So, like many women, I have a love/hate relationship with shaving. It's a hassle, it's expensive, but in the spring and summer, it's necessary. I know some friends who wax, but I just can't try that. I can barely manage to get my eyebrows done, I can't imagine doing anything more. And forget about chemical treatments like Nair - I tried that once in my teens, and my legs stung for hours afterwards. Maybe I'm just sensitive, but I never had the desire to repeat the experience. 

I have watched my husband's shaving routine over the years, and marveled that no one seems to market the same concepts to women. There are far more electric razor options for men, for example. I've done disposable razors, I've tried electric, and they all have their drawbacks. Disposables are expensive, clog easily, and for those who are conscious of such things, are just one more thing to add to the landfills. Electric only work when they're charged, don't offer as smooth or as close a shave, and for me at least, tended to need replacement every few years. 

In the last year or so, my husband (who has the same issues I've outlined above) has become interested in classic shaving. After doing research, we picked up a double edged safety razor for him for $6 at an antique mall:



It's a Gillette from the 1920's. The double eded blade fits between two plates that form the head of the razor. We also purchased a badger hair brush and classic shaving soap on Amazon for around $30 together, and he watched a bunch of youtube videos and away he went. There was a learning curve - you can't use pressure with these, or you will find yourself nicked. You have to just let the blade glide over your skin on its own. The shave was a lot closer and smoother than he had experienced  before. After several months of this, he has now moved one step further into straight razor shaving, something we seem to only see these days in movies. I can remember (vaguely) my father shaving this way when I was young, but he eventually moved to disposable razors. 

Last week, I ran out of disposable cartridges, and my electric razor was uncharged, but I needed my legs shaved. It was hot out, and I wanted to wear my capris for the first time this season. Thinking to myself "Well, it works for him..." I grabbed the safety razor you see pictured above, popped a new blade into it, and borrowed my husband's brush and soap. I proceeded to shave my legs, with a little fear of what might happen. To my surprise, it was easy. My fear probably helped, because I was so light and careful with the razor, I was using no pressure at all, just enough contact to draw it up my leg.

Things I noticed right away:

~ As with all shaving, the soap definitely helped. The blade did not glide easily if the soap was not present.

~ ZERO clogging! After a few passes, I was wondering if it was working at all, the blade was so clean and clear. Then I saw all of the hair in the bath water.

~ Smoooooooooth! This was a close shave, achieved after a winter of no shaving, in only a handful of passes. It would have taken me forever with a disposable blade to get the same result. 

~ I did not cut or nick myself even once!!

~ This was seriously so similar to using a disposable razor, other than the technique of not using pressure, and finding the right angle, which was actually pretty darn easy, that I have to wonder WHY we switched to the evil disposables in the first place? My guess is, because it was a way for the manufacturers to get more money out of us by marketing the "convenience" that honestly isn't all that convenient. 

After my one experience, I was pretty darn pleased. I set about researching my own razor set up. I found there is a whole community of men who enjoy traditional shaving, many of whom have significant others who are happily doing the same. Women typically prefer a longer handle, for easier holding onto while leg shaving, and one of the most recommended razors for ladies just getting into this is this one:

~ Lord L6 Safety Razor - $12.75 on Amazon

~ There are a few other things needed. For example, the blade really does matter. I know this from my husband's experimentation. He prefers Feather blades, known as the sharpest out there, and I must say they did great for me. They aren't the cheapest double blades out there, but you do get what you pay for, and at approximately $0.50 per blade, compared to the $2.50-3.50 per blade refill for the average disposable razor, you are still saving significantly.

~ You can, from what I've read, use the same shaving gel you normally use to shave with. However, I loved how smooth the soap I borrowed from my husband made the shave, and the bonus was it is natural and not chemical-laden. I will probably get something like this lavender scent for myself, though, rather than his manly smelling stuff. At about $12, this is again a far better frugal buy than shaving gel. My husband shaves every day, and one puck of soap lasts him roughly eight months. I'm sure you can imagine how long that same puck will last me, considering I don't shave more than once a week, normally. (Well, armpits more often, perhaps, but that is a very small area.)

