Have you ever considered the simple act of shaving as a cornerstone of self-care? This episode is a soothing balm for those looking to enhance their grooming routine, with insights on why embracing the blade—or not—can be a deeply personal choice. Charles and Dan examine the tools that keep us looking sharp, from high-tech razors to the most indulgent of soaps. Plus, we share the warmth and comfort of life's little luxuries, like a heated steering wheel on a chilly Pennsylvania morning.
Strap in for tales of travel and the anticipation of future adventures that fuel our wanderlust and personal growth.
Round off your listening experience with a dive into the cultural revelations that come from stepping outside our comfort zones. We're not just talking about shaving and self-care; we're exploring the impact of interacting with international communities and reflecting on environmental policy differences. Plus, there's a nod to Taylor Swift's savvy release strategies, because who doesn't love a bit of pop culture mixed with their personal development?
Have you ever considered the simple act of shaving as a cornerstone of self-care? This episode is a soothing balm for those looking to enhance their grooming routine, with insights on why embracing the blade—or not—can be a deeply personal choice. Charles and Dan examine the tools that keep us looking sharp, from high-tech razors to the most indulgent of soaps. Plus, we share the warmth and comfort of life's little luxuries, like a heated steering wheel on a chilly Pennsylvania morning.
Strap in for tales of travel and the anticipation of future adventures that fuel our wanderlust and personal growth.
Round off your listening experience with a dive into the cultural revelations that come from stepping outside our comfort zones. We're not just talking about shaving and self-care; we're exploring the impact of interacting with international communities and reflecting on environmental policy differences. Plus, there's a nod to Taylor Swift's savvy release strategies, because who doesn't love a bit of pop culture mixed with their personal development?
Hey there, Charles. Here In this episode we continue our discussion of self-care for men by Garrett months. We finally get to talk about shaving, one of my favorite self-care rituals. Enjoy and please follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast app and if video is your thing, watch us on YouTube. Thanks, hey, Charles. Good morning, Hello Dan. How are you? I am well Good. How's, uh, how's life treating you Life?
Dan:uh, life's treating me well, uh, how I'm reacting to it is not as uh ideal as I have been in the past.
Charles:So that is a tough part.
Dan:A challenge, so uh, but it's a learning experience and it's reminding me to look and focus on the essentials that are able to uh support me when, uh, when I face some challenges and stuff like that. So, um, yeah, not to bring down the podcast or anything in the morning, but you're welcome.
Charles:Um, how are you? I'm good. I, uh, I've been. It's been a busy week. I don't think we've talked on the podcast since I came back from Pennsylvania, have we?
Dan:I don't think so. We do need to talk about your little furry friend.
Charles:Yeah, I got to meet uh Punxsutani Phil. Um, overall, I enjoyed the trip very much. Uh, the flights were very, very smooth. Uh, everything was on time. I liked that. Um, the weather was cold, but not really cold, I mean. It was it kind of hovered around freezing for the high and then obviously below freezing for the low, but didn't really get my way. I got um for my rental car. I I got a brand new Nissan Rogue and boy that was. That was pretty nice. It had some features that I'm not used to uh, heated seats, heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control.
Charles:Where he'd steering role is probably nice in that weather. That was nice. Um, yeah, the adaptive cruise control was nice, where just kind of stays in your lane. It leaves plenty of space for the vehicle in front of you. And uh, the only thing was, uh, I couldn't completely take my hands off the wheel for more than a few seconds because then it would start warning me. So I tried to figure out what stuff I could put on the wheel or in the gaps to make it think that I was holding onto it. So I could relax and didn't work it out.
Dan:but I'm sure, if I hit a really, but that's not a self-driving car.
Charles:I mean it could be if, uh, you know you're willing to take it up risk. Yeah, any car could be self-driving if you're brave enough. So not like the point where you could strap a cinder block to the gas pedal.
Charles:Exactly, basically yeah, yeah, if, uh, yeah it was it didn't have the capability where I could just put in an address and then just kind of chill, uh, because it wouldn't, like you know, do actual like turns, but it would stay within the lane and give enough space and increase, accelerate and decelerate. But uh, yeah. So that was, that was kind of fun. I did, um, I did opt for the prepaid fuel option, which I usually don't do, but I knew I was going to have to do quite a bit of driving, so it was just a matter of tweaking my, you know, using, using enough gas and putting in a little bit of gas instead of a lot of gas before I dropped it off so that I was right as close to empty as possible. And, uh, I did that, um, did not.
