Aug 16, 2022 - AA: MA-RH-MM - Almond Leather - Day 16

• Prep: Warm Water Wash
• Prep: Klar - Activated Charcoal - Face Soap
• Brush: Zenith Cobalt Blue 28mm Boar Knot (505BC SE)
• Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic (2nd Gen.)
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (16)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Soap
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Almond Leather - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - 42 - Eau de Toilette

This brush has really come into its own. It is producing some crazy good lather. Great shaves with the MMOC are still eluding me, but I think I'm getting closer to finding methods that work.

I started using a buffing technique on some of the trouble spots, to ensure I really dial in the lightest touch. I can't say that I've eliminated the irritation, but it does seem a little better.

#GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Rating: 3.5/5

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August 16- Raw Wisdom of the Hoggin Gems

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Semogue 610 Boar
• Razor: OCMM Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: Noble Otter - Firefighter - Soap

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Duke Cannon Ice Cold AS balm

#GEMsofWisdom WTG/XTG/Buffing. Day 16 and this blade feels a little uncomfortable. Not tuggy or draggy, just not as smooth as past shaves. If this wasn't AA and if I wasn't trying to survive Nightmare Mode, today would be the day that I would typically pitch this blade. But, things as they are, we soldier on. We'll see if the arm stropping post shave had any effect.

#RawHoggin Can't complain about this little beast. it lost a couple of hairs yesterday but was fine today- https://imgur.com/a/ME3nbGk

#Sidetracked I'm not going to lie, I wish I had gotten tickets to one of the Rage Against the Machine Reunion shows. They sound awesome. I first saw Rage right after their first album came out at Bayfront Park in Miami. The main stage was all these electronic bands that were big back then. The back stage featured Rage Against the Machine and House of Pain, among other bands. Rage fucking killed it back then and my fandom was sealed. If you haven't seen any videos of the shows, here's the first show they did in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. u/Teufelskraft and gang, enjoy the show- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbFoKtnZI64&t=3335s

Have a great day all!

August 16, 2022

• Brush: Zenith 506U XSE
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: GEM SS PTFE (50)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Sheep
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger
• Post Shave: Olay Complete
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - unscented skin salve

Sixteen days in and still enjoying everything. The soap shows barely any sign of being used. The blade crossed the 50 uses mark today which ties the farthest I have taken a GEM. I think I can make it to the end of the month with it.

#GEMsOfWisdom

Austere August Day 16

Brush: Rubberset 400-3 w/ Unbleached Zenith 24mm knot set to a 56mm loft 16th use

Razor: Gem MMOC, gen 2

Blade: PTFE (16)

Lather: NO Monoi de Tahiti

Post: NO Monoi de Tahiti Splash

Tried soaking the brush in less water today. Had enough to go about a 1/4 up the knot. It allowed for more backbone during the first pass, but everything softened up for pass 2 and 3. The knot isn't getting floppy, which is good, but it is developing quite the amount of splay. I'm liking it very much.

RawHoggin

GemsOfWisdom

Aug. 16, 2022 - RawHoggin & Taming the MMOC

• Brush: Zenith B37
• Razor: Gem MMOC
• Blade: Gem PTFE (16)

• Lather: Strike Gold Shave - Kennedy

• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Stirling Blu - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Balm

RawHoggin

GemsOfWisdom

I’ve switched back over to being a morning shaver and I prefer it much more to the evening shave. I feel like I have more time to get work done around the house in the evenings, even though shaving takes 20 minutes.

I’ve gotten to the point where there’s not much to say about this brush anymore. I’d say it’s broken in and any improvements made will be negligible. The past couple of days I’ve loaded lighter. I’m getting a serviceable lather, but not quite as good as when I was loading heavy.

This Gem blade is still in its prime. Much more enjoyable than the first handful of shaves. My gem of wisdom today would be: if you’re using a gem for the first time, don’t make your final judgment until you’ve gotten at Lear 5-10 shaves on a blade.

