Vacation Bible School started today. Scott is going this year, and Dana is helping the teachers. The theme is life in ancient Rome from the perspective of early Christians.

For a few hours it’s just me and the baby. Blake loves to play by himself, with no big brother to interfere. Especially if he gets to watch Baby Signing Time too.

So far I’ve shaved with my 1960 Gillette five times. I’ve already learned a few lessons:

1. Always use shaving cream for every pass, including touch-ups. This might also help with more recent blade designs.

2. Put as little pressure as possible on the razor. Let it do the job under its own weight.

3. Lock the door in case a certain 4 year old barges in and starts talking. Distractions cause blood loss.

I think the first blade might be dull enough to be replaced. No problem, there are nine more in the dispenser.

Last Friday I picked up another double-edge razor from a garage sale. Here’s a picture:

It’s a Schick Krona, which seems to be a close copy of the Gillette Super Speed from the 1960s or 70s. I haven’t completely figured out its history yet. The black handle resembles a Pentel mechanical pencil from the early 80s. It came with a plastic storage box, one new blade in a dispenser, one used blade (ew), and a very brief instruction manual.

The sellers were happy to get rid of Grandpa’s old razor for one dollar. I’ll have to visit garage sales more often!

I haven’t decided if I want to keep it as a spare, offer it as a gift to a worthy relative, or resell it for a profit. It mostly depends on what else turns up.

I mentioned last time that shaving goes back to Roman times. Or earlier, if you look at Egyptian writings and ancient cave paintings. Yet when I wanted to try a shave from an earlier era, I chose a method that dates back only about a hundred years. Why?

Until the safety razor came along – it was invented in the 1800s and made practical shortly before WW1 – people used straight razors. The exact design changed over the millennia, but in essence it was a very sharp knife. Could you hold a dagger to your own throat and hope to remove only hair?

Some men can do it. Me, not so much. It’s on my to-do list. Maybe next year.

Throughout the straight razor era it was common in cities to visit the barber for a shave. The barber was a trained professional. He did thousands of shaves every year, and knew how to do it right. All of the customer’s friends were there for a shave, too. It was practically a social forum.

Wives sometimes shaved their husbands. Rural aristocrats had their servants do the shaving. Country boys and mountain men just grew beards. All of that changed with the safety razor and do-it-yourself shaving.

I’ve been thinking about trying an authentic barber shop. Not for a shave, but for a haircut. Last time I went to a real barber, about 10 years ago, he talked at length about the importance of forming long term relationships with customers. We were only on our first haircut together, so it was a little creepy. Never went back.

Those who know me might be thinking: “Charlie has a beard. Now he’s talking about shaving. Oh no!”

Don’t worry about it. Since last summer I’ve been wearing a goatee in summer and a full beard in winter. Even with a “full” beard, my neck still needs a shave.

I like the goatee though. It makes me look several years younger.