Bloody Irritated

No, I'm not bloody irritated--though I've been known to embrace bloody irritation once neck deep in administrative folderol and pointless meetings. Ahem. No, I'm talking about your face. It's likely bloody at times, and often irritated. Why? Because you're dragging a dull razor across your ill-prepared face!

I'm about to open your eyes and change your life if you indulge me on the topic of shaving. And what better day to discuss shaving than Friday when you're about to go out on the town?

A few questions:

1. Do you suffer from razor burn?

2. Do ingrown hairs dot your face? Chin? Neck?

3. Do you nick yourself often while shaving?

4. Do you have sensitive skin?

5. Does your significant other complain about your stubble and how kissing you irritates their face?

6. Do you dread shaving?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the above then you need to keep reading. And ladies, the products I'm going to recommend also make a great gift and should provide you the benefit of saving your face when you smooch your significant other.

A Little Background:  

About five years ago, my wife bought me a complete shaving kit, and while I still don't enjoy shaving, I certainly no longer dread the process. I used to have a stray ingrown hair and occasional razor burn, as well as pretty dry skin on my face, but if you follow what I recommend below, your shaving woes will be a thing of the past.

 The Products You'll Need: 

• pre-shave oil

• shaving cream

• badger-hair shaving brush

• razor (I don't care which brand or type you use--but you probably don't need one of those 5 blade monstrosities).

Below are the products I use--all from the Art of Shaving (and I haven't even contemplated returning to the old way of shaving since I began using them): 

Step by step shaving:

1. First, you have to soften up that steel wool facial hair of yours. So, take a hot shower, or wash your face with soap and hot water. Get in there and saturate the hair. This step is important! You can't just go into shaving with a dry face and iron facial hair.

2. Once your face is clean and the hair is softened from hot water, dump a small puddle of pre-shave oil in the palm of one hand and then rub your hands together. Rub the oil on your face and neck--work it in there.

3. Get the badger-hair brush saturated with hot water and push a small dab of the shaving cream down inside the brush. You'll be amazed at how little shaving cream you need to use during this step. Lather up your face, the brush will lift the facial and neck hairs and further soften them.

4. Glide the razor down your face, going with the grain. Don't put downward pressure on your face. If you've softened up the hairs properly, the razor should get most of the hair with two strokes. Allow the razor to do the work.

5. If you want a real close shave, rinse your face, and re-lather (you'll likely have enough still in the brush for this), and this time shave against the grain. But go gentle! Don't apply pressure on the razor!

6. Rinse your face with cold water and apply the after-shave balm.

And there you have it! The process doesn't really take much longer than your old routine, but with much better results and a lot less discomfort.  Trust me, your significant other will thank you. 

So, the price of all this? At first it seems steep, but the products last so much longer than your standard can of shaving cream. Seriously. A kit is available  for $115.00, which includes a badger-hair brush (normally around $60.00 by itself).  The brush is a one-time purchase, obviously. After, you can purchase the products as you need them. I tend to only need to purchase the after-shave balm every third time of purchasing the oil and cream.

I use the sandalwood variety--I love the scent and it works with my skin.  They have other options such as lavender, lemon, and unscented. Each of them provides benefits for specific skin types. If you're skeptical, you can try a travel kit for $25.00, which includes a small badger-hair brush. 

Give it a try! Your face and your significant other will thank you.

A Nice Autumn Cocktail: The Manhattan

Autumn has definitely set in up in the Rocky Mountains and there is nothing like a nice cocktail to warm one's insides. 

Here is the Manhattan, another classic cocktail that is simple to mix. There are many variations, but it's hard to go wrong with the traditional ingredients. 

Below is a photo I took just before dinner last night:

              Manhattan In The Mountains

Notice the pleasant amber color. It reminds me of leaves turning in the fall.

This is a strong drink, and as I mentioned, there are many variations. Some of the variations soften it up a bit, but try to stick with the original first and adjust from there. 

Here is how to mix a basic Manhattan.

