Skipping Dessert … and taking the stairs

I feel like we’re kind of in a rut here at Skipping Dessert.  It’s time to take a short break from telling you what (and what not) to eat so I can tell you something else to do.  This is primarily directed at my male readers. And maybe those females among you with fathers, sons, brothers or friends who might be males.

Gentlemen, you need a shave.

A good shave. Not that barely-awake face-scrape you give yourself with a four-blade disposable cartridge and some otherworldly-colored foam every morning.  A shave.  With a straight-razor.  In a barber chair, from an old-school barber.  Hot towels, maybe even a manly fragrance or two.

There was a time when a good shave, by somebody who could not only handle a straight-razor but could give you some pointers in its proper use, was available to most men in most neighborhoods.  Sadly, that time is gone.  We’ve become convinced, by the Gillette company and a variety of others with a stake in the game, that the manly and proper thing to do is to shave yourself, and to do so as quickly as possible with the strangest – and most expensive – bundle of elements your local pharmacy can sell you.

I’m here to tell you, if Sinatra could take pleasure in buying a good shave, it’s OK for you as well.  Maybe you already know about this, and maybe you already have a place in mind. If not, let me recommend a chain you can depend on:  The Art of Shaving has locations in most large-ish American cities, and they know their stuff. They can sell you what you need to do the job better on your own and they can give you good advice on kind of “best-practices.”

Or they can give you a shave.  And a haircut too, if you’re interested.  And you should be interested.

My Lovely Wife gave me a gift certificate for The Art of Shaving back around Father’s Day, but the nearest location is in Jacksonville, so I just never got around to it.  This week I’m in San Diego for a conference, and yesterday I had a free morning. Best forty-five minutes I’ve spent in weeks.

Do it.  Get yourself a shave.  You’ll be glad you did.

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Tomorrow, more food talk.  Eagle-eyed readers will note that I’m away from home – and thus my scales – and deduce that there will be no weigh-in report this week … which is probably good.  Conference travel and weight-loss, they don’t always work hand-in-hand.

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Thank you for reading, as always.  Don’t be shy about sharing.