2022 DFR (Damn Fine Restraint)

"I'm sorry for your loss Bouki"  he said, starting to feel like DFS might be a cushy gig for an undertaker.  Then he thought about his own words - the ones about being "soaped out" for February at least - and about Lipripper660's post poking fun at us restrainers for spending money.  Truth be told, he had no problem with any of that; no problem at all.  Well, not until the email arrived, that is.  

"What email?"  Well, since you asked, it was the one from Mohammad about this Friday's drop of Pasión and Virtu.  "Outstanding labels", he thought.  Logic or no, he was a sucker for fine labels, and these featured deftly crafted takes on splendid art.   The art was public domain art, so in his book, it was A-Okay.  Then too there was the hype.  The emails always have them, and they leave us to sort it.  Stuff like "Pasión is a unique soap in every way. The base is a modified Kairos Special Edition. ... This base points to how Grooming Dept soaps are evolving. This formula is more of a cosmetic product than a typical Grooming Dept soaps or other