Ingredients: 

• 2 parts rye (if you must, you can substitute bourbon or whatever whiskey you happen to have.
• 1 part sweet red vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• cherry

If you don't have a cocktail shaker, just use a glass to house the ingredients.  Fill the shaker/glass with ice. Add the bitters, vermouth, and rye. Stir. If you shake the concoction you'll get a layer of foam on the top.

Drop the cherry in a cocktail glass like the one I used above, and strain the liquid from the shaker/glass into the cocktail glass. Enjoy. 

One way to soften the drink is to dump in a little bit of cherry juice, or add more sweet vermouth. 

Do you have a variation on the Manhattan?

CONtraflow III - New Orleans

I'll be attending CONtraflow III in New Orleans, being held October 18th-20th. 

I'm attending for many reasons, but one of them is because I've been asked to take part in a panel alongside Diana Rowland and Griffin Barber, with Mark L. Van Name moderating. The panel is:

Frontier Law Enforcement:  Law enforcement on the frontiers of reality: fantasy, urban fantasy, and SF settings. How will the law deal with mind readers, fairies, cyborgs, and aliens? How can writers make it convincing?

Other than the moderator, the participants either are or have been law enforcement officers. Many thanks to Mark Van Name for arranging the panel.

I've given impromptu talks on law enforcement, and I know from experience the topic is a bottomless pit. I could speak for two hours on the topic by myself and barely scrape the surface. However, having seen Mark moderate other panels, I know he'll keep it on topic and to the point. 

CONtraflow is also hosting the 1632 MiniCon this year. I am interested in this because I have written, and am in the process of writing stories for the 1632 universe via the Grantville Gazette.

I'm looking forward to New Orleans, and once again getting to hang out with my writing friends.

Making The Wardrobe Your Own (and a bonus classic drink)

The basic wardrobe I posted last week is somewhat bland, and it's that way on purpose. The components I advised purchasing allow for a variety of configurations and the option to make the wardrobe your own by adding individual touches.

So, what are those personal touches? 

But before I go on with those touches, allow me to suggest a classic drink:

Let's go with a Sidecar. The Sidecar is one of my favorite drinks and a true classic. Like many of the libations I'm partial to, the Sidecar was created in the early 1920s.  Many recipes call for a cocktail glass or martini glass for this drink, but I prefer a rocks glass, also known as an Old Fashioned glass (yep, the glass was named for the drink in which it was served).  The Old Fashioned glass is a type of tumbler. Why do I prefer this type of glass for this drink? Well, it's easier to hold and sip from in my opinion. Yes, certain drinks look better in a cocktail glass, but this isn't one of them.

There are a few variations, but they usually mess with the ratio of ingredients.  Below is how I prefer the drink. Oh, and don't rim the glass with sugar--there is no need, the drink is sweet enough already.

Recipe:

• 2 parts Brandy or Cognac
• 1 part Cointreau (or Triple-Sec) 
• 1 part lemon juice

Dump all those ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake with vigor. Pour the mixture in an Old Fashioned glass (don't put ice in the glass).  Enjoy.

Okay, time to discuss the personal touches you can add to your basic wardrobe. This is quite a list, and allows you to add color and texture and put your mark on the ensemble. What exactly are these accessories?  

• Tie
• Pocket Square
• Cuff Links
• Watch
• Belt
• Socks

Depending on weather and other situations you could add the following as accessories, but I won't deal with these in this article: 

• Wallet
• Hat (not a ball cap--a real  hat like a Fedora--I'll cover this in another post).
• Sunglasses
• Glasses
• Gloves
• Scarf

Tie:  I'm still going to have you hold off on getting crazy with ties. You should really keep them simple at this stage. A horrid tie will ruin your ensemble. You'd almost be better off without a tie if you can't go simple and seem drawn to crazy colors and patterns.