Aug. 16, 2022 - Hygge Tuesdays

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Omega Pro 48 Boar brush 28mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Hygge - Aftershave

16th shave, all is still perfect. I am not surprised, but still waiting for the shift to uncomfortable shaves. No problems at all with a 2 pass shave today and Hygge both performs and still has an appealing calm scent that will stay loveable for the rest of August, I suspect. Very happy with my lather choice for this year. Oh, and the brush gets better each time. I wonder if it will get even floppier than it is currently. Likely. Amazing brush for 13 bucks, I tell ya.

Hope it's a powerful day for you.

#GEMsOfWisdom

#MammothMafia

August 16, 2022

• Brush: Zenith B15 (506 U/L) 27.5mm Boar
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gold Gen2
• Blade: Personna Gem PTFE (16)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap
• Post Shave: Thayers - Lemon - Toner
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum  

2 passes. Face lather. Good shave.

• Challenges: #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #SubstantialStag
• Brush Top (before use) - Brush History
• Fragrance Video
• Blade Edge (before use) - Edge Histiory
• Blade Orientation (black dots - odd days, red dots - even days)

I'm told that a boar brush can come into its own by 16 shaves. My brush feels very good at this point and is quite predictable at making a lather. I'm making thin, slick, and very hydrated lathers so that I can keep the comfort in the blade as long as possible.

The edge photo today shows a little bit more variation at the edge. I think that this represents rounding of the edge by tiny bits material being broken off due to material fatigue. When a piece is broken from the edge, the edge becomes less keen because the remaining material is at a wider part of the bevel. Since I'm flipping the blade for each shave, I should be wearing the edge evenly.

In terms of the shave, I could feel less edge today. In fact, I have little sense of the edge anymore. Sticking to my technique resulted in a quite serviceable shave.

Aug. 16, 2022

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: AP Shave Co 24MM SYNBAD
• Razor: GEM - Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM - PTFE (16)

• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Bare Siero - Soap

• Post Shave: Thayers - Unscented - Toner

2 pass shave with a 30 second load.

GEMsOfWisdom

unscented

August 16, 2022 - Austere August Ultra-Nightmare Mode

Brush pics for RawHoggin challenge

• Brush: Zenith B10
• Razor: Gem MMOC Gen 2 Ex-Watson
• Blade: Personna PTFE (16)
• Lather: Wholly Kaw - Washington's Blend - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Executive Man - Balm

Brush was great, as usual. I flipped the blade to face strop, and it was a little rough. I will probably leave it as-is for the rest of the shave and only flip it again if I think it really needs to be flipped.

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

Finding Serenity in RawHogginy on the road to the GEMtury Pt. 16

• Prep: Klar Activated Charcoal facial soap
• Brush: Rubberset 400-3 with unbleached 26 mm Zenith knot set at 56 mm loft (16)
• Razor: GEM - Micromatic (open comb, first generation)
• Blade: Personna - GEM PTFE (85)
• Soaking Mug: Seaforth! - Scotch Heather - shaving mug
• Bath Soap: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - bath soap
• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Ice Lime - Soap
• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave
• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

#GEMsOfWisdom: Very nice lunch break shave with a shower. That being said, today I felt strongly the urge to use my new and as of yet unused set of Fleur De France.

I'm getting silly with the requisite #RawHoggin SOTD pics, and it's become a source of amusement for me.

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August Ultra Nightmare RawHoggin Stagpocalypse

• Prep: Midnight Stag liquid soap and bar soap
• Brush: Semogue 1250
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Quick and clean shave today. 8 more sprays.

SubstantialStag

GEMsOfWisdom

RawHoggin

August 16 2022

• Brush: Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (19)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo splash
• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Mood Indigo balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Embrace

Not much to report; blade holding up well, soap smells great, base is excellent, splash feels nice.

