Goodfella Safety Razor

I've decided to switch to a more classic method of shaving, in the hope of finding once and for all, the perfect shaving method! You might think I'm a little daft to be thinking of something like this, but let me tell you that any activity to which I will dedicate almost 175 complete days to over my lifetime (yes, that's 10 minutes a day for 70 years, assuming I live to be 85!) should be done well! I purchased a Goodfella DE Safety razor in chrome.

The Goodfella is made by hand in New Zealand and is extremely well constructed of high quality material. The stainless steel handle is machined while the head is cast and finished. It is smaller than would appear in pictures, with a handle diameter of 10mm and a total handle length of 70mm. But it's weight of 57g (almost 2oz.) is heavier than expected and provides a well balanced shaving instrument. The head is an open comb design, which is usually not recommended for beginners, but this specific model provides a very gentle shave.

As with any DE razor, all you need to do is take a little more time shaving, but in exchange, you get a much better shave with far less irritation, at a much lower total cost. The last point is not lost on many men, I am sure! Some of these fancy 5 blade (and I am expecting a six blade design any time now!) cartridges cost a bloody fortune; incidentally, I learned the other day that razor blade cartridges are the most shoplifted item in North America!!

The razor arrived with a package of 5 Derby Extra blades, which is a nice touch! These blades have been extensively tested by the manufacturer as an excellent match for the shaving action of this razor.

I've got a selection of blades that I will be using with this razor and will report on my research in the near future. The Goodfella DE Safety razor is a well crafted piece of gear and provides a clean, satisfying shave! Well worth every penny!

On a separate note, I made my purchase through Fendrihan, who provided excellent service and quick delivery apart from the fact that they have an extremely extensive inventory of razors, brushes, soaps, accessories and more. Worth visiting!

Philips Nose & Ear trimmer

I know, I'm actually getting to that age where I can safely say that I need to trim nose hair on a regular basis! I figure it's one of those things that fathers casually forget to point out to their growing boys... "One day son, hair will be growing faster out of your nostrils and ears than on top of your head!"

After trying to figure out how I could do the job with a pair of scissors without the amateur lobotomy it promised, I looked around for a better solution. There is just something a little scary about the rotary cutters I'd seen in several shops. No way I'm sticking THAT up my nose! Then I found the Philips Nose & Ear trimmer.

This trimmer is powered by a single AA battery, is fully waterproof and designed for safety. The head is designed to only allow hairs to fit into the cutters.

Having used this great little trimmer for the last couple weeks, I can tell you from personal experience that it is painless, quick and very effective. Laugh all you want, gentlemen, but pick this one up when no one is looking and save yourself the home neurosurgery!

MacBook incident, or how I can be a complete goof!

Karma has bitten me on the ass. In the past, I've often laughed when I heard stories involving unfortunate but avoidable notebook computer accidents! I mean, who spills coffee on a computer?

And the answer to that question would be, me! Sitting outside on the patio, I quite stupidly jostled the table, sloshing about a third of a cup of coffee over my MacBook. I managed to flip it quite quickly, getting rid of most of the mess immediately, powered down the machine and wiped it down, then used an air blower to concentrate the spill into a single corner of the casing.

Once that was picked up, I opened the case to see if any great amount of liquid had made it inside. A little bit had collected in the corner toward which I had directed the spill, so after wiping that down, I left the case open to air dry.

A couple days of drying and I decided to turn it on and cross my fingers. Everything turned on as it should and the only issue are a couple of somewhat sticky/stiff keys (the arrows and the space bar) so I'm pretty confident that no permanent harm was done! I've read a lot of posts online about the corrosive nature of coffee, but I think the greatest danger comes from the possibility of a short on the logic board, as the battery in a MacBook is not exactly easy to remove. It has been my experience, with numerous mobile phones and an assortment of other electronic devices that removing the source of power drastically reduces the chances of permanent damage.

Damn that karma!