~ Again, you don't have to use a badger hair brush to apply the soap, but it does help to lather it. I like it. $13 on Amazon.

~ The best way to store your brush is bristles down, on a stand like this one. This way, water drains away from the bristles, and the base also dries, instead of sitting where the water pools. Your brush will last much, much longer. $15

So, let's review. the initial investment if you buy all of the optional accessories: razor, $13 - a single ten pack of Feather blades can be had on Amazon for $6 - soap, $12 - brush and stand - $28

Total investment: about $60, and really you could get away with just the razor and blades if you wanted to hold off on the rest of it for a bit, so about a $20 minimum. Not any more than a cheap plastic razor and pack of cartridges. But let's say you decide to go with the whole shebang. Considering a 4 pack of cartridge refills averages $20 in the store, or $15 on Amazon, this will cost you the equivalent of three or four cartridge purchases, after which your blades and soap will be astronomically cheaper than gel and refills are. 

I have now shaved with the L6 razor I linked above, and it feels more forgiving than the vintage razor I pictured. I loved it. No nicks, no cuts, smooooooth legs, and I love the fact that the metal blades are biodegradable and tiny compared to previous shaving waste. I highly recommend trying this classic method to any woman frustrated with shaving. 

I'm trying to think of how The Avengers could possibly have been a better movie...

Nope. Can't think of a damn thing. 

Best. Superhero. Team. Movie. EVER!

Today is the final day of class for my BA in English. I turn in my final paper...and then just wait for grades to post, and my degree to be confirmed. 

It's really surreal. After all this time, it doesn't quite feel true yet. Maybe it will once I have my degree in hand. There are a lot of other things afoot at the moment; things are sort of at a crossroads right now. I'm sure I'll be posting about them soon, just not quite yet. I've actually been staying away from livejournal for a bit simply because stuff is kind of in flux at the moment. For now, I'll just say I'm really looking forward to being able to turn my focus back to writing! And not the academic kind. :)

So far, this game is living up to all of my considerable expectations. I am off for bed now, but i thought I would share my favorite moment so far (I am only about 3 hours in):

A bit of the premise: every 50,000 years, a race of beings called Reapers appear to wipe to galaxy clean of all sentient life in a kind of purge. As Commander Shepard, your job is to find a way to stop them. Most of the information you've gathered on how to do this comes from a race of advanced beings called the Protheans, who were themselves wiped out by the Reapers during the last purge. 

However, in Mass Effect 3, you have the option of finding one of these Protheans preserved in a lifepod, and recruiting him to your cause. As you might imagine, as the last survivor of his entire race, thrust into a time when the galaxy is ruled by races who were once completely primitive, he is a little...well, let's just say he's having a few problems adjusting.


( Mild spoilers, a bit of light humor in the face of a war of extinction. )
And now at two in the morning, I am saving the game, and off to bed.

It's been a bit since I posted! That means, time for a bullet list update!

Things I have been up to, or whatever:

~ I am just seven short weeks from being DONE with school. I've started dreaming about writing fiction again, instead of academic papers. No lie.

~ Mass Effect 3. 6 DAYS, BABY!! In the meantime, I have been playing the demo, which is shockingly AWESOME. Maybe I should explain that statement, since I've obviously been anticipating 'awesome' with this game for quite some time. So, the demo is a couple of very short excerpts from the campaign, and then two multiplayer maps to play coop with up to four people. Honestly, I thought I would dislike the multiplayer aspect, or at the very least be completely intimidated and/or bored by it. I mean, I've watched the husband play games online for years. Running around in a party and killing things for hours on end seems REALLY BORING to me. Where's the story? I play games for story and characters and escapism. Shooting things is just...shooting things. But then I finished the small campaign sections and wanted MORE, so I went and ahead and checked out multiplayer, you know, just for fun...and I totally LOVE IT. I don't know if it's because it's Mass Effect, and I'm already predisposed to love the world and the different classes and abilities, or what, but I totally freaking love it. I have several male friends who play, all of whom are veterans of the very similar multiplayer/combat style of the Gears of War franchise, not to mention many, MANY FPS games, and they were all very kind about my first few maps, wherein they would all earn our group TONS of XP, and then there was me, with like, 2k if I was really, really lucky. And I died a lot and they had to revive me. But then, I discovered the sniper rifle, and I started racking up the kills, and gaining experience, and one time I even managed to be the top most earning player on our team!! It was an exciting moment for me. 