Yesterday for u/Teufelskraft's #sidetracked challenge I went with something more melancholic so today I'm going in the opposite direction: an incredible performance by the greatest rock and roll band of all time. It's just a joy to watch: Pete Townshend jumping around, all limbs and enormous schnoz, Roger Daltrey in some kind of open chested fringed ensemble, John Entwistle musically and physically keeping it all from flying apart, and Keith Moon like some kind of nuclear reaction trapped behind a drum kit.

The Who - A Quick One While He's Away

#MammothMafia

#GEMSofWisdom

Aug. 16, 2022 - Another Boar-ing Stag shave - Austere August Day 16

• Brush: RazoRock 506CK / 26mm boar
• Razor: GEM OCMM (Gen 1)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Zingari - Rescue Potion - Serum
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

I am (or already have) run out of things to say about the same fucking shave every day. It's gotten to the point where I've thought about giving up and just using whatever the hell I want, but no. I must soldier on. I didn't come this far to throw in the towel now.

#RawHoggin

I think I've come around on boar brushes. At least this one. I'm enjoying it and I'm actually excited about the sub exclusive brush that is going down. I never ever would have said this a couple months ago. I never had the discipline to fully break one in before or the ones I had just weren't as good as this one. I'm curious to see how this brush will perform with other soaps now. The lather it makes with CFG is actually really good now. Much better than at the beginning of the month.

#GEMsofWisdom

Still ch(t)ugging along. I have a feeling that the last week or so of shaves is gonna be rough af. That is no fault of the razor though. I'm enjoying the shaves but also excited to get back to my DEs. GEMlyfe exclusively isn't for me.

Brush album

Stag sprays

Aug. 16, 2022

• Prep: Exercise and shower
• Brush: Semogue 1438
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM blue star (16)

• Lather: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Soap

• Post Shave: Noble Otter - Thé Noir et Vanille - Aftershave

Todays shave was uncomfortable but it was successful. I flipped the blade and tried some light arm strops seems to have done well enough to remove hair. Brush is working ok, I feel like its a bit hard to load up for some reason maybe its just my patience. #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

https://i.imgur.com/7QMgGbB.jpg

Aug 16, 2022 - Getting Sidetracked while searching for the Wisdom of a Mammoth

• Prep: Hot shower and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

• Brush: Maggard Green Handle 2 Band Badger 24mm

• Razor: GEM - MMOC

• Blade: Personna GEM Stainless (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Sonder EdP

Every day tags: #MammothMafia #GEMsofWisdom

First day back at work today! Already been quite the crazy morning already. Everyone keeps stopping me to say welcome back and I’ve got shit to do already 😬

Aug. 16, 2022 - Sixteen Shaves

• Prep: Warm shower w/ Duke Bath Bar
• Brush: Copper Zenith B28
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave

#RawHoggin

Good lather again today, my shower lather routine is very solid.

#GEMsOfWisdom

No complaints on the shave, I took my time around the areas I usually leave stubble and spent a few more very light passes on them and have been very happy with the result without any irritation.

Aug. 16, 2022

• Brush: Zenith B36 "Copper Scrubby!" 28x50mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM (16)

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Porter's Lotion, WSP - Neroli - Cooling Aftershave Balm

• Fragrance: Cognoscenti - Wild Child

• Passes: WTG, ATG

• Coffee: Ethiopia, Sidama, Oromia - v: Ethiopia Heirloom - p: Natural
• Music: Lower Dens - Twin-Hand Movement
• August 2022 SOTD Photo Album