Dan:I mean, how much do they? They ding you for a lot, or do they? Or have those prices come down? Cause I thought like a prepaid fuel option is like no, it's six dollars a gallon.
Charles:No, no, no, no, no, no. It saves you money. The uh, the prepaid fuel option is cheaper than the price at the pump. See, what they're doing is they're gambling on the fact that you're going to leave some gas in the tank. Yeah, and so their price per gallon they actually have to use to fill it up. They'll make money on it, because enough people don't. Yeah, you, it only works if you, really if you, if you, if it's on fumes when you turn it back in, that's when it works for you, and the rest of the time it works for them because, they charge you for a full tank of gas Right Now if you close to the pump price, is it?
Charles:it was a little below. I believe it was 340 a gallon and I think what I saw up there was a little bit higher than that. Yeah, um, whereas if you don't get the prepaid fuel option and they have to fill it up for you, oh, that's when the that's when it's $10 a gallon, yeah, so that's that's when they really get you, yeah.
Dan:That one, I remember. I always thought the prepaid, though, was still more than the price at the pump, but I guess not.
Charles:No, it was, it was right at or slightly below.
Charles:Okay, um, but again, you know, they, they, it's like any insurance, they. They make money on most of the people that buy life insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, the they, like I always say they don't build those skyscrapers in Hartford, Connecticut, by giving away more than they take in, right, yep. And so the fuel options, the same thing, where for most people, the rental car company comes out on top. But I I knew I was doing enough driving where and I would inconvenience. I would go and put in a dollar's worth of gas if I had to, just so that I could push the car back in and get my full benefit from the fuel option. But I did skip the insurance. Usually, if the uh lost damage waiver is what I consider to be a reasonable amount, I'll go ahead and get that, because I have used it once where I dinged up my car and basically just handed them the keys and I was like here's your car back. Yep. But they wanted $37 a day for the lost damage waiver, which was more than I paid for the car.
Dan:The rental was less than that Holy cow. So some credit cards. I know America's Press has and I don't know if other cards do, but you can uh if you rent the car with that card yeah sign up for their extra insurance. It's extra. It's not like part of the, the, the card, most cards. They say they'll cover you but you still have to go through your insurance first. This it's $25 per rental period not per day Nice Okay.
Dan:And it it goes first Interesting and so I've used that once before and I use it now. So if you have a card that offers that you just might, you might need to call customer service because it's not easy to find not all cards make it that obvious and available because it's a great deal.
Charles:Yeah, that is a great deal. I'll I'll have to look in, I think I. I think I put it on, yeah, my Discover card, which is what I use for renting cars, and I don't know if they have that or not, but I'll, I'll check, yeah.
Dan:So they they see that it comes through a rental car agency to automatically charge it to the $25, but it's only for that one period and then you're covered and it's, it's just as good as lost damage waiver.
Charles:Yeah, that's. That's the thing. Where they get you on the lost damage waiver is, if you damage the car and you have auto insurance, which in Florida everybody has to, then your auto insurance will pay for the repair. Where the rental car companies get you as they say well, the car was out of our rotation for two weeks so we couldn't rent it to anybody, so you have to pay us for the money that we lost, the revenue we lost, that we could have.
Dan:Ah, yeah.
Charles:Although I have heard that there are some ways to get around that where basically and the person who told me this had to hire a lawyer basically the lawyer says okay, you need to prove to us that you had enough demand, that that this not having this, this exact car available, actually costs you money.
Charles:And if the rental car company can't prove that they lost money, that that class or whatever was completely booked out the whole time it was being repaired, then they can't. It's like you know when, if you, if you jet out on an apartment lease early and they're like, well, you broke the lease, you have to pay us. It's like, yeah, but five days later you rented it to somebody else, so you don't get to charge me for the lost rent and then also collect rent from a new person. Makes sense, you don't get to make money on both Sure. And so it's basically the same principle with rental car. If they say, well, we were out this money, but you can, they can't prove that they actually had to say no to someone and send them to Alamo or some other rental car Mm-hmm.
Charles:Yeah, then that's cheating and they're not allowed to do that.
Dan:That's fair.
