I'm In A Good Place:

First, let me take a moment to say thank you for all the prayers and well wishes during this difficult time. I also want to take a moment to say thank you to those that took the time to message me on social media and a very special thanks to those that took the time to call and check on me. It meant a lot to me. My decision to leave the wet shaving hobby has been a happy one and I am in a good place. Sometimes you simply have to turn away from something to be happy and writing blog posts and making shave videos was one the many things that I've turned away from. I was already burned out on the wet shaving hobby in general and then my dad passed away on June 14th, 2020 at 1220 AM eastern daylight time. We last saw him on June 7th after we traveled from Virginia to Florida to see him, I last spoke to him on June 11th, 2020 and he died on June 14th, 2020 from pneumonia caused by complications from lung cancer. That was the icing on the cake for me in making some really tough decisions concerning my hobbies and interests. There has been NO trolling and/or personal attacks towards me which had zero influence on my decision to leave the wet shaving hobby.

The first thing that I turned away from was making shave videos. I tried to quit before and a few people talked me into giving it another go and I did for a while but it was becoming a chore rather than being fun. There's a lot of work that goes into making and uploading videos on YouTube and I do mean a lot of work. It takes roughly about 1.5 to 2 hours of work just to upload a 10 minute video on my YouTube channel and that also depends on how busy YouTube is which has been slammed as of late. More on that in a moment. The scary part is that's my shorter videos that are between 6 to 8 minutes in length and with a high speed internet connection. Those that don't have that kind of internet speed takes even longer. Something had to give, I stopped making videos. So I stopped making videos.

Getting away from the news media has been one of the greatest thing since sliced bread. I mentioned YouTube being slammed earlier and that's why they have been slammed as of late in addition to other forms of entertainment such as video games and streaming services. People are sick of the news media and I feel 100% better since I turned off the news media and politics in general. I've not decided just yet but there's a 90% chance that I will NOT be voting this year and if I do decide to vote, it will definitely be the absolute last time that I do. I'm that sick of it. I'm also sick and disgusted of seeing the people in these protests and marches too. It's an embarrassment to our country and their behavior has been disgusting to say the least. I never thought that I would see the day that people would get "offended" at statues that have been up since before their grandparents were born along with getting upset about labels on boxes of rice, pancake mix and pancake syrup. It's straight up disgusting in my humble opinion. There's no other words that I can use.

My final decision was to give up on writing blog posts. 7 months since my last blog post and to write something different each time has been getting tougher each time to the point where I no longer have the will or desire to even write something anymore. Between that along with my post views dropping significantly, it's simply best that I stopping writing blog posts in general. I'm doing good to get 25 views per blog post now and the only reason I got more than that on the last one is because I've not been writing blog posts anymore. It's simply not worth the time to write something if people arent going to read it. So with that being said, I'm happy with my decisions that I've made and I'm in a good place. So thank you for your support over the past 6.5 years and God bless all of you.

Feather Soft Guard Blades Ordered:

Earlier today, I went ahead and ordered these some what new Feather Artist Club Soft Guard injector blades. These are just about my last option when it comes to single edge style blades but it's definitely worth a shot. I do hope that these work in my Occam's razor. Maggard Razors stated that these will NOT work in the Mongoose SE razor. We will soon find out if they work in the other singe edge razors. These were some what expensive but I don't mind because I know that I will get them in a couple of days. Or at least I hope I get them before my next shave video.

I really do like my Occam's single edge razor but if I can't get a good shave from it with these blades, I have one more choice to make and that is the Schick P-30 blades which are extremely expensive. You have to order the P-30 blades in bulk off EBay. I've not found too many single packs at all. 

^ If these soft guard blades arrive Saturday, I will do my usual mail call video and then shave with it on Sunday. If not, then you will see me use my RazoRock MJ-90A razor with a Vintage made Brazil Gillette Platinum Plus blade which is extremely comfortable and very easy on the skin too. I'm hoping that these are easy on my skin like the reviews and ads claim. To make sure that things go well during the shave and to achieve the most comfort, I will stick with the lowest setting on the Occam's SE razor. It will definitely be interesting.

No Monetizing For Me Folks:

After nearly 11 years, I have closed my Google AdSense account on a permanent basis and it's been a huge relief off my back and then some. This was my decision and mine alone. Google did NOT have any say so in this at all. In fact, they probably didn't even notice when I did close the account. This has been brewing for quite sometime now. Especially after YouTube changed their rules along with a couple of other events that took place in 2019. But after much thought, I decided to close my account in December 2019 and I did not get around to it until a few days before Christmas of 2019. In my humble opinion, I am far better off without it and it is definitely not worth my time either.