#GEMsOfWisdom / #RawHoggin

Date	Soap Before (g)	Soap After (g)	Usage (g)	Loading
8/1	235.5	232.5	3	◊
8/2	232.5	228.0	4.5	◊
8/3	228.0	227.0	1	◊
8/4	227.0	223.3	3.7	◊
8/5	223.3	220.3	3	40 seconds
8/6	220.3	218.8	1.5	30 seconds
8/7	218.8	217.9	0.9	40 swirls
8/8	217.9	216.5	1.4	40 swirls
8/9	216.5	215.9	0.6	40 swirls
8/10	215.9	215.6	0.3	50 swirls
8/11	215.6	213.9	1.7	60 swirls
8/12	214.7	213.0	1.7	60 swirls
8/13	213.0	211.5	1.5	60 swirls
8/14	211.5	210.5	1	60 swirls
8/15	210.5	209.0	1.5	60 swirls
8/16	209.0	◊	◊	◊

u/EldrormR and u/gfdoto gave me some advice yesterday about how to better capture the progress on this Zenith knot, so here you go. It's obviously a well used knot, and all the bristles have started to flex, but there's very little splitting at the tips—or at least not the feathery look I associate with fully broken-in boar knots. I suspect I haven't pushed any boar knots that far, so I don't even have a guess about how many more lathers would be required to get this knot to that point.

Regardless, Zenith knots tend to feel acceptable right out of the box, or at least after a cleaning lather or two. This Scrubby was an exception, but it's still remarkably comfortable now considering I'm only 16 lathers in and this brush has so much backbone. This one will be replacing the one short-lofted badger I have around—it's that good already.

⁂

#sidetracked u/Teufelskraft

J Hunter and the Lower Dens called it quits this year, but they had a fantastic four-album run. Their first, 2010's Twin-Hand Movement, occasionally hearkened back to J's solo work (dreamy neo-folk, sounding something like early Cat power, often referenced alongside collaborator Devendra Banhart). Looking back it from 2022, I read Twin-Hand Movement as a transitional album, leading Lower Dens from Krautrock rhythms, shoegaze, New Wave, and weird folk, to what would become their subsequent dream pop releases. Anyway, before they started drawing comparisons to Beach House, they already had landed on something special.

"I Get Nervous" is my favorite track from that record, and one of my favorite recordings from the entire Aughts. (Yes, Twin-Hand Movement technically came out in 2010, but it sounds like it was written and released just a bit earlier.) "I Get Nervous" is an ethereal, twilight drive of a song, floating along on waves of reverb and oscillating, pedal-manipulated guitar that wrap Hunter's restrained vocal in atmosphere. A precise, spare drum rhythm tethers all that guitar shimmer to the ground. Put this one on in low light and let it wash over you.

Bandcamp: Lower Dens - "I Get Nervous"

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August

• Prep: Cold water
• Brush: Ever-Ready 200 - Zenith 27mm unbleached boar knot
• Razor: GEM MICROMATIC OPEN COMB 2nd gen
• Blade: PERSONNA GEM SS PTFE(16)
• Lather: Declaration Grooming - Unscented - Soap
• Post Shave: Southern Witchcrafts - Incorporeal - Aftershave (Alcohol-Free)

Doggies reclaim my attention so I will do it short, with no write-up.

PigEvolution 1 2

#unscented #RawHoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

August 16, 2022: Stag on the 16th, going on 17th

• Prep: warm splash of water
• Brush: Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo 24 mm
• Razor: GEM OCMM (gen 2)
• Blade: GEM Stainless (17)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Another relaxing day today to reset my sleep schedule. Work tomorrow and hoping it won't be too busy.

Day 16, 3 spritzes

. #GEMsOfWisdom

August 16th

• Brush: Zenith Boar - 505NK 27mm
• Razor: GEM - MMOC
• Blade: Gem PTFE (16)
• Lather - Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Soap
• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Splash
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag Edp

#GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #SubstantialStag

Edp video

The blade is now getting a pain and palm stropping from last years experience does diddly squat, two weeks to go of the longest month of the year.