Charles:I'm all about fairness, it was a great trip. I really had a fun time. The thing I did realize was I did not have to go there as early. I was on the one and a half mile walk to Gobler's Knob at four in the morning and for the ceremony that started at 7.20, I could have just rolled in five minutes beforehand because I had no interest in standing up at the front anyway. I just wanted to be there for the whole experience and all that, and you know I again it's not seating, so we're standing around anyway.
Charles:It's just standing around Like, and if you're solo, like I was, and you're at the front, and then you have to go get some coffee or go pee, you're not getting back to the front. So I just checked out of that whole system and I was like I'm going to stand toward the back of this crowd and, you know, I always, or I have said frequently it's silly to boast about something that you didn't earn or you can't control. I've got this 2010 vision that I was born with and still here I am, at a ripe old age of 46. And I could still, you know, be a fighter pilot if it didn't require anything but good vision. So I'm fine standing at the back. I can see everything really well that I would want to see. So, being up front, you know, shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of strangers from Western Pennsylvania, no thanks. So I was in the back of the crowd.
Dan:Eastern Pennsylvania, that would have been a little bit better. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Charles:Those people are all right. Those people would have been better Not West Philadelphia from. I mean, I'm just basing that completely off of the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I don't know anything else beyond that, but I hear it's a rough neighborhood. Yeah, so I was far enough in the back where I could lean up against a tree.
Charles:I had my AirPods in, I was listening to the Jack Reacher book that will serve as the plot points for the upcoming third season, and so I reacquainted myself with that novel and just kind of zoned out, hung out, had the best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had in my life, which I found out after I was finished consuming it. It just came out of a packet of Swiss mist, but I think it's because it was cold, because of the environment. Something about it just psychologically felt like this is the best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had in my life. And I told you about the donuts. They had jumbo Amish donuts, which I don't know exactly what made it Amish, but very light chocolate frosting on the outside. It was in a Claire, basically, with a very light chocolate frosty on the outside and a peanut butter cream filling. Wow, and that combo was real good. I don't like it when my chocolate overpowers my peanut butter. I want a little bit more peanut butter than chocolate. To be honest, I'm the same way and it was quite good.
Charles:Got to take my selfie or it wasn't a selfie One of the crew from the Groundhog Society there are three of them actually, on all different positions, taking pictures with Phil. So after the ceremony is over, I waited and he was asleep. He was tired out. It was there's a lot of work predicting the weather and got my picture with him and it was. It was a blast. I'm so glad that I I've been talking about doing it pretty much since the Groundhog Day movie came out, which I did watch, start to finish. After I got back to the hotel on Groundhog Day, I was like, okay, I'm just going to nap and catch up on my sleep, because I my alarm went off at 2am that morning to get ready for this thing. And yeah, then I watched. Groundhog Day still holds up, still is an amazing movie, and yeah, it was, it was a good time. So check, check the big one off the bucket list.
Dan:Nice Sounds like you got the full experience.
Charles:I really, yeah, I did. I think I think there was probably. The full experience is getting there at 7 o'clock the night before and just hanging out and staying up all night, which they can keep. That I have no interest.
Dan:Were there, people there that you met that said they were there since 7 the night before I mean that I met implies that I talked to anyone other than other than people selling me things.
Charles:Yeah and no, that's not really my style, gotcha. So yeah, I didn't. Really I didn't, for I didn't seek out any interaction with other humans other than here's my money. Give me the thing that I'm buying from you, all right.
Dan:So, yeah, you didn't get the full experience. I'd say you got 90% of things.
Charles:Yeah, I. I imagine some people would would find the social aspect valuable, hmm, but you know I can serve those people weak no, everybody that you know I had I had any brief Inconsequential interactions with.
Charles:Seem nice, but yeah you know, I'm, I'm mostly looking to listen to audiobooks and have a bunch of thoughts kicking around in my head, not really get Get acquainted with people. So, and mission accomplished, all right. So the next trip? I don't know, I'm probably, I'm probably gonna hold off on any more travel until at least April. But man, and then I got the the big, the big European expedition in August. I was thinking about a second trip to Europe in September, which Really crazy to go back to back like that unless I could find a really great deal.
Charles:Okay so far, the only Tony Robbins Unleashed the power within. That is scheduled to take place in real life instead of virtual. Yeah, is in Cologne, germany, okay, and it's in September. It's in September, so there may be another one right around my birthday. There's going to be, but they haven't announced the location yet. Yeah, so I should probably sign up for his email list so that I find out what is that run price wise, it's not crazy expensive, it's. It's it's around pod fest type money like four or five hundred dollars, like for the cheap seats. Yeah, okay, yeah, for the cheap seats, maybe, maybe it was wow, that's 599 or 699 surprising, for it's only three days oh and, yeah, I for Tony Robbins.