I first opened my Google AdSense account sometime in 2009 after someone from a dot com style forum told me about it. Back then, my blog was an automotive/racing blog and I had not discovered wet shaving yet. But at the time I thought it would be a good idea. In the beginning, everything was going pretty good. No technical issues or anything. That changed when Google AdSense started changing their ad codes. That's when things started falling apart. So after about a year, I removed the ads from the blog but I kept the AdSense account open for a later time. My blog was functioning perfectly without the ads and for a good number of years, everything was great and I was having a blast. Then along came April 2nd, 2019. 

Google plus went bye bye. Which meant that Google had to update their ad codes. No issues at all never really paid attention to it until about August of 2019. Google AdSense started automatic ads and for a while they worked. Then I started getting AdSense error emails and messages. I go to my AdSense account page and I ended up having to cut, copy and paste the code to fix the ads. That worked briefly until California passed a limited advertising act. My blog would not be accessible to CA residents if I didn't comply and I wanted everyone to be able to read my blog. The tech issues I experienced in the beginning started to return. So once again, I removed the ads and I swore that they would never be back on my blog ever again. But I still kept my AdSense account open.

At this point, there was no ads but I could still monetize my blog and YouTube channel. Then YouTube who is owned by Google decided to change their requirements for monetizing videos. Once that went into effect I came to realize that Google AdSense is not worth it. I also began to realize that I went from a slim to no chance in terms of monetizing my YouTube channel. Then another thing happened almost overnight. My blog went to the same format as Twitter. It was at that moment that I knew that for sure I would end up closing my AdSense account.

The final straw came when I went to the AdSense account website to close my account. When I saw the total revenue generated was only $7.91 U.S. Dollars over the entire 11 years of keeping that account open, I just shook my head and did not hesitate to close the account. I have stated repeatedly like a broken record that making YouTube videos and blogging about wet shaving are just hobbies for me. My income is generated elsewhere. Both when I first started blogging 13 years ago and I can definitely say the same thing today. I never expected to make money with Google AdSense. I figured roughly around $300 U.S. Dollars at the most per year if I was lucky which is about the same as my state income tax refund that I got every year when I was still able to work. But the fact is that it took 11 years to generate just under $8 U.S. Dollars which won't even buy my decaf coffee that I've been drinking here lately. So if you was to ask me as to whether or not I think Google AdSense is worth it? My answer would be no.

Last Blog Post of 2019:

Happy New Year ladies and gentlemen. 2019 has been a really great year for me in the shaving world and to me personally as well. The first this I accomplished was getting my GED on April 11, 2019. I would not change that for nothing and if I had known I needed to get it, I would have gotten it sooner rather than later. I also made a few life long friends during that time. Another personal goal that I accomplished was that I was finally able to lose some frigging weight. I finally found a diet that is easy to keep and unlike the rest of the diets out there, this actually works and pounds melt off. That diet is called the Keto diet and it involves little to no carbs lots of meats or protein and fat such as bacon, sausage. There's also some intermittent fasting but it's pretty easy to do because the meals keep you satisfied and your insulin does not go up. I have stalled out at 237 pounds for the moment but I was really close to 270 when I started.

We also saw Google Plus close up shop and the explanation behind it was lame as lame can be and I will leave it at that. I also went back to Twitter after taking a 6+ month absence from it. I also joined a new social media platform called MeWe which is a blast and much easier to use too. It also made 1 year of doing shave videos which is really cool. I will be doing a separate blog post about it but I also closed my Google AdSense account. It caused several issues and in my humble opinion, Google AdSense is not worth the time. More details to follow in 2020.

We saw also saw a soap maker call it quits and another one has cut back. K Shave Works will only be available through West Coast Shaving Supplies and The Razor Blade and is doing wholesale orders only. And sadly we saw Mickey Lee Soap Works close up shop due to a promotion and getting transferred to another state. It's already difficult to personally move and it was too much for them to move their business on top of that.

I also got to travel to Florida to see my dad and my brother along with his fiance' and we really enjoyed our visit down there. My dad is no longer physically able to travel now and the only way I can see him is to travel down there. It wasn't too bad driving down there. We missed the rush hour traffic both times going down there and back which was really cool. I still have my timing down pat. That's how I use to miss rush hour traffic when I drove an 18 wheeler for a living.