Anyway, I actually understand the husband's obsession with online play for the first time. It's not like I ever gave him any crud about it or anything. I'm not one of those wives who begrudges her husband xbox time. I just thought "not my cuppa". BUT, I kinda get it now. Plus, I get to play other races. I totally forgot how fun that small section was in ME2 where you very briefly play a Krogan. I'm leveling up a Krogan soldier right now and it's awesome! He says all of these Krogan-gruff things, and in melee he head-butts the enemy to death, because he's just that badass. What I REALLY want to unlock, though, is the Asari adept class. I can't seem to do it, but I WANT TO so badly! Statis! Plus, playing an Asari! Just super cool. 

Anyway, I have been counting down the days for ME3's release. I cannot wait. I have no doubt after playing the demo, that the game will live up to and possibly exceed all of my expectations. The Kinect controls are freaking cool - "Garrus, concussive shot" "Liara, Singularity". Saying it, and having your squad mates act is a very nice feature. I'm a little "meh" about the Vega character. I'm kind of like "why the hell do we need another human soldier-type?" We already have Kaidan and presumably Jacob. And in the demo, it seems like we start the game with Vega and Shepard already being fast friends. IDK, I feel kind of like he's being forced on us, and I don't really care about him. I care about characters I've already played with and love. 

Speaking of love, I read somewhere that something like 70% of players were not true to their ME1 romance, and stepped out with someone else in ME2, which is supposed to have consequences in ME3. (I was true to Kaidan, which is supposed to have a big payoff in ME3. Honestly, I was mad enough about how they handled him in ME2 that I totally intended to cheat. And then somehow got to the end of the game and hadn't...) Anyway, I read this interview with the head writer for ME3, where the (female) interviewer commented that she romanced Kaidan in ME1, but Thane in ME2, and she asked how that was going to affect her gameplay in ME3, and his comment was basically "Good luck with that." He was a little nicer, but really that's pretty much what he said. Now I kind of wish I had another playthrough I could import where I had been with Thane, and I could see what happens. I'm guessing that the two romances will make Shepard choose, but with Bioware there could easily be something much more cruel up their collective sleeve. Like...choosing which one lives!

Wow, so I should really shut up now and move on to something non-Mass Effect related. Suffice to say, I am VERY EXCITED about this coming Tuesday!

~ Um...where was I? Oh, right. So, apparently we are supposed to get snow tonight. It's been like an earl spring here, and now, tonight it's supposed to freeze and snow. We shall see.

~ Pet updates: Zoey's kink in her neck has stopped hurting her, but she has developed a totally severe front leg limp. I even took her to a dog chiropractor at the local dog show last weekend, who confirmed she has a neck issue and that could easily be causing the limp. She worked on her, and we'll see, but she may have to go back to the vet. We are out of pain pills/muscle relaxers, and the problem is still there. 

As for Julius, the vet did the promised follow-up look at his bottom two fangs, which were uncomfortably rubbing his upper lip after his previous dental surgery, and reluctantly concluded the only thing to do for his comfort was to pull them. VERY graciously, the vet did this FOR FREE. I know. Super nice. I am going to bake cinnamon rolls as a thank you and bring them in next week. Anyway, he gets sent home, no cone of shame this time, and a couple of days later there is this horrible smell on him. Like, we think maybe he got some litter box leavings rubbed into his coat. Only I gave him a bath (much to both his and my dismay), and the smell was still there. And suddenly he starts acting all lethargic, and it dawns on me, the smell is an indication of infection! So I get some antibiotics from the vet, and now he is doing much, much better. The horrible smell is gone, and he is starting to act like his old self again. Hopefully he'll be a healthy cat for a long, long time now!

~ Um, I think that's it for now. New jewelry photos coming sometime soon. 

