SOTD by u/RedMosquitoMM

Aug. 23, 2022

• Brush: Zenith B36 "Copper Scrubby!" 28x50mm Boar
• Razor: GEM Micromatic Open Comb
• Blade: GEM SS (23)

• Lather: Stirling Soap Co. - Lime - Soap

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

• Fragrance: Hans Hendley - Blonde

• Passes: WTG, XTG

• Coffee: Colombia, Bruselas, Huila - v: Caturra - p: 36hr cold ferment, washed twice
• Music: They Might Be Giants
• August 2022 SOTD Photo Album

#GEMsOfWisdom / #RawHoggin

Last week I added a few evening shaves on top of my daily Austere August shaves—using a different setup, of course.

I shave every morning, but I've also been enjoying a refreshing mentholated shave after summer training sessions at my local ~~sealed sweatbox stank sauna~~ gym. This works fine two or three times a week (totaling nine or ten shaves) because I spend most of my lathering time in the bowl to give my skin a break, use an extra-soft motherlode knot, and stick to one or two passes with a mild razor. And if my face starts to feel a little beat up, I do without the extra shave and save myself a few minutes in the evening.

However, that routine did not combine well with Austere Hogust or #GEMsOfWisdom. The MMOC can be used comfortably for a daily shaver—many of us are proving that for the second year in a row ([brushes shoulders dramatically])—but it's aggressive. Combined with an extrememly scrubby boar brush, it provides maximal exfoliation, and I noticed my skin feeling aggravated after adding another shave in less than 24 hours.

I'll stick with one shave a day until Austere August wraps up.

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	207.2	1.8	60 swirls
8/17	207.2	205.9	1.3	~62 swirls
8/18	205.9	204.4	1.5	60 swirls
8/19	204.4	203.3	1.1	60 swirls
8/20	203.3	202.8	0.5	70 swirls
8/21	202.8	202.0	0.8	60 swirls
8/22	202.0	200.5	1.5	60 swirls
8/23	200.5	◊	◊	60 swirls

⁂

#sidetracked u/Teufelskraft

Yesterday's gospel music blurbs reminded me of a favorite song with "angel" in the title.

They Might Be Giants is one of those bands that's recorded so much music—much of it singular and quirky—that it's hard to recommend just one song. I'm certainly not going to argue "She's An Angel" is representative of their larger catalog; this is the band known for nerdy high-concept poetry masquerading as kid's songs, for operating a telephone service that "would pick up calls and play back a song in the place of an outgoing message," and for jamming a suite of 21 micro-songs into the back half of a full-length album. If you're only going to know one single, it should probably be "Birdhouse in Your Soul"—that song is exceptional and clever on multiple levels.

Nevertheless, I have a soft spot for "She's An Angel," from TMBG's eponymous first album. The lyrics contain the requisite TMBG weirdness ("I met someone at the dog show", "The Shriners loaned us cars / we raced up and down the sidewalk twenty thousand million times"), and manage to wrestle with some interesting questions. The instrumentation jumps around, starting with a series of fat, ominous synth cords before swooping guitars unexpectedly carry the song into lighthearted, carefree territory (including a lot of accordion). And the catchy refrain really makes the most of John Linnell's scrunched, almost geeky vocal style. It's a fun survey of a lot of what makes They Might Be Giants great beyond their well-known singles.

YouTube: They Might Be Giants - "She's An Angel"