Adventures in Shaving: Safety Razor Blades
This does get a bit nuts...
...but it's kinda fun and is fortunately cheap. This is a followup to the last time I talked about this. I only said a little bit about safety razor blades there when in fact it's kind of a big deal where safety razor shaving is concerned.
If you look at one of many safety razor blade samplers available, they start around $7 and go up from there.
You first get a safety razor. Most go with Parker as the go-to brand for that because you get decent quality for what it is. If you're unsure what to get, get a 96R or 99R and just pick which one you think looks better.
Parker does supply 5 complimentary blades with each razor, which you can totally buy on their own if you like them, but that's no fun.
The fun comes in finding the best blade that works for your face, and that's what the samplers are all about.
I can confirm with certainty that different blades give a different shave. Some are definitely sharper than others, some last longer than others, and so on.
For example, Feather is said by many to be the sharpest blade you can get. However, it's also said that's the blade to be most careful with so you don't nick your face, and that they don't last very long. Then there are those who use the cheap-as-chips Derby Extra blades because they're not as aggressive, but then others say there are better options if you're willing to spend just a little more, such as for Astra.
This is why samplers of safety razor blades exist. There are a lot of brands out there, made in various places across the world. To test out blades, you don't need 100 of each but rather just 5 to 10.
I'm using Astra "Superior Stainless" (blue/white box) right now, but that might change if I find something better that works for my face.
It's really nice I can try different blades without changing the handle. And speaking of which, there are many who say certain handles work better using certain blades. What that means is that if you have a screw-top handle type (such as the Parker 91R) and a TTO (twist-to-open) Parker 99R, one may "favor" a certain blade while the other doesn't. This again makes getting a sampler of blades all the more important.
I have just one safety razor handle right now and it's a screw-top type. At some point I want to try a TTO, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if I had to switch the blade to something else for it to work best. Or maybe I won't have to. I won't know until I get one.
Also, if you couldn't tell by now, yes I'm definitely all-in with safety razor shaving now. I'm liking it quite a bit.
Fender 50th anniversary guitar confusion
Is it a 1996 or 2004? Answer: Both!
This gets weird, but then again, this is Fender we're talking about.
Earlier, I talked about anniversary Jazzmasters. This time I'm talking about anything labeled as a "50th Anniversary" Fender guitar.
Firstly, the cheapest 50th anniversary is a Squier. Note that when you see Classic Vibe models in the listings, that's a 60th anniversary model (from 2014) and not 50th.
When it comes to the Fenders however, what you'll see the most are 1996 and 2004 models. Some are made in USA and some from Japan. The Japan ones are easy to spot because they are ST62 (Stratocaster w/rosewood fingerboard) and TL52 (Telecaster w/maple fingerboard) models. You will also see a sprinkling of Fender Custom Shop guitars in there as well.
Why are there two "50th" model years so far apart?
Forty years from 1996 dates back to 1946 when the Fender company was founded.
Forty years from 2004 dates back to 1954, the first year of the Stratocaster model.
There's your answer.
This also lets you know that all 50th anniversary models from 2004 are Stratocasters only, while 1996 50th anniversary models are Jaguars, Strats and Telecasters for the most part.
And yes, this does mean you could own two 50th Anniversary Stratocasters, one with a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, two string guides and a 3-ply pick guard, and the other built 8 years later with a maple fingerboard, 21 frets, single string guide and 1-ply pick guard, and yep, both 50th anniversary models.
Like I said, weird. But true.
Other anniversary electric guitars aren't nearly as confusing when it comes to what anniversary they're talking about.
Fender Japan ST57 from the '90s (and newer)
For some, this is the perfect Strat.
You can find Fender Japan ST57 guitars very easily. The price range is wide (some cheap, some not) and how it's configured depends on the year. For example, in the '90s you can find some with factory installed Lace Sensor pickups (spotted easily as they have no visible pole pieces).
What I personally like about the ST57 are the colors more than anything else. For whatever reason, colors finished by Fender Japan just seem to pop more, even with polyurethane coating. Sunbursts look more sunny, reds have more warmth, blues look deeper, golds have more flash, and so on. You'll see what I mean when you check them out for yourself.