You know, back when Maxie and Spinelli were first becoming friends, then more than friends, I actually liked Maxie. But in today's episode? OMG, she was an insane, selfish cow! Ugh. 

Well, for me, anyway. Whatever mistakes they've made in the past, Bioware knows their fans. And they listen to them:

FEMALE SHEPARD OFFICAL TRAILER, BABY!!!

It's worth watching in 720. I could have used a little more Kaidan, but hey, we got to see Fem-Shep kick some ass, and that was the most important thing. I don't think I've ever been this excited for a video game. When does March 6th get here already???

I had my first order for a custom wedding ring. The bride really loved this ring in my Etsy store, but resizing really wasn't an option for her small fingers. She was open to me creating something very similar in her size with a different diamond. She told she really loved the double band, and the way the lace bezel came up out of the circles of 14k gold. So, I made something for her that I hope is similar enough while being unique to her. 

When you make someone's wedding ring, there's a lot of pressure. I view them as forever. I mean sure, sometimes they get lost, or replaced, or upgraded, but when you take your wedding vows with that ring, it's always going to be special. When someone orders a ring from you, basically sight unseen, they are trusting you to make them the perfect ring. Sending her the pictures of the finished piece a few minutes ago was one of the most nerve wracking things I've done since starting on this path. Now I'm waiting on pins and needles for her reply. If she doesn't like it, I'll remake it for her, but I really hope she loves it. 


( Pictures behind the cut. )

A week or so ago, a friend sent me a link to this thing called Pinterest, with the note that he thought I might be interested because of my jewelry. I checked it out, saw that is was this kind of virtual corkboard people "pin" things they're interested in. Things like recipes, pictures, etc. I made a mental note to join, and then kind of forgot about it. 

Then today, I was checking my shop stats - it's a page you can view with Etsy that tells you where your traffic is coming from, sort of. Like, I can see when someone clicks through to my store from facebook or livejournal, but it's not an exact science. Still, today there are three views and I think a couple of item favorites that originated from Pinterest. So I checked it out again. I went ahead and sent a request to join, and got an e-mail back saying there is a waiting list! A google search seems to identify that some people have been waiting to join for a really long time. So, while I have no idea how long it will be before I get an account there, thank you to whoever has been linking things from my Etsy store.  :)

In non-dog related news, I have a recipe to share! Who loved rice-a-roni growing up? I did, and especially my husband did. But the boxes today don't seem to taste as good. Plus, they can be kind of expensive. Thus, I made homemade rice-a-roni the other night, and it was SO GOOD. My picky husband loved it. So I'm sharing:

1 C Rice (I use jasmine rice)
1/2 C thin spaghetti, cut into 1 inch pieces (I just used kitchen shears, and cut handfuls of the stuff into pieces into a measuring cup, until it was about the right amount)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T butter
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 quarter onion, diced small - I used my small food processor and diced the garlic and onion together
2 C water
2 tsp. better-than bullion chicken (or, you can replace this and the water with chicken broth. But Better Than Bullion is awesome stuff!)
salt and pepper

Cut up the thin spaghetti. Heat olive oil in a skillet and then brown the spaghetti pieces for a minute or two. Add the rice, and brown it with the spaghetti for another couple of minutes. Add butter, garlic and onion, brown together until onion is nice and translucent. Stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning. Heat water in microwave, add it and the bullion to the pan. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes. I stirred mine every once in awhile to make sure it wasn't sticking to the pan. I also ended up having to add just a little bit of water at the end, but I wasn't super scientific about my measurement of the spaghetti, so YMMV. 

Anyway, this stuff was the best rice-a-roni ever. My husband inhaled it, and he eats like a ten-year-old kid, so I'm guessing kids would love it, too. I diced the onion and garlic small enough, you don't even see it among the rice and spaghetti bits. 

It is so much cheaper to prepare this way than buying those boxes, and the procedure is pretty much exactly the same. Plus, you have the added benefit of knowing exactly what you are putting into it. No mysterious ingredients. Substitute some kind of gluten-free noodles if you want, use less salt, organic broth, whatever you want!