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA - Day 16

• Prep: Hot shower
• Brush: Zenith Boar - Short & Scrubby
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: GEM Blade (16)
• Lather: Barrister and Mann - Ferox - Soap
• After Shave: Fine Accoutrements - L'Orange Noir - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive Post Shave Balm - Aftershave

I saw 2 or 3 bristles in the brush has split. I guess this means the brush is starting to break. Hopefully this also stops eating the lather. The blade and razor are still performing decent. The second pass is not the best but is doing the job. Burns are the same when applying the aftershave and the balm is soothing.

Tags: #GemsOfWisdom #RawHoggin

Aug 16, 2021 – Austere August. Day 16.

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith - B16 24mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. – Sheep
• Post Shave: Zingari Man – Unscented - Aftershave Balm
• Music: Rise Agiainst – Swing Life Away

Good shave with no issues, today. Razor was good and the brush was good. Every day, the brush and I seem to improve the quality of the lather we build together.

I don’t have time for a long #sidetracked music write-up today, but I’ll let Rise Against speak for themselves. Unfortunately, not all of us can Swing Life Away and some of us have to work for a living, and have other social commitments after work!

Tags: #unscented #rawhoggin #GEMsOfWisdom

A Mammoth Micromatic Raw Hoggin’ August

Brush Progress

• Brush: Zenith B26 #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM MMOC #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM (16)
• Lather: House if Mammoth - Hygge in Tusk
• Post Shave: Hygge Splash & Balm
• Fragrance: Hygge EDP #MammothMafia

Not bad for 16 days in. Was expecting it to be worse.

Day 1 Prep Video

RawHoggin Unboxing Pics

MammothMafia

August 16th, 2022

Prep: Warm water

Razor: Gem MMOC

Blade: Gem Blue Star (16)

Brush: Omega Model 13564 23mm boar

Soap: LA Shaving Soap Co. Black Void

Post: Noble Otter Bare

Comfort: 7/10

Smoothness: 9/10

10 second load.

2 pass shave XTG/ATG.

Slow and thorough on the second pass. Had tugging on the neck. Would not want to tackle more than a days growth with this blade. As for the brush, definitely will be my go to for travel. Getting much softer now and lathering faster.

GEMsOfWisdom

unscented

RawHoggin

20220816 Austere August Day 600

Brush: Omega 011842

Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb

Blade: GEM PTFE

Lather: Stirling - Sheep

Post: Stirling - Coniferous toner

Post: DR Harris - Windsor aftershave milk

#GEMSOFWISDOM

Day what ever, razor blade blunt, send help.

We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

August 16, 2022 - Seeking GEMs of Wisdom in the Mammoth Raw Hoggin Mafia

• Prep: Warm water

• Brush: Zenith B36 “Copper Scrubby!”

• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2

• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Alive

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Splash

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Alive Balm

#MammothMafia

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

Before shave 16 and After the shave

Striking new territory for me with every new shave on this blade. My first GEM blade made it to 12 or so before I swapped in the new blade for AA. Shave was good today, nothing remarkable, no irritation and still blood free now about 11 days I think. Probably giving a touch more feedback, but I don’t feel any tugging or like the blade can’t make it easily through my stubble. Pretty good shave overall, and got it a little smoother than yesterday.

The hog is starting to produce lather easier. I really noticed a difference in the last two shaves. When I get the knot splayed, it starts piling up lather at the edge of the splayed tips. If I don’t splay the brush, and just scrub my face with the brush, maybe get just 1/3-1/2 the lather build up. In today’s before pic, can make out some of the split ends.

The Mammoth set is still treating me well. Soap is plenty slick, the splash is quite cooling, and the balm soothes any roughness from the shave. I haven’t gotten sick of the scent, and actually still like it a lot. One thing that helps is I boxed up the soaps and splashes I’m not using. Out of sight, out of mind.

