls of candy every day when a fruit will do. It’s a slow process of thinking about what you are eating. It has gotten better. It is possible to stop eating right before getting full and be satisfied with that.

Next thing is actually getting more exercise. Considered the gym option but that would be another monthly payment. Gas prices keep going up and up. Do I want to pay for a gym and pay more for gas to make the trips involved? I don’t think so. I’ve started walking more often. Not quite where I want to be but it’s sure a lot more than less than a month ago. My girlfriend and I have done a lot of walking with her dog and it’s quite a workout. The warmer it gets the more we will do.

So far I have started two sensible things that anyone can do and will cost nothing. Not quite at the scale watching stage. More interested in how I feel and how my clothes fit. Both have been far more effective at motivating me in the past so I’m sticking with what has worked before. Progress will be reported in the future. In the mean time, I can eat modestly and enjoy walking.

I’ve noticed over the years of listening to music and researching the people behind it that regardless of what genre I listen to, many of the musicians involved have all played with each other at one time or another. I like finding out who actually played on an album or song or who wrote the material. It’s always the same people I find who work with each other. You find a lot of this in progressive rock music. Many of the groups had shifting lineups with many different people. Many times they help out out on solo projects for current or past members. The examples would be too numerous to mention here. There are a number of A list studio musicians who have tons of credits on many different albums. You could even do what the progressive rock group Yes did in 90’s and merge all the different lineups of their group since they started and have them play on one album. They even toured for the album too which is quite amazing. The end product had some interesting moments but really it fell apart. Too many egos and too much meddling from the record company ruined all that. I bet someone out there actually has created a family tree of different musicians and how they relate between different groups. Read the liner notes on some of the music you listen to and you might be surprised.

I recently finished a book worth mentioning. It’s called To Rule The Waves: How The British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman. This book has an extensive amount of information in it. I was initially concerned that it would have been overly academic which translates to difficult to read and not very interesting. In addition to laying out the history behind the story, he also examines the people behind the figures presented and leaves all sorts of interesting anecdotes to keep you wanting more. What really surprised me is the number of popular phrases that came from the British Navy such as “three squares a day”.

I had always wondered about pirates and how they related to the British navy and such. If you have watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you start to get the impression that the lines between pirates and the British navy were blurred. It was interesting to read that the monarchy of England actually encouraged and sanctioned piracy as a way to wage war on other nations without having to deploy a full scale navy. There was so much information in that book that it will need a second or third reading for me. They truly did not only rule the waves but at one time, the whole world.

I recently ordered a package of 100 DE blades from this vendor. As a bonus, they also had free shipping which is always nice. I paid $17.99 for those 100 blades. I challenge anyone to do that with cartridge razors. Haven’t priced out disposables but considering the quality of shaves I’ve been getting with DE blades there’s no need to bother.

Still refining the technique a bit. Starting to conquer the below jaw line area without hacking myself to pieces. Slowly but surely I’m casting away my natural inclination to use too much pressure. In fact, sometimes it feels like I need no pressure at all.

I currently have two kinds of aftershave:

Jovan BodyTonic Soothing
Old Spice Classic
Pinaud Clubman original

Have this one on the way:

Thayers Witch Hazel Aftershave with Aloe

Both the Jovan and the Old Spice work well for me. The Old Spice burns when first put on but soothes very quickly. The Jovan has a very subtle but tasteful lime scent to it. I’ve had a few people compliment the Jovan scent. The Thayers will be nice for something unscented. I’ll use the Thayers the most just so people don’t get overloaded with the same two scents from me. The Clubman is very strong and lasts a very long time. Has an old time barbershop smell to it. Might work in certain situations but not something I will use often.

Slowly but surely I am watching all that irritation fade away from my electric and cartridge days.

I frequent a budget bookstore on the other side of town from time to time. They have lots of interesting books to be had for a fraction of the price that the regular bookstores sell them for. Recently I picked up a book entitled “Prescription for Excellence: How Innovation Is Saving Canada’s Health Care System” written by Michael Rachlis, M.D.
The reason this book caught my attention is because it is a very frank discussion about the Canadian health care system, otherwise known to Canadians as “medicare”. There have been varying degrees of interest in nationalized health care in the U.S. for some time now. The recent run-up to the U.S> presidential election has brought this issue more to the center than ever before.