Pocket Square:   Be careful here--simple is better. You can go silk or cotton. Cotton allows for intricate folds (you should learn a few--they're sharp and you'll have people commenting on them), while the silk variety allow you to basically go for a more carefree look.  Whatever you do though, do not buy a pre-folded pocket square that has a cardboard insert. That is embarrassing and in poor taste. It's like wearing a clip-on tie or keeping your tie knotted because you don't know how to tie it properly.  I'd keep the colors on the silk pocket squares  simple--you can do a pattern, but realize that you're limiting your options for usage. I actually prefer white cotton folded with precision. It'd be a great idea to keep a spare handkerchief folded neatly inside your suit jacket.

Cuff Links:   I didn't tell you to buy French Cuff shirts, but if you happen to have one already, or went out and bought one, cuff links will raise your style a couple of levels, but with caveats I'm afraid.

Again, and I'm going to keep writing this: keep them simple. Try plain swivel bar types that are squares/rectangles or circular. If you stick with plain metal, like sterling silver, they will be functional and go with the wardrobe I suggested last week. 

A few caveats:

• stay away from the cloth braid/knot type cuff links
• do not buy a package that has cuff links that match a tie and a shirt. DO NOT DO THAT.
• match the cuff links with the watch.  If you have a white metal watch, you HAVE to wear white metal cuff links.

Watch:   I find it's easier to match with a white metal type watch. I don't care if you go with a quartz movement or mechanical movement, but whatever you do, do not wear a digital watch with the wardrobe I've suggested. In fact, unless you're working out or running a marathon or something similar, stay away from the digital watch.

Make sure you have the watch adjusted. Meaning: the watch should fit snugly around your wrist, not dangling and able to spin around because it's so loose.  The face of the watch doesn't have to be enormous: it isn't a contest.

My day-to-day watch is a Swiss made Burberry watch:

Belt:   Fine leather. And you have to have a black one as well as a brown one. Do not wear one with a huge buckle emblazoned with some emblem or logo on it (this isn't the rodeo). You have to go plain here. And again, the belt buckle needs to match the rest of the accessories. If you're wearing white metal cuff links and a watch, well, you have to do the same with the belt buckle.

Socks:   You could make a statement here, but don't. Stay plain. You have to match the socks with the slacks as best as possible, and when in doubt go with a darker shade of sock than the slacks.

I've rambled on enough. I have a lot more to say about how to wear this stuff and what to buy, and I'll save those comments for a future post.

As always, my posts are meant to convey a classic style. If you're a nutty professor then go for that look. If you're a cowboy then go ahead and dress like one. But don't be a poser. 

Go have a Sidecar today, it's a classic drink and not difficult to mix.

World Con, TARDIS, & Daleks

Well, I liked my old website, but this one suits me much better. I failed miserably at keeping up to date on my old site. While redesigning my website, it occurred to me that blogging about writing was kind of boring to me (except when it wasn't, which was apparently every six months or so). With that in mind, I believe my new site will be more attractive to me in terms of updating and holding my interest. Whether or not anyone else cares is another matter.  :)

*** 

I attended World Con in San Antonio and had a blast. I got to hang out with old friends as well as meet friends I'd only ever known from the interwebs. Every convention I attend ends up being a great time that included much talking, laughing, and a bit of drinking (my liver just informed me that it was ready to resume routine imbibing). 

All I know is that each time a convention ends, I truly miss the people I get to hang out with, and can't wait until I can see them again.

I won't go much into the business side of things, but World Con was a success for me. The successes I've had in writing (I've had a few believe it or not) are mainly due to my interactions with people at conventions. Being able to speak to people and act normal (well, somewhat normal at least) can get your foot in the door, but it won't ever excuse poor writing and bad storytelling. Will going to a convention help you? Probably. It certainly helps to meet the right people--people you feel comfortable around and can be yourself. If you don't find them right away, keep mingling. Trust me, you'll find them. And through them you'll meet other writers, and then some editors and agents.

Finally, near the dealer's area there were some Doctor Who props and a pretty realistic bridge of the original Star Trek Enterprise.

I couldn't help myself:

                   At least I can pretend I'm the Doctor.

                                   Exterminate!