Don't throw stones at Arnold!

Now and again, when the thought takes me, I‘ll listen to an audiobook as I work.  Recently I listened to ‘Total Recall‘ by Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have to admit having read his book (and listened to it again) I find his life very inspirational.

It is not often you’ll find someone with such drive and ambition. He set out to be the worlds best bodybuilder, make millions from property investment, break into film and then become the highest paid action star and become Governor of California.  And he managed it all!!  Like he says, not bad for someone from a small Austrian village.

I also frequently listen to an excerpt of a commencement speech he gave. You can find it on YouTube as his 6 rules to success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2j954gTZcg

I especially like the last rule, ‘Give something back’ and this is something I am currently working on.  It’s all well and good making a success of your life (in whatever form that takes for you), but it is equally important to give something back in return.

I listen to this clip for his rules to success on a regular basis and I have added two extras of my own.

• If something is upsetting you today, stop and think about whether it will bother you 5 years from now.  If the answer is yes, then do something about it, but if the answer is no, then do your best to let it go.  

I know this doesn’t apply in all situations, but it is a good way to get some perspective and not be affected by the day-to-day work politics that can quickly drag you down.

Linked to this idea about non-engagement with negativity is a quote I love from Winston Churchill.

•  “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”

I have printed this off and stuck it to the wall at work.  Whenever I receive another trivial email, or someone tries to drag me into another petty argument I read and remember this quote and don’t engage. After last year ended in a particularly stressful way, it has been an invaluable mindset to put myself in.

There are plenty more quotes, philosophies and ideas that inspire and guide me, but these are the thoughts that are helping me at the moment.  I’m sure in time I’ll move onto other sources for that extra boost I need, but I hope by sharing these with you they will help as much as they have been helping me.

Traditional shaving.

For a long time now, whenever I shaved, I always found myself with a terrible shaving rash and red, bumpy skin. It got to the point when I could only shave twice a week as it was just too uncomfortable to shave any more than this and it looked unsightly and raw.

I, like the majority of men out there who wet shave, used a cartridge razor (like the Gillette Mach 3) and store bought gel and it got to the point when I started wondering whether it was these very things that was causing the problems I was experiencing.

I looked at some male grooming websites and quickly came across the advice that traditional double edge razors may actually alleviate the problems I have been having and give me a closer shave to boot. All the sites seemed to say cartridge razors basically rip the hair out, rather than cutting it neatly and whilst 5 blades and moisturising strips may sound fancy, you only really need one sharp blade and good technique.  It seemed incongruous to me that something that was meant to be improved upon by disposal cartridge razors could actually be better, but the more I read, the more the advice concurred that this was the way to go.  I also read that these self foaming store bought gels are so full of chemicals that they aren’t great for skin either.

I went to a shaving website (http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/) and got some fantastic advice from their advisor (a very helpful guy called Brian who I heartily recommend you contacting if you want more info) and after a few emails back and forth I ordered a DE Safety razor, some traditional shaving soap, a badger brush, an alum block and some blades.  The initial outlay for a DE razor is obviously more than a cartridge razor, but the blades are a small fraction of the cost and you will very quickly recoup your costs.  It seems the disposal cartridge razor may have been partly developed by the companies to make more money, as they sell these at a higher cost and on a more regular basis.

Now I won’t lie, the first time I used the razor it was a little bit of a blood bath and it is a steep learning curve from cartridge razors to DE razors. I did the prep by softening my stubble in the shower, I lathered and applied the soap and I shaved going by the advice from some great YouTube videos. (Geofatboy is easily the best, by a wide margin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IuA8HGacJw).  I finished up with the alum block and some moisturiser.  The result was a smooth shave, but I wasn’t fully sold yet.

I tried again a few days later with much more success and finished with easily the closest, smoothest shave I have ever had. I can honestly say the last time my face was that soft and smooth was before puberty and starting to shave!!  Even better the shaving rash was now a thing of the past.  Over the past few months I have gradually gotten better with my technique and I have a nice routine in place now.  There is something Zen like about the whole routine and it is great to take some time just for me to focus on a task and fully immerse myself in the process.  This may sound silly, but it is something just for me, as my wife obviously doesn’t need to shave; so the creams/soaps, use of the badger brush, shaving process and end result is a very masculine time from start to finish.