Charles:I feel like I know I'm conditioned to think of everything in terms of what it costs to go to like tech ed or one of those like Microsoft events or yeah, and those are like I can't imagine what. I haven't even looked. I don't know what they're charging now, but it used to be like for a VIP to one of the Microsoft events that I was interested in. It was like 39 hundred dollars to go for like four or five days, yeah, and compared to the stuff you and I attend now, it's like everything seems cheap.
Dan:Yeah, I mean it's different going business business versus business, a consumer yeah exactly.
Charles:Yeah, for sure. But I am thinking about going to Keto con again this year. You'll be out of town, so I'll have to consider, like I'll have to consider, going solo, but I did have a good time at it last year. I learned.
Dan:It serves, I would absolutely go. If I'm gonna be in town, I'll go. It's not solid that I'm gonna be okay, so it's. It's looking like I most likely will be, but I had a great time at Keto con very motivating, right?
Charles:I mean you learn, learn a lot about I was talking about all the free sausage.
Dan:But you know, oh my gosh. I forgot about that.
Charles:Fresh cooked hot meat Fantastic man, and not once did they give us the side eye for returning and eating their sausage over. They were just excited.
Dan:They were like you know what I and I have bought a lot of that Ninemen Ranch. Sausage yeah and they also sell it under a different brand at Whole Foods.
Charles:I have a freezer full of that, remember You'll you open it up and you're like, oh, there's a sausage party. The sausage party, yes in my freezer.
Dan:I'm dancing the sausage party, my freezer that it was man.
Charles:That's awesome. What a great snack. I mean, you know, I do that now.
Dan:So I, when I'm trying to do Keto, I cook off all a whole package and then I slice them up into quarters and I keep them in the fridge. So by the time I'm fixing for a real meal, I can just grab one of those little pieces of sausage, pop it my mouth and, you know, kind of hold me over. So I don't make the worst decisions ever when it comes to me.
Charles:Yeah, the meal itself that reminds me speaking of does slow me down. It's fantastic of cooking I. I did pull the trigger on my Convection oven, toaster oven, air fryer combo oh nice, and I ordered one of those two days ago. Okay, and I am, I'm really looking forward to getting that. And well, I want to kick up is my, my seafood, my fish and poultry consumption, and not just, you know, whenever I cook meat for myself at home, it's always burgers, and I think it's kind of boring, or if I've, if I've got an easier way to cook up some chicken and turkey and quail and pheasant and and Order a lot bunting. Not gonna make any of that, but I will. What? What did you just say? Order a lot bunting.
Dan:It's a alright, is that? Is that a new shoe brand?
Charles:That's like blue on the bottom. It's a really Lubitan. Okay, sorry, how dare you. It's a. It's a really creepy delicacy, okay, where you you cook a whole little bird in I believe, you drown it and Some kind of a liqueur and then you basically hold it by the beak and eat the whole body at once. Oh, wow, and it's traditionally it's traditionally eaten with a covering over your head. Oh, Wait, yeah, we thought that was in the movie, wasn't that?
Dan:or it was a terrible it might have been in Hannibal. It was in Hannibal, or was it in Billions?
Charles:it was in billions. It was in billions, yes, and so, yeah, you cover your head with a, with a towel, while you eat it, and it's like it's illegal, isn't it?
Dan:I think that's, that's what they were spinning it.
Charles:I think it might right. I don't know, I mean it probably be. I Mean to make it yourself. Probably wouldn't be.
Dan:I thought that's why you put the towel over your head.
Charles:Oh, no, that's, that's because it's so indulgent. You're basically ashamed in the presence of God to do something, so indulge it. As to my gosh, as to eat this meal, yeah, it's. I heard a comic a few years ago reference it and I was like I looked around like and I'm the only guy here who's gonna get what this guy's talking about I mean, maybe that's a little judgmental in my part to it's like, yeah, and because I think it was before, it was in billions. Okay, and I don't remember where I first heard about it, but probably some deep, you know YouTube rabbit hole, but anyway. So I will not be cooking that in my ninja, in my ninja air fryer, but I did get the one that folds up, so it's space saving, which is always absolutely important in my surroundings. All right, this is a chapter of self-care for men that I have been really looking forward to, because I love all things shaving and man. I started shaving when I was pretty young, mostly due to neck beard situation that was where.