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA Day 16

• Prep: Hot Shower
• Brush: Zenith B34
• Razor: MMOC (Gen 2)
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

Last night was again not a great night. I had a cold last week and am totally better, but my wife and kids all got it and my wife and daughters have developed kind of a nasty cough, my wife having it the worst. She's coughing quite a bit at night and moaning at times when she breathes. Apparently it's the opposite of snoring - snoring is on the inhale, this kind of moaning happens on the exhale. So, she's been sleeping on the couch so I can sleep in the bedroom which is closer to our daughter who wakes up way too much for a 3 year old (twice last night, stupidly), so sleep is sparse. Fortunately, though, even though I woke up late and had a bit of a rushed morning with a longer work day, my shave was excellent. Day 16 - officially over the hump and on the home stretch. Still loving this setup and not itching for something new. Well, I want to buy things, but I'm good shaving with this setup for now.

The MMOC performed beautifully once again. Smooth 2.5 pass shave with no issues at all.

Sonder, excellent. It opened up today with almost a green apple candy (think jolly rancher) sweetness for me, and then turned into a very grass forward scent and was very pleasant. Really enjoyed that start to the day.

The Zenith 1 2 was great. I can't see how this thing is going to get a whole lot better than it is now, but I expect it to continue to break in based on its appearance compared to my SOC. The SOC is a bit more bloomed as it sits - but, it may just be that it never dries out enough to fully bloom like that, so, I don't know. May not know until the middle of September.

Sonder thought of the day: Knowing someone's life and perspective neither means we have to agree with it nor does it mean we don't push people towards growth. A coworker of mine is very meticulous in his job and has high standards of excellence, but the shadow side is he tends to be quite controlling and doesn't often respond well to things being inserted into his world that he feels aren't "right" or that he doesn't think are a priority. As his boss, it's very complicated to navigate - on the one hand I want him to enjoy his job, and on the other, one employee can't dictate to the other 8 what happens with a given situation. For example, we read books together as a staff for development purposes - read over the course of a month and then discuss. The norm has been that we read 1 chapter of a book per month and then discuss it. Well, the net sum is books take FOREVER to get through and it's so difficult to grasp the flow of the book reading that way. So, in my newly given responsibility of staff development, I'm changing it and we're reading about 70 pages a month (still not a lot when you're getting paid to do it) and then discussing. I know that there will be pushback from this employee, and I had another employee come into my office to point out that everyone will be excited about this except for said employee who happened to miss staff meeting today. I politely affirmed his suspicion and, more politely, said I don't care. Every other staff member wants to be developed and grow in these areas, and I'm not making everyone else suffer because of one squeaky wheel. All that to say, pushing people isn't always easy but it's often necessary. Seeking to understand where people are coming from is one thing, and it' s a very necessary and valuable thing - especially when it comes to employees - but sometimes knowing where people are stuck requires us to carefully push them out of the mud.

Sonder doesn't always mean passive caring empathy, sometimes it means caring enough to disrupt a bad situation.

Have a great day, all.

#mammothmafia

#RawHoggin

#GEMsOfWisdom

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' MMOC Ultra Nightmare Mode

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Zenith Boar - B37 - Gray Chubby #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen2 #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM (16)
• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Margaritas in the Arctic - Soap
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Glacial Margaritas in the Arctic - Aftershave

Day 16 - today’s shave hit the spot. Hot day in the Mediterranean heat followed by a nice cool down shower and shave. Days like today is what MITA was made for. Nothing really new to report - great, 2 pass shave.

The Brush: The brush continues to impress with nothing really new to report today. #RawHoggin

Brush Picture Pre-shave: Side Top

Brush Picture Post-shave: Side Top

The Razor I went 2 passes and as before very routine with no nicks or cuts. The blade also continues to be nice and comfortable. I’m wondering when it’s going to start getting uncomfortable. #GEMsOfWisdom

Days since last blood: 11

The Soap and Aftershave While I still appear to have plenty of soap and enough to finish up the month, I did notice that I am starting to see a hint of green poking through the center of the puck. This was a brand new puck 16 days ago and I’m honestly impressed how much of it I have used. Fortunately I have most of a sample puck of MITA just in case I do blow through this puck.