Eventually I would like to try a straight razor, but I will continue using DE razors for the time being.  One thing I have noticed is it has given me more pride in my appearance and grooming overall (although I wasn’t a slob by any stretch of the imagination beforehand) and it feels more serious, grown up and dare I say manly than my old routine.  Needless to say I will not be going back to cartridge razors and I can whole heartedly say if you’ve not tried it then give it a go.  It may take slightly longer to do, but that is actually a positive part of it for me now and it has made a daily chore something actually quite enjoyable. It is well worth the effort.

Here is my routine in case you wanted to know:

• Pre-soak badger brush in cup of hot water.
• Soften stubble whilst in a hot shower.
• Use brush to lather up with traditional shaving soap or cream.
• Shave with the grain.
• Rinse and re-lather.
• Shave across the grain from ear to nose.
• Rinse and re-lather.
• Shave across the grain from nose to ear.
• Rinse and re-lather just to shave any last minor areas against the grain that may need it.
• Rinse fully, then rinse again in ice cold water to close pores.
• Wet alum block and run over face to close and treat any nicks and also find which areas I may have shaved too hard and I need to focus on next time.(You can tell this as Alum is an astringent and antispetic and will sting lightly).
• Let alum sit on face for a minute, then rinse.
• Pat dry face (never rub dry).
• Apply moisturiser or aftershave balm.
• Spend rest of evening noticing just how soft my newly shaved face is!

And there you have it.

Is it better to go short or long on Hemingway?

So, my dad emailed me about some books yesterday and I found the exchange so rewarding that I thought I'd include it here (with a few edits for clarity).  OK, so it's not music related, but I thought f**k it, it's my blog and I'll do as I damn well please. I hope you feel like this is a worthwhile read.

My dad emailed me and asked,

"I read on holiday, for the first time ever, "Catcher In The Rye" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" and loved them both. In the back of one of these books they recommended the "First 49 Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway". I read a few of his novels in my younger years but had no idea that he had written many short stories. Have you read any? Would you recommend them?"

My reply is as follows.

I read 'Catcher in the Rye' many moons ago and whilst it was a good enough read, I failed to see quite why it had such an impact. I think it may be one of those books that had such a kick due to the time it was published etc. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' however, I could see why it was such a classic. Wonderful book, well written.

Hemingway? Hmmm. I have mixed feelings about him now. Yes I've read the 49 short stories and enjoyed them immensely. They were written at the start of his career when he was fresh and full of vim. They are very much in his early journalistic style and very enjoyable. I have read every single one of his books and adored a handful of his novels, was ambivalent about most of the rest and thoroughly underwhlemed with another handful. I remember one particular part in a generally underwheming book 'Island in the Stream' which broke my heart though. It describes the loss of a son and the way it is written breaks you. Hemingway makes you love the boy and then when he dies it crushes you.
I like how his novels (the good ones anyway) kinda mirror life, in that they have moments of great happiness, moments of great sadness, but mostly end with tragedy. 'Farewell to arms' is one like this, such romance and passion and yet such sadness in equal measure, that you feel all the more because of the prior romance.
My aunt and I have spoken about Hemingway in great length (at times heatedly when I was younger!) and we have come to the conclusion that Hemingway is great for adolescent or young men and if you find his work at that time (such as I did) then you love the machismo and message, but if you find him later (or even as you grow up) the appeal wears off. He used to be my favourite author, but that hasn't been the case in a long time. Now I adore with an unbridled passion the work of Steinbeck and having read all of his novels I can say, whilst some are slightly less powerful than others, all are beautiful and emotive.
I took pilgrimages to Hemingways house and haunts when in Cuba, in fact it was a big part of my decision to go there. I took even more of a pilgrimage to Salinas and the Steinbeck museum when in California and again his books were a big part of my decision to go there.
What can I say, books move me to take pilgrimages!

Anyway, I digress. Yes read Hemingway's short stories, but if I had to recommend a short story collection right now I would suggest 'My Fathers Tears' by John Updike. I only found Updike in the past 5 years or so and fell in love with his style immediately. His style grips me in my stomach and twists the whole time I read him. 'My Fathers Tears' was his last collection before he died and I love it.
Another short story collection I recommend is 'Eleven Kinds of Loneliness' by Richard Yates whose style is very similar to Updike."

After this there was some other points about other books that aren't relevant here. But that was the crux of our exchange.  What are your thoughts on Hemingway, Steinbeck, Updike and short stories in general? Hells, as this was originally a music inspired blog, do you read in silence or do you play music as you read?  I'd love to hear your thoughts?