Charles:Okay, I came in first, oh yeah, oh, interesting, and it's the worst. So, yeah, I would get very thick, coarse hair on my neck before I was able to grow a real beard or even a goatee. The yeah, I was neck beard first and then chin, then mustache, then cheeks and then the connector between my mustache and my goatee was the last thing to come in. Wow, yeah, I'm so waiting for that to come in Any day now, Dan any day.
Dan:Yeah, I don't have my cheeks either, so yeah.
Charles:Yeah, but I've tried everything. As far as shaving technology, I have started probably with the, I believe, the Gillette Sensor, their first one with sort of a fancy handle and then replaceable cartridges. That was really the dominant shaving technology when I started, so that's what I used, the Gillette Sensor, and that's what I actually still use today. My current go-to is a Gillette Sensor handle with the Gillette Sensor XL cartridges, the Mach 3 and the Fusion and all that kind of stuff I was never really into. I was like this seems redundant. I'm getting a great shave with a Gillette Sensor, so why do I need 18 blades?
Dan:Yeah, If it's working for you, then. If it is working for you, then why?
Charles:And they just get more and more expensive and they seem to last less and less length of time and it's like, why do I need five or six blades to go over in a single pass? I don't, yeah. I mean, if shaving your face was a 45-minute job and you could cut it in a quarter by having four blades, then I'd be like, okay, yeah, maybe this makes sense, but it doesn't work that way. So the Multi-Blade cartridge razor is where I started. I have tried the double-edged safety razor where you basically screw it down like the old, like I think James Bond shaved with one of those in one of the original Sean Connery movies and I tried that and it's pretty good. You can get a good shave with those. I like them. I have done the straight razor Yourself on your razor oh yeah, yeah, okay.
Charles:I got one years and years ago.
Charles:That was the kind where you had to like use the stone and use the strop and all that stuff, and that was just too much work.
Charles:So now the one that I currently have is basically it's a replaceable one, where you pinch the end of it and the blade comes out and then you put a new one in, but it's still just one and it requires the same level of skill to pull it off. I like it. I like it to be somewhat of a meditative process, like like driving, like riding a motorcycle or flying a plane, where you kind of have to focus 100% on the thing that you're doing. So it's kind of calming to be that focused, but it does take a longer amount of time to use than any of the other options. But it does give a very close shave and it feels good and you can't really skimp on any of the process where I, if I'm going to give myself a straight razor shave, I'm going to use the pre-shave oil, and well, first I'm going to steam my face and then I'm going to do the pre-shave oil, then I'm going to work to. You know the I've got the mug with the cream or the lather and the brush.
Charles:And yeah, you have to. You have to go through all the steps and you have to be serious about all the steps to get your face very wet and very slick so that the straight razor moves very easily on your skin and then and then you know after shave at the end and all that, and it's fun, like if I'm going out for a night out or something and I want to pamper myself a little bit. I'll still do it occasionally, but it's only probably once. A quarter is about as often as I do it.
Dan:Yeah, I think that's great because it separates the world from what you're currently doing Like you said, you have to focus on it, and it also sets your mind for the right intention for that evening as well.
Charles:I feel like it calms you down.
Dan:It probably helps you focus a little bit and just really be able to feel you know where you are in the world and where you are in your body and then also helps it helps you have much better time at whatever event.
Charles:I agree. Yeah, you're investing in your appearance and your feelings.
Dan:It's like people playing music before you know, getting dressed before they go out.
Charles:So, yeah.
Dan:So you're really being intentional as a daily practice or a weekly practice. That is way too much work for me and if I'm going to do it, I would go to get a professional done. Oh yeah yeah, my hands definitely not like a surgeon and I would coming out. So one of the pieces of advice he talks about here is, if you are going to do this for a special event like a wedding, he's like, do it.
Charles:The day before because you might end up coming and stuff getting some nicks, or you know, he's got hairs.
Charles:Yeah, if I'm either going out with friends and I expect a lot of picture taking or even I'm getting my headshots done, my beard doesn't grow so quickly that I can easily. Is that like Homer Simpson? No, definitely not. Yeah, yeah, I can shave the night as you walked out of the bathroom. I can shave the night before and still the next morning look like I just shaved, but with none of the scabs or any of the irritation or anything like that.
