To Shave or not to Shave...

The last day of No Shave November has arrived. It is decision time for those that have participated. Do you shave or keep the face? Are you a man or a mouse?

For me it is a no brainer, I keep going, it is the manly thing to do. We will worry about it come warmer times in the early spring. Besides it will keep the HBM company.

Of course I will keep it groomed and professional looking. Thankfully today's fashion accepts well groomed facial hair, just look at the many ads for men and the rising number of products designed for proper grooming with waxes, balms and oils.

I even saw our local mall Santa with a great HBM and beard, and I got to exchange pleasantries about our great facial hair choices. Rock on Santa!

BTW, speaking of the upcoming holidays, here is a gift idea for anyone looking to surprise me...

Best to all....

No Shave November/HBM Update

Well we are a little over halfway through the month of no shaving for men's health awareness. Things are going quite well and the full beard is progressing in nicely, but I will confess that I have been shaping it as I work in a couple of professional environments and need to appease the masses with a kept stylish look.

The HBM is getting the extension it needs without looking odd going through another transition, it is muted by the rest of the facial hair growth.

I am thinking of keeping the beard through the long winter nights. It is kind of a winter tradition now, although we did take a break when the HBM adventure began almost two years ago now, but I can now do both so....

Keep growing it gentlemen and ladies learn to embrace the fuzz face...

Obsolescence

As technology advances and we expect more and more to be part of everything we have around us as standard, we are kicking ourselves in the shin and most of us are not even aware of it. Everything these days is made with built in obsolescence. Simple machines like can openers and toasters to more complex ones like televisions and automobiles. Which brings me to my rant for the day.

I was in my car the other day and it started to emit a sound like I had gravel inside of the engine. I revved the engine and it would change sound frequency and almost disappear. There was no loss of power or hesitation in running, just the gravel noise. My first thought, and I am no mechanic, was the water pump was going. It was parked and then taken to the garage today. I was close in the proximity of the part that was failing, but it was not the water pump, it was the A/C compressor.

It is November, what do I need A/C for right now, can we bypass it? Not really...

Back in the day, you could get shorter belts and bypass the compressor, as A/C was an option and was added if the buyer wanted it. Now try and find a vehicle that does not come with A/C. So a bypass is not an option, we must replace the compressor. Why would it be simple and repairable....

They are not cheap, and the sub frame must be removed to get to it (lots of labor= more money). Thankfully I have a great group of mechanics and we found a good used one in working order, saving me abut 60% on the total cost. This will allow me to have A/C, and a car, for the winter.

I was told by the garage that this is an American thing, that if the car was built for other markets around the world, A/C is still an option, so a bypass would have been doable. But we are Americans and just not that smart.

Of course most never have deal with this because as a country as we don't drive vehicles long enough to have 'durable' parts fail, we just send them to the junk yard as being obsolete. 

High Praise, I Guess...

So this past Spring, with the urging of some and the permission of others, I help found a pipe club. Of course it had to have a snooty name, so it was christened, "The Hartford Reading Society".

The 'Society provides a civilized haven from the hum-drum work-a-day world. Of course there is not much in the way of reading beyond the occasional tin of tobacco and/or the back of a bottle. We would not want to tax the brain too much.

We have monthly meetings with themes, and an electronic newsletter, which is written by our fearless leader, Ox.  Recently Ox wrote an excerpt laced with praise for yours truly and it is below...

Mascot and all.

 As I recline here in the leather bound splendor of the Tobacco Shop, I reflect back on an excellent gathering of The Hartford Reading Society.

Maestro Herb presided over a Columbus Day cruise around the world of tobacco. His three mixtures: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, were specially blended for the occasion. They kept the assembled members musing as to the formulae and proportions whilst "Herb of The Inscrutable Grin" watched in silence as we discussed the merits and probable ingredients of each. 

He finally could stand no more and put us out of our collective misery, with a knowing smile he divulged the aromatic secrets which lurked in the three mixtures: Dutch Cut, Virginia and Black Cavendish each formed the base of a mixture married with a special proprietary tobacco which, for highly sensitive matters of State, shall remain nameless. Suffice to say that no South American villagers were harmed in the production of this tobacco!

 We were all most suitably impressed with Herbs handiwork, no doubt he is the foremost Pipe Tobacco blender in Southern New England and we are indeed fortunate to have him as one of our founding members as well as our cordial representative from the Tobacco Shop.

 Until the next meeting of The Hartford Reading Society, my friends, stay on the green side of the grass! 

Thank you Ox for your kind words and encouragement, they are much appreciated...

CFL Danger

So I almost started the day with an electrical fire.

Alarm went off, turned on the bedside lamp and it started to flicker. I turned on the room light just in time for the lamp to flutter one more time and see a wisp of smoke rise. I reached to check the bulb tightness and was almost burned by the heat of the base.

It was quickly unplugged and taken outside (my apologies to the neighborhood as I was in just my boxers). 

Turns out that when Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) go bad they will arc, causing them to heat rapidly, and emit a puff of smoke. 

The local hardware store had a replacement (needed the GU-24 prong base, not the traditional screw in base = more money). They had a receptacle to take the spent bulb, as it contains enough mercury to taint an entire water well and drinking supply from that well. Also the purchase of CFL and LED bulbs are sales tax free, so I saved a little in that area.

So be careful out there kids, and dispose of the empties properly.