Most importantly however is the price. The ST57 is absolutely attainable and is not a "you'll never be able to afford it" guitar. You absolutely can afford one of these.
The only complaint anybody really has about the ST57 is the tone. It's not bad tone but is typically lower output because it's supposed to have '50s-like sound to it (meaning alnico III-like rather than alnico V-like). Also, it's typically true the electronics used in Fender Japan guitars aren't as good as American...
...but given the guitar is so much more attainable, even if you threw in a set of Fender Tex Mex pickups, the cost of the guitar and those pickups is STILL less than getting the 100% American version.
One last thing. In the listings for the ST57, you'll see a bunch of them are physically in Japan, but there are also a fair amount of them right here in America. This is not an only-in-Japan guitar. Find the ones here in the USA and that will obviously keep shipping costs down by a lot.
I love cheap computers
There are only 5 of these at the time I write this.
Renewed Dell, quad core i5, 8GB RAM, 500GB storage, two 22-inch LCD monitors, Windows 10...
...under $170.
That's my kind of computer.
I don't know if the storage is HDD or SSD, but even if it's HDD, SSD is real cheap now.
If I needed a tower PC right now, oh yeah, I'd buy this. Most people would keep the Windows 10 installation, but I'd just dump that and install Linux (which I'm still using daily by the way). Linux loves Dell business PCs because if it's a distro like Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu, EVERYTHING is detected easily on first install with no fuss whatsoever. That's actually a really good reason to get a cheap business Dell tower box.
This is not the kind of PC you game on. Yeah, technically it can do it with some upgrades, but it's better suited for people that just want a reliable cheap computer box. Again, the only thing I'd upgrade is a bump from HDD to SSD if that's the storage media it comes with. Okay, and maybe a bump to 16GB RAM since it comes with 8GB (also dirt cheap).
Cheap PCs are awesome. This thing is ready-to-run and would easily last 5 to 7 years if not 10 or more.
The search for cotton
The hunt was successful.
What I mean by that is that I had to hunt around just to find cotton t-shirts, as in 100% cotton. The clothing industry likes to sneak in other fabric materials sometimes.
This is yet another example of Read The Label and Read The Fine Print at the same time. If you don't, you could easily be suckered into buying something you didn't want.
First, a question answered:
Why 100% cotton?
When it comes to shirts, jeans, hoodies, linings (meaning the inside of a coat) and so on, I've learned my skin absolutely does not like two very specific synthetic fabrics, that being polyester and acrylic. If my skin is touching either of those - especially if I start to sweat - I start itching.
For example, take beanies. Yes, 100% cotton beanies do exist and they're cheap, but don't try finding one at a Walmart or Target store because they don't have them. Every single beanie those stores sell is made of polyester. If I wear one of those, you guessed it, my head starts itching.
When cotton is not cotton
There's a reason I term it as "100% cotton" and not just "cotton". If the cotton content is not explicitly stated as 100%, there will be synthetic fabrics present.
A common example of this are with t-shirts where it will be 65% polyester, 35% cotton. Another example are jeans. Sometimes the waistband area will have synthetic fabric present that allows it to stretch, and the label will say something like 98% cotton, 2% spandex.
Back to the t-shirts, yes it's true the 65/35 blend does allow the shirt to hold its shape better and be more stain resistant. But I can't wear those because itch, itch, itch.
Poly poly everywhere in bedding
Like with the beanie example, yes, 100% cotton bedding does exist. It's easy enough to find a sheet set and blanket like that.
But again, unless you're specifically reading the labels and looking for cotton, everything will be polyester.
Another option for a non-synthetic is 100% silk bedding, but I never cared for the feel of silk. Some people really like it, but I'm not one of them. I'm a cotton guy.
Does silk cost more? It depends what you get. Yes, you can easily spend 500 bucks on a silk sheet set, but there are other options that are much, much less in price.
Are polyester and acrylic fabrics BAD for you?
No.
But if you get itches from those fabrics such as I do, then yeah, you'll use cotton instead.
It would be nice if Walmart and Target stocked more 100% cotton clothes - with clear labeling.
Until then, I'll just keep ordering my 100% cotton stuff online.