Charles:So I would always say, yeah, if you're anticipating having your picture taken, whether you use a straight razor or really any kind of shaving, just to be safe, do it the night before, unless your hair grows super fast and super thick. But even then, I mean, 12 hours of stubble isn't going to look bad in really any professional or recreational circumstance. So if I was getting married in the morning, I would still shave my face the night before. And yeah, if it looks like I've got a little bit of growth, ok, so what? But yeah, that that's the. I have tried an electric razor and I've noticed that the, the rotary style where it's got like the three circles, those do not work on my hair at all.
Dan:Yeah, I think I tried that when I was a kid and it did not.
Charles:It did not get the job done.
Dan:If it did, it felt like it pulled it out.
Charles:It didn't even cut it Never got like close enough to me and all the hairs for me. Yeah, what has worked? I've tried the, the brawn style with like the, the screens and those do a pretty good job on me, but I just enjoy the, the shaving, especially now I. I keep a stubbly beard, at least sometimes I grow my beard longer than this, and so I'm really only doing my neck and my cheeks anyway. So I like the blade experience. I would never trade it for a, for an electric. What about you? You, what do you? What kind of?
Dan:I I've fallen in for the marketing for Gillette. I get the the latest gadget right so whether it's more blades, whether it's vibrating. You put a battery in it, it's got the two strips of.
Charles:You know the lubricant or whatever that.
Dan:I don't need Really right. And I'll be honest with you, I'm like looking at all like all the procedures in this chapter in terms of, like you said, you know putting on the, the beard oil and, and you know, getting the shaving cream. I don't grow that much hair and so I just need a little bit of a trim. I don't use shaving cream. I sometimes I shave cream.
Dan:Yep, sometimes I won't even do it after the shower because because they talk about you want to, you know, open up your pores and make it. I don't even do that because sometimes I feel like I don't get a good enough grip, so I will do it like dry, with your face dry. My face dry and then I'll put in some. I might put on some aftershave after that.
Dan:Bad little little moisturizer and I'll be honest with you, for me I don't get that much joy. And out of the whole process of shaving, yeah, just a pain for me.
Dan:OK it just kind of gets in the way because first of all it doesn't grow in evenly for me. So for me it's more of like a I'm trying to not look like a dirty, homeless person, basically, and so I'm kind of just cleaning up what I have here and then I'll just use the like the hair, like the hair trimmer from Braun on my beard a little bit and just to kind of trim that up and stuff. So I keep it as simple as possible. But that's not something again, I love, you know, I love getting massages. I love getting, you know, pedicures. I like it. That's how I will care for myself in that way. Shaving is just not been one of those things, and anytime I've gotten like a straight razor shave, that's good. Just ask you about that. Yeah, makes me a little nervous. Oh, really, yeah, it does, because like you get close to the carotid artery there with with a blade, you know so. And I've had doctors mess up procedures on me when I've had conversations with them and they've been like distracted.
Charles:Oh really.
Dan:So they screwed up my toenails Do.
Dan:I always get some work done on that. They drop acid on on more of the nail than they were supposed to. Totally screwed up my toenails. So for me, I'm just kind of. For me, I'm just kind of get in and get out, and that's it. What was interesting to me to learn in this chapter was that Alexander the Great was the one who started this, according to this guy. Yeah, basically to get his soldiers to shave so that their beards wouldn't be pulled in battle. And I was like, oh, that is interesting Very interesting.
Charles:Yeah, and I think yeah, I mean because it could be. I wonder what about their? The hair on their head, Did they?
Dan:right, did they shave?
Charles:their heads too, cuz that's a.
Dan:Back then I feel like all it's all the TV shows and movies. They all had kind of like long hair, and yeah, exactly. So, interesting.
Charles:Yeah, I could see a completely hairless man, I suppose would be.
Dan:Very aerodynamic aerodynamic slide in and out of different grips and holds yeah, I mean sells with oil. Well, a lot of UFC firefighters, right? True, yeah, yeah thing, you know, with swimmers trying to make themselves move more quickly through the water. So yeah, so I don't have a much of a routine. I think the polar opposite of this extreme of a routine, that's yeah, that's so interesting.