Day 16 Puck Picture

2022-08-16 - Austere August - Raw Hoggin' Mammoth MMOC

Prep: Warm Shower
Brush: Semogue Torga - C5
Razor: GEM MMOC version 2
Blade: GEM Stainless (16)
Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap
Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave
Fragrance: Issey Miyake -L'eau d'Issey pour Homme

https://imgur.com/a/KMpImwN

Over halfway done. The blade is still good. Brush and Sonder are also good :)

#GEMsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August Day 16

• Prep: House of Mammoth Almond Leather Bath Soap
• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Mire 26mm Zenith Unbleached Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Aftershave

🐗Raw Hoggin' Progress🤮:
•Unused
•Shave 1 through 7
•Shave 8
•Shave 9
•Shave 10
•Shave 11
•Shave 12
•Shave 13
•Shave 14
•Shave 15
•Shave 16

Thoughts for the day:
Yeah, I still didn't condense the imgur album... My bad...

Flipped the blade for luck today. No immediate perceptible difference, but why not? I am starting to buff more, so I'm probably rapidly approaching three pass territory. I've wanted to avoid that for as long as possible, but if I can make it to the 20th still making it by with two I think I'm set.

At least my blade doesn't hate me like u/Semaj3000's does him, so there's that and that's nice...

Brush is great. I am loving it. I miss mah badgers, but this knot continues to crush it and keep my use down around a gram/day, which in my opinion is a respectable soap habit...

Mandatory Taggage:

#GemsOfWisdom

#RawHoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA Day 16

• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Semogue 1305
• Razor: GEM Open Comb Micromatic
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

SubstantialStag

GEMSofWisdom

Day one with sixth-graders today and not as crazy as we were anticipating. Tomorrow is another day and we are way understaffed for our unit. However, I’m looking for a new sunrise over my horizon.

A beautiful shave with the AA22 combo again today. Last year, AA was driving me to simplification and I believe that still to be the case. There’s a reason my shave time in the mornings has nearly been halved. Granted, I had some setbacks in my effort to exercise restraint. I’m looking forward to the second half of AA and moving on to enjoy what I already have.

Today’s spray

Happy shaving 🪒!

Aug. 16, 2022

• Brush: Grey Chubby - Zenith B37
• Razor: Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM - PTFE Coated Stainless Steel (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Z - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Z - Aftershave

I've been told that some of you people spend upwards of 25 minutes just building lather. You're telling me that face-lathering doesn't suck, but you'll spend the better part of an hour to attempt to produce a paltry reproduction of what takes maybe 12 seconds in my suribachi. Okay.

I am nothing if not fair, so I decided to take your recommendation. I stood there, pondering the nothingness of ~~existence~~ this soap's scent, doing nothing but play mix-the-batter upon my face, my eyes glazed over, after which I looked up and was shocked, in near disbelief of what I found—that I had wasted half an hour.

Now already late, I finished the shave and rushed to work, where I was promptly fired for my lateness and sent back out the door. In despair, I made my way back homeward, where I was once again shocked and in near disbelief, finding my wife surrounded by four men, all partially dressed in Good Humor uniforms and playing mix-the-batter upon her face, her eyes glazed over.

I got to keep the ice cream, so I got that going for me, which is nice. And it's all thanks to the boon to shaving that is the face-lather.

#GEMsOfWisdom
#RawHoggin
#unscented
#MammothMafia

Aug. 16, 2022 - Austere August Day 16

• Prep: Hot Shower, Stirling Soap Facial Soap
• Brush: Zenith 508A SE 28mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Restore - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Restore - Balm

• Post Shave: Zingari - Unscented - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Grey Vetiver

Got through the day. Almost forgot to post. Typing these is becoming almost as dull as using the same scent every day.