I'm not going to do a top 10 shave product or gear video or blog post for 2 reasons. The first reason is because everyone else already is or has done this. The second reason is because if I didn't like the shave gear or products such as the soaps and aftershaves, I would not have bought them. I also tend to use the same brands and gear often so me doing a year end top video or blog post is kindly useless. But that's just me though. I'm also amazed at how fast this year has gone by too. Don't blink ladies and gentlemen and next year is going to be even faster because it's also leap year. So thank you so much for another year of blogging and thank you for taking the time to read my blog over the years in addition to this blog post. I will see you in 2020. The Roaring 20's is back.

New Toys Are Coming!

After much debate, I decided to go ahead and place an order over at Italian Barber for some goodies. This will be an early Christmas present to myself. After all, I've been trying to keep from buying stuff other than what I need so why not treat yourself. First, I'm going to start with an old Canadian classic aftershave splash called Booster. I went with their most popular scent which is the Polar Ice. Italian Barber states that a lot of people thinks that it's closer to Aqua Velva's classic ice blue aftershave splash which I definitely love using and will always keep in my shave cave. But Joe seems to think that it's extremely close to the now discontinued Floid blue aftershave splash. We will soon find when it arrives provided that it doesn't get held up by U.S. Customs. I've been wanting to try this for years. Booster first started during the prohibition era (1920's) which will be turning 100 years old in 2020. So for them to be around nearly 100 years later and the fact that this specific product sells out rather quickly, I'm pretty sure that I will definitely enjoy this aftershave splash. 

Another item I really loved in the past was my Edwin Jagger DE89 which failed me. Rather than get another DE89, I went ahead and got Italian Barber's RazoRock MJ90A safety razor which is suppose to be an upgraded version of the DE89 which I have to think is true. The main reason I think that is because I've had a Merkur 37C slant fail me and of course my DE89 also failed me. My RazoRock German 37 slant has not failed me and has outlasted the Merkur 37C slant by several years. I've also got 2 other razors from RazoRock in my collection that are still going strong and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so for many years to come. The first upgrade that they mentioned was the choice of materials. The MJ90A is machined from one piece of billet using extremely tight tolerances versus casting using pot metal that's made from several different metals. That definitely makes a huge difference. Italian Barber could very easily charge more for the razor but one thing that I do like about RazoRock and Italian Barber is the fact that they believe that you should get more your money. I agree with this as well. So I am definitely looking forward to trying this razor out.

Another thing that I definitely needed was another handle. There's a bit of a back story to this one that involves my Rockwell 6C white chrome razor. Right now the handle off my RazoRock German 37 is currently on my Rockwell 6C razor. The reason is because the handle that came with my Rockwell 6C is warped so bad that it became a hazard to use. That specific handle doesn't even come close to the bottom base plate which should be mounted flush or at very least come extremely close. So I went ahead and borrowed the handle from my German 37 to use on my Rockwell 6C. The handle that came with my Rockwell 6C is currently on my German 37 and it also does not even come close to being safe to use on that razor. So this handle will be going on my German 37 and I'll be tossing out the original handle that came with my Rockwell 6C white chrome razor. No sense in keeping something around that can't be used on any other razor.

The cost of these items was extremely reasonable. The aftershave is a huge 400 ML or 13.5 ounce bottle and it was only $12.95 which will last me a really long time. The handle wasn't expensive either which was only $14.95 and it's made of 316 stainless steel so it will definitely last a lifetime easy. And the most expensive item that I ordered was the RazoRock MJ90A which was $29.99. The shipping was also very reasonable at $6.95. So I got a lot for my money as usual.

Of course it can take a couple of days before my order ships. Especially now that Italian Barber is in the middle of moving to a larger location and they also tend to get a lot of orders which usually does delay things. So I really have no clue as to when my order will ship. It could be tomorrow or even Friday before it gets shipped and it will probably take a couple of days to arrive once it's been shipped. So I'm more than confident that I will not be using these in my next shave video.

I will also demonstrate the issues with the original handle that came with my Rockwell 6C white chrome razor when these items arrive in an upcoming mail call video which people always seem to enjoy. It's always fun getting new toys in this great hobby of ours. There's not much left I can get in terms of hardware such as razors and blades but the soaps is another story in of itself and I've got plenty of those easy. About the only thing you will probably see me buy next is probably blades but I already have enough of those easy. I will try the Indian made Gillette Wilkinson Sword which probably won't arrive until December 4th, 2019 if I'm lucky and those with probably be used in my Leaf razor along with the Israeli Personna Red Platinum blades. The Brazilian made Gillette Platinum Plus blades will definitely be used in my new RazoRock MJ90A razor when it arrives. In the DE89, those blades feel like the back of a spoon going is across your skin yet your beard disappears easily with basically no effort at all. That's the kind of shave I'm looking for.