Charles:Yeah, opposites in other areas, but I like all the detailed process and shaving. My go-to Shaving gel right now is there's a sensitive skin formula by edge, which I used to always be a snob and kind of look down on edge I I prefer the Gillette shaving gel in the can Okay, the edge, but From what I can tell, gillette is not making a completely dye free, fragrance free version and edge is and we've talked about that a bajillion times that I, yeah, I like fragrance free, everything except my expensive cologne that I like. And, yeah, edge edge has a a sensitive skin formula. Where it works, it gets the job done and it doesn't have any dyes or perfumes or anything. So I use that now. Yeah, just used it this morning as a matter of fact to shave and I like it a lot. Now for my straight razor action I've got a Can of the art of shaving cream and they it's the one they only sell around Christmas. It's peppermint.
Dan:Oh, nice Pepper smells good all year.
Charles:Yeah, you don't you don't need to. Just you know, use peppermint. It does smell just like a candy cane, but you don't. But you know everything. Peppermint smells like a candy cane, but so I use it year-round and then I just skip. I skip any additional Cologne on on days when I decide to do the straight razor shave, mm-hmm. I have been skipping the cologne last couple days too, because I'm using my banana, oat milk Fancy soap that I bought at Whole Foods. That was my, my last Self-care purchase. Okay, and that boy, that stuff. It smells good and it feels really good. I, I may, I may always keep one of those bars of fancy soap in my shower to to treat myself. They have some other, some other scents that I really like a lot too.
Dan:Yeah, I mean, I think the overarching theme with this book is Having those little self-care Items like yeah your soap. Sometimes that's enough to change your mindset From what was the way this sucks? Yeah, I'm. I don't see a way out of this to oh, just all it is is just a pattern interrupts. Sometimes it's not even like oh yeah.
Dan:I feel so much better. It's just a it just stop and make you think and just kind of reanalyze and oh wait, there's another choice here. I don't have to be kind of keep it going, keep going down this path.
Charles:Yeah, and and just you know a little extra. Just putting that bar up to my nose and smelling it before it's like, oh, it's not it could bring back some memory Absolutely so.
Dan:I was listening to a book the other day. It's called the hunger habit by Judd. Nelson not Judd Nelson. Remember, I'll remember later, but but he's. He's a psychologist, psychiatrist, okay, and he studies. He studies addiction, and what he said was the sense of smell is the only one of our five senses that has direct access to our brain.
Charles:I believe it and and man, nothing brings back a memory. Oh my gosh will trigger?
Dan:will trigger good feelings, yes, or bad feelings, or memories? You faster than the smell, and for me it's. Bus exhaust, so I may have talked about this on that I don't remember that, so as a kid.
Dan:Uh-huh we go, went to visit family in Germany and it was like once a year we would go and we take a, we take a family. My mom was from over there, so we go see our grandparents and stuff and we would have to Drive up to the airport and buses were sitting in front of where we're getting out and so I I associated getting out of the car and inhaling this big gust of bus exhaust because they were sitting there idling With going, going to visit family, going on this trip. So now every time I smell car exhaust or a bus exhaust Hmm, it brings me back I get excited. It's the weirdest thing. It's like I start, I start Getting I don't know, just like amped up for an adventure type of thing.
Dan:So, but it brings me right back to JFK Airport.
Charles:Yeah, okay, I can see that. Yeah, jfk is the.
Dan:I mean that's the main international flight right before.
Charles:Yeah, that was LaGuardia, I don't think. I think it's just a domestic air back.
Dan:I mean I'm a little bit old, so I think before there were a lot of direct flights from Newark. From Newark, yeah, already it was JFK, yeah, take that trip. And we'd have to get there eight hours early because, yeah, my mom would freak because we had. Sometimes we went through customs before we left and just, I mean it was just, it was a process going in and out.
Charles:How long would you go to Germany for?
Dan:so it depended On the time of year, but usually if we went during the summer or we had a summer break, we we were lucky enough to go maybe six, eight weeks. We stayed with the family and everything else like that yeah. I was. I was really fortunate to be able to do that, and yeah it was, it was.
Dan:It was definitely a learning experience. The first time I realized, hey, people outside of the country have a perspective and they asked me questions, right, and it's completely different. So it made me realize the things that we hear, see. An experience in this country is a lot different. And then there's so many other Ways to look at things.
Charles:Yeah, for sure.
Dan:That and they, just they made me think, and a lot of times they knew a lot more about our government in our country than I did and that or that I remembered from history classes.