Mandatory Tagging:

#GEMsOfWisdom

#Rawhoggin

#MammothMafia

Aug. 16, 2022 - Day 16: tiny sink, tiny counter

• Prep: Warm water wash
• Brush: Zenith B33 Copper Boar Brush
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: Persona GEM PTFE Coated (16)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Aftershave

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Balm

• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - 福 (Fu Dao) - Eau de Parfum

Have you ever shaved somewhere with no counter space? That’s basically been the theme of my last week. Airport, gross don’t put anything down. Ferry, no edge on the sink to place anything. Counter at the house, not big enough for the splash and balm to be on the counter. I’m lucky I could get the brush to stand on there.

The shaves are still pretty good. I think part of the key is to let the whiskers grow out for the maximum time, so the shaves have to be at the same time each day. Even though I never have enough time to post them at the time.

Nothing new or exciting with the brush.

Brush break-in album #rawhoggin #mammothmafia #GEMSofWisdom

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA Day 16

• Brush: ShaveForge 28mm Boar, 3d Printed Handle #RawHoggin
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb #GEMsOfWisdom
• Blade: GEM Stainless (16)

• Lather: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Soap

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Sea Spice Lime - Eau de Toilette

Another great shave. Final shave at home this week, tomorrow I pack up and head to Atlanta for work. Checking my bag so I can take my GEM.

Note the brush carnage, which continues.

Suggestions on a handle to put this knot in? I really like it and want to keep it after August, but my handle is dreadful.

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA Day 16

• Prep: Warm shower
• Brush: AP400B XL Handle (AP ShaveCo) - 28mm Maggard Boar Knot
• Razor: GEM MMOC - Gen 1
• Blade: GEM PTFE (85)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Aftershave

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Just another BBS 3 pass shave with no hiccups. Nothing new to report.

Hope everyone had a great Tuesday!

Stag Spray 16 #GEMSofWisdom #RawHoggin #SubstantialStag

SOTD Aug 16, 2022

• Brush: APShaveCo 24mm Tuxedo

• Razor: GEM MMOC - 1st Gen

• Blade: Personna GEM Stainless (16)

• Lather: Ariana and Evans - Peach & Cognac

• Post Shave: MacDuff’s Soap Co. - Viticulture - Splash

Busy day. Bought a couch. Finished moving in. Forgot to post when I shaved earlier. Too much wine. Posting now. Nice shave.

#GEMsOfWisdom

Aug. 16, 2022 - AA 16

• Prep: Cold Water Splash
• Brush: Semogue 1305 Pure Bristle 22mm
• Razor: GEM MMOC Gen 2
• Blade: GEM PTFE (22)

• Lather: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Soap

• Post Shave: House of Mammoth - Sonder - Balm

• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Seville - Eau de Toilette

Break in album and SOTD in title.

Feel a little less irritated post shave past couple days, maybe I’m finally doing something right with the MMOC. The boar has been feeling pretty similar the past few days too. #GEMsOfWisdom #RawHoggin #MammothMafia

Aug. 16, 2022

• Brush: Maggard 28mm Boar
• Razor: GEM MMOC
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (16)

• Lather: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Soap

• Post Shave: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Balm

• Fragrance: Chiseled Face - Midnight Stag - Eau de Parfum

Smooth shave. Thankful this ballade isn't crappy yet.

Boar Break In Album

Stag Spray

#RawHoggin

#SubstantialStag

#GemsOfWisdom

#UNCHALLENGE

Aug 16, 2022 Trickhole Stag + MMOC + RawHog - Setting up in the New House

• Prep: Warm Shower
• Brush: Dogwood Unbleached Boar
• Razor: MMOC MM24
• Blade: GEM (17)
• Lather: Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag
• Post Shave:Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag Balm
• Fragrance: Chiseled Face Grooming Midnight Stag

Stagging it up 3x

#GEMsOfWisdom

Cheers