Gillette Wilkinson Sword Saloon Pack:

One more blog post before calling it quits for the night. One of my favorite YouTube channels is Ken Surfs out of Huntington Beach, California and his all time favorite blade is the Made In India Gillette Wilkinson Sword Saloon Pack blades. So for a really low cost of $7.80 U.S. Dollars shipped, I went ahead and ordered some to try out. I really enjoyed the Chinese version which can be found over at my favorite retailer Maggard Razors which I was told was a sharper version. I tried getting them off EBay but for some reason, Pay Pal would not let me order them from there. I'm guessing it's because they have to be shipped from India. Thankfully, Amazon has them I have had no issues with ordering anything from them at all but I did spend about $1 U.S. Dollar more for these blades than what they would have cost on EBay which is almost nothing.

I've literally have spent more on my coffee which is Dunkin Donuts Decaf and that costs me $12 U.S. Dollars at a local super market. So basically these are one of the most affordable double edge blades you can get on the market today. Another friend of mine, Anthony Esposito did a shave video a long time ago now and stated that these are one of the most comfortable blades he has ever used which says a lot. So we will see how they shave. But first, I have to wait until they arrive and as you can be see below, it's going to be a while before they get here. But that's okay because I've got plenty of good blades here.

My shave with these blades will once again be tested in 3 different razors just like the Gillette Platinum Plus blades were which was the Rockwell 6C White Chrome, The Fine Accoutrement's Marvel DE razor and of course my personal favorite, the Leaf razor. I'm hoping that I will get excellent results all the way around like I did with the Chinese version. I'm pretty sure that there's a 90% chance that I will like them. As for how many shaves I will get out of them, I'm thinking roughly around 3 multi pass shaves at the most. I was getting 4 and 5 out of the other version and I was told that these were no where near as sharp as the Chinese version was. But I'm willing to give them a try.

As for other vintage blades, I'm not sure what to try next. There's so many out there that it's not funny and it's hard to choose which ones to try next. I'm thinking that I will start with the fair to lower cost blades first because some of these Vintage blades can get extremely expensive to say the least. Just a single 10 pack of the Gillette Super Blue blades alone costs nearly 4 times what I paid for these blades. Gillette also has a few more that I've not tried that isn't as expensive as the super blue blades are but they are still not cost effective or budget friendly either. Basically I will have to see what I can find and go from there.  

New YouTube Restrictions:

Last night, I seen a notice about complying with a new law called the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. YouTube had been in violation of this law until this past September of 2019 and had been fined numerous times over which explained a lot as to why certain videos were demonetized and certain features restricted. This past September, YouTube reached a settlement with the United States Federal Trade Commission and part of that settlement requires everyone on YouTube to set their audience to either kid friendly or made specifically for kids. I've already set mine to NOT being kid friendly which means that no one under the age of 13 can watch my videos. I am cool with that because my content is age specific any way. I've never heard of anyone shaving at the age of 12 or younger. So I am cool with their decision.

The reasons I went ahead and set my audience to 13 years of age and older in addition to what I stated earlier is because I'm also dealing with sharp objects such as double edge blades and some of my previous content also deals with straight razors. There's also some old videos up that currently involve blood from nicks and cuts. Plus there's always going to be a chance that something could go wrong and I end up getting cut which means that blood could be visible. So anyone under the age of 13 should not have to see that. Think of today's video game age rating system. If anyone has any questions about this then this video made by YouTube themselves, will explain everything in great detail and answer some of your questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JzXiSkoFKw 

Basically the only ones I see complaining about this are the ones that tend to possibly lose revenue from their monetizing efforts such as Google AdSense and if they have enough ad revenue from that, merchandise sales. That all goes away if the video/channel is deemed made specifically for kids or kid friendly videos/YouTube channels. There also won't be any comments allowed and there also won't be a community tab on such videos/channels either which can result in a loss of subscriptions. That could possibly effect those that barely meet the requirements which is 1,000 or more subscribers and over 4,000 watched hours in a single calender year. For those wondering, I have met the number of watched hours requirement mainly due to the fact that I now have 275 videos up on my YouTube channel but I don't have enough subscribers to meet the monetizing requirements. But that's okay because I do not intend to monetize my YouTube channel at all. I was forced to monetize my blog which I put the bare minimum number of ads up which I do not get to choose. The only thing I get choose is the category of ads and that's it and I really didn't want to do that.

The gamers that you find on YouTube could also be effected but most of those guys and gals already had to set their channels up due to the content of their video games being rated T for Teen or higher. So we will see how this comes about. I think if you just use a little "common sense" you should be okay and not have any issues.