Charles:Yeah, I mean you know, yeah, that totally makes sense. I mean, when, when the United States is the driver of so many events and policies in the Western world, like smaller countries, like they have to pay attention to what's going on over here because it, you know it's gonna trickle down and affect them, yeah, we kind of just can take it for granted. You know America is the way America is and and also the.
Dan:The fact is that they still looked at America or they still do as a very young country.
Dan:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah the, the cultures and traditions that they have in place in Europe, especially that they've been doing for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years, that that doesn't exist in our country. We're just not that old yet, so they have a lot of like curiosity in terms of why do you do things this way? And Sometimes you know there's a little judgment there, like we're a little excessive sure with with certain things, and you know, why aren't you paying more attention to certain things like the environment, and what are you doing to help you know? So, yeah, it was. It was definitely enlightening growing up there.
Charles:Yeah, I'm looking forward to my my first trip to Germany, and try not to eat everything because it's all gonna be good man. Yeah, yeah, yeah I am. I am looking. I always look forward to the food whenever I travel anywhere.
Dan:I mean the, the kind of food that they have is and what's nice, I mean, and just like I think of Germany, you know, alright, every, you think, okay, every little town has makes its own beer, has some brewery, right, but they also do that with other food, like sausage, so they have their own seasonings, their own way style of making it or whatever. So I'm excited whenever you're going someplace local, even if you're going to a small little town. So hey, give me something you know from, you know that's made here or whatever, and usually it's freaking amazing and yeah, yeah, that is one thing that I have, I have gotten on board with.
Charles:When I visit someplace I mean, even if I'm just going to the Caribbean or something like that, and I go to a restaurant, I just tell the waitress hey, just bring me your favorite thing, I don't care what it is, I want to, I want to try something that you, as a local, enjoy. Yeah, and I've never regretted that, yeah, that decision. It's always been like, oh, that was really good, yeah, yeah, that's great. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And, as I was telling you this morning, you know, between now and my trip, taylor Swift is going to release a brand new album that I will hopefully get to hear some of the music from On when I go see her in concert. Oh, hopefully it's as good as your other stuff that you like sure it will be.
Charles:That's faith man, that's faith. I mean, she doesn't put out bad music, but yeah, I my my appreciation for her music has certainly grown in the last few months. But, and going to the movies to see the, the concert movie that she released, which I mean the movie was good, but even better was the way that she released it without a studio. She just went straight to the the theaters and said, hey, I've put this movie together, so instead of selling it through a studio, I'll just sell it directly to you, and that's what made her billionaire. That plus the, the tour itself. So, definitely, smart, smart cookie. Oh, yeah, for sure, and I appreciate that.
Charles:So, okay, I think my message to the men out there as far as shaving is Don't shave the way Dan does, correct, don't, don't make it a chore in a burden. Yeah, figure out a way to enjoy it. It takes some pleasure out of it and spend, spend some money on. You know, whether it's a good razor or good Shaving cream or good oil or whatever. I love the art of shaving stuff. I love the way it smells. They're lavender stuff is my favorite, but all their stuff smells good and I've I've used the peppermint that that comes out of the holidays. The lemongrass, the lavender, the unscented. I've used some of all of it and it's, it's good stuff, so I recommend their products and I support that as well.
Dan:Don't don't follow my example. Follow Charles is because you're gonna get a lot more pleasure and enjoyment and because of that You're gonna look a lot better by going through these steps and and really enjoying it.
Charles:So I'm gonna isolate you, saying follow Charles's example, so that like I'm gonna feel free, I'm gonna put it on the board, like Fred on the Howard Stern show had.
Dan:Yeah, let's, yeah, let's spice it up. Let's, let's start using this thing.
Charles:Whatever we have a disagreement about, any issue, I'm just gonna hit. Follow Charles's example, just start pounding it.
Dan:Let's do it, I'm all about it.
Charles:All right, thanks, dan. We'll talk next week on masking and I will. I will both use some masks. I know we've, yeah, the Neutrogena masks that we ordered when we started talking about this book and putting together our little kit for self-care on the road. And, yeah, next time we'll I'll have a report to offer on these masks about how, how good they feel and how effective I think they are sounds good, sir All right.
Charles:Talk to you soon. Bye, bye, wow, you made it through the whole thing, so you must like us at least a little bit, in which case you should definitely Follow or subscribe to our show in your chosen podcast app. Thanks, we'll talk to you next time.