Busy last couple of months

I have been working by contract for a large, non-profit health organisation in Canada over the last several months and as such, have had less time to keep this blog regularly updated. But following a conversation with my wife, I have decided that it is worth making time to keep updating regularly.

So I would like to announce my triumphant return to regular blogging (cue the trumpets!!!)

Happy birthday to my wife!

Just wanted to take a second to wish my beautiful wife a happy birthday! I'm very happy to be able to share another fantastic year with you, sweetness!

Happy Valentine day to my wife!

I know I've wished you a Happy Valentine's day already, but I thought that you'd appreciate hearing it again:

I love you very much and I am very, very happy that you are my wife! Happy Valentine's day; have a fantastic day, sweetness!

It's in you to give...

Today, I am going for my second blood donation with Canadian Blood Services, over at CBS Headquarters in Ottawa, on Alta Vista Drive. I've given blood for the Canadian Red Cross several years ago, but had stopped donating as it was rarely convenient for me. In the meantime, I've discovered that blood is always in high demand, no matter the time of year that it is (we often hear newscasts on the need for blood around the holidays) and that got me thinking about donating again.

 

For about an hour of your time, every 56 days, you can donate blood and help save lives! I was incredibly impressed by the professionalism of the staff operating the clinics as well the level of competence demonstrated by every single person I had the pleasure of meeting on my first visit. Not only was the process entirely painless, but it was also very quick. From the time the staff were ready for my donation to the time that they stopped took a little less than an hour!

So, why not take some time out of your day, head over to the CBS website, find a blood clinic in your area and go donate. It's safe, quick, painless and incredibly needed! It's in you to give!

Happy Canada Day

Just wanted to wish all my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day!!! Go out and enjoy the festivities, take some pictures, see the sights and stay safe! My wife and I are planning to take our boy to see some of the festivities on Parliament Hill; I will post some pictures of our day later in the evening.

100 things I love about my wife

A little while back, I read a list that someone put together about the things that they loved about their wife, and I thought I would do the same. Here goes:

1. She loves me
2. She gave me a wonderful son
3. She is beautiful
4. She is intelligent beyond most
5. Her great sense of humor
6. She tolerates my odd behaviors
7. She is very patient
8. She is a fantastic mother
9. She cooks very well
10. She makes me feel like I am better than I really am
11. How proud I am to introduce her to other people
12. Her great compassion
13. Her attention to detail
14. How she sings when she thinks she's alone
15. The way she looks at me when she wakes up
16. The fact that she did not know that Stevie Wonder was blind
17. Or black
18. She cries when she is happy
19. Because she thinks that everyone she meets is as nice as she is
20. How she says the word robot
21. How she calls Lord of the Rings the walking movie
22. The fact that she runs the water in the sink when she pees
23. Because she worries about what I will think of her when she is sick
24. The way she looked the day we got married
25. The fact that she was 15 minutes late to our wedding and made me wait at the altar
26. Because she has not left me because I didn't take her somewhere nice for our honeymoon
27. The day she told me she was pregnant
28. Her incredible artistic talent
29. Because all my friends love her
30. Because I am a better person because she thinks I'm a better person
31. How she never remembers a movie she's seen
32. She thinks I'm sexy
33. She never judges me
34. She snuggles nicely
35. She enjoys having deep conversations
36. Her appetite for chocolate
37. And mayonnaise
38. Her great sense of fashion
39. The fact that she has kept all of our sons clothes since he was born, hidden in garbage bags
40. That she thinks I'm funny
41. That I actually make her laugh
42. That she finds the same things funny as I do
43. That she gets jealous about other women
44. That she has kept every little scrap and note I've left her
45. That she supports all of my dreams
46. That she still blushes when I whistle at her
47. She skips when she is happy
48. She thinks that Peter Sellers and Bill Murray are funny
49. She gets very competitive when she plays games
50. She is completely faithful and expects the same
51. Sometimes she cries when she thinks about our little boy
52. She smiles when she sleeps and she doesn't know
53. She is gracious
54. She was born in the wrong century
55. When she gives me money, it's always in an envelope, like a payoff
56. She is elegant
57. Her imagination is incredibly funny
58. She meows when I squeeze her in a bear hug
59. Because she still believes that men should be men and women should be women
60. The way she wags her eyebrows at me
61. Her hilarious dirty frenchman accent
62. The fact that she has four pairs of glasses and hates wearing any of them
63. How easily she understands the most complex subjects
64. Her willingness to try new things
65. The fact that she forces herself to try things she did not like again, hoping she might learn to like them
66. The way she never notices that most men stare at her when they see her
67. That she still married me after our first date ended in a car accident
68. Because she loves science fiction
69. Her obsessive need to achieve perfection in everything she does
70. The fact that she never folds her underwear
71. Her drive to improve herself
72. Her dedication to her family
73. She always needs covers, even in the middle of summer
74. She is always cold, even though she is from Siberia
75. That she accepts from others what she would not accept from herself
76. That she finds our son better looking than me
77. Her beautiful blue-green eyes
78. She kisses me every time I leave, even if it's for five minutes
79. She thinks "that's what she said" is funny
80. The fact that she can create a card from scratch in 5 minutes
81. How sensitive she is
82. How she comforts me when I continue to fail her
83. How I trust her more than anyone else I've ever known
84. How safe she makes me feel
85. That she laughs at my wordy humour
86. How she is always the prettiest woman in the room
87. That it takes her ten minutes to get out of bed in the morning
88. That she can't get ready in less than 20 minutes
89. How brave she was during the birth of our son
90. The fact that she hurt herself kneeing me in the jaw, and was more upset about hurting herself than potentially hurting me
91. That she puts up with the fact that I like to tickle her
92. She wakes me up when I snore
93. That she can tell if I lie, all the time
94. She never puts on too much makeup
95. She looks fantastic naked
96. She thinks that the toilet paper should unroll correctly
97. She puts up with the fact that I speak too loud, too often
98. She tells me that she will miss me, even before I leave
99. She doesn't complain if I don't shave every day
100. I love her

A short break....

This is simply to let you know that I will be taking a short break from posting new articles on this blog. Current professional and personal obligations have left me little time for researching material and writing. As soon as these obligations are met, I will return with regular posts.

Thank you for your support and continued following.

Resolutions for 2008

Since the new year is upon us, it's time for some new resolutions... Of course, I know how traditional it is for us in North America to simply abandon our resolutions at the first sign of trouble, but I am determined. I want to make some of these changes, and could even say, need to make some of these changes.

First on my list is quitting smoking, and today's -18C weather is helping my resolve. I have decided to take a moderate approach to quitting this horrible habit, and am confident that this will be the year I quit for good.

Second on my list has been to create and maintain a budget and I have enlisted the help of an OSX software called iBank, and with careful tracking, I believe I will also meet this goal.

Of course, I have several other resolutions, but I really believe that the two listed above are really the critical ones! I will continue to update you with more news on how I cope with these two changes to my life!

The 10,000 mark...

Today, my music collection has hit the 10,000 song mark... I know it may seem unimportant to many, but I have spent a lot of time in the development, improvement and maintenance of my music collection. Here are some statistics:

• 10,052 songs,


• 100% of songs are labelled by title,


• 92% of songs are labelled by album,


• 85% of songs are labelled by original track number,


• 65% of songs have associated front cover artwork,


• 75% of songs are part of a full album...


• and finally, 88% of songs are over 192kbps bitrates, with almost 35% at 320kbps.

There are no duplicates in my collection, unless the same song is available on several albums. I know that many of you may think that I am encouraging media piracy by promoting my own collection. For these people, let me say that I do not share my own collection. I have downloaded a large portion of it, but I have also ripped another portion of it from my own CD collection.

I don't want to get into the whole debate, but suffice it to say, it is a milestone in any media collection, so I am happy to announce it!

Talk to you soon...