The beginning of the book gives a very nice history of how Canada’s health care system came to be and the challenges it has faced in getting there. I’ve barely made it through a third of the book and I’ve already learned a lot. If we in the U.S. put this system in to place, we simply cannot expect that we are going to get it right the first time around. We should expect that if something about it isn’t working, that we need to mobilize changes before it gets out of hand. I plan on reporting more as I read more of the book.

Update: I found out today that Dr. Rachlis has made this book available for free download on his web site. Had I know this before I went to the book store, I could have saved a few dollars. No matter - if it informs and enlightens it will have been worth every penny.

Merkur 38C DE Safety Razor

Over the past month or so, I’ve undertaken the task of learning the wetshaving technique using a double edged (DE) safety razor. I got fed up with trying to get great shaves with my electric, so I moved back to a cartridge razor. It was somewhat better but I was getting all sorts of skins irritation and enough nicks and cuts to be the top donor for the Red Cross. Really this whole change started when I realized that my Norelco wet-dry electric shaver had somehow gotten moisture inside the unit and started to smell as if it had formed mildew inside. What a wonderful odor to have while you are shaving!
I did a ton of research online after reading this article on the subject. From there I branched out in to various forums devoted to shaving which I now participate on regularly.

Here is what I have learned so far:

1. The shaving technique with a DE razor is totally different than with a cartridge or electric razor. You are dealing with a very very sharp single blade versus oscillating blades in an electric or multiple pivoting blades in a cartridge. The electric and cartridges let you get away with things you could never do with a DE razor. Well…you could do things like use extra pressure or more passes than needed but your face will pay the price. You almost have to use no pressure at all. The blades for DE are so sharp you don’t need to.

2. The per blade cost of the DE blades is so far below cartridges it’s laughable. A cartridge blade can last anywhere from 3 to 5 shaves on average. Here is a comparison

Cartridge - Gillette Mach 3 - 64 pack - $105.99 = $1.66/per blade
DE - Derby Extra DE blades - 100 pack = $17.99 = $0.18/per blade

That’s a pretty glaring difference. You will pay more up front for a DE system but you could easily recoup your costs in the money you save on blades. With electrics, you do need to replace the blades about once per year so you do save money there. The quality of an electric shave is nowhere near what you get with DE or even a decent cartridge.

3. I can actually shave every day using DE and not tear up my face. With the electric, I could shave every day but would get terrible razor burn. Cartridge was very difficult so I had to settle for every other day. The blades are so sharp for DE that they can slice the hair off regardless of their length.

4. A decent quality DE razor, if treated properly, can last a lifetime. Most of them are very well built precision instruments and they are built to last. Could anyone say the same for cartridge razors? Very rare to find an electric razor that lasts that long.

5. There is a bunch of different DE razor types and blades to pick from. There are some good beginner models but once you get it down, they have all sorts of choices. You can choose mild razors, adjustables, ones that introduce a slicing action to the shave, larger handle, you name it. The blades range from mild to samurai sword sharp. You can get sampler packs of blades where you get multiple brands to try. The razors can be resold to someone else if the one you have has become old news or is not right for you. Just need to boil them for a bit to sanitize them and you are ready to go. With cartridges and electrics, you don’t get many choices and it is much costlier to change.

I don’t think this is for everybody. Some people swear by cartridge razors. For some electric will always be the way to go. If you’ve had challenging shaves, then this would be worth checking out.

Well, it’s been a few months since I posted anything here. Not much has really inspired me to do so. The winter was long and is finally starting to break so that helps. I could use large doses of sunshine this spring and summer. Being isolated in the house while it’s been so cold outside has not done me any good at all. Who wants to go and walk about in near zero temperatures? Also doesn’t help that it’s freezing cold in my living space despite being surrounded by a wood burning stove and a furnace. Guess this room wasn’t designed for someone to inhabit on a semi permanent basis.
In any event I’ve decided the blog software needed to be updated (for security reasons). I also needed to start posting again but it needs to be different. If you look at past posts, most were gleaned from other sites. I don’t have a problem with that but it starts to feel like all I’m doing is recycling what everyone else has already done. As I look through other blogs that I enjoy visiting on a daily basis, some things become very apparent. They always have nice fresh content for readers to enjoy. The more personal ones have nice posts from the people who run them about themselves and their daily lives. In other words there is plenty of variety to make it interesting. That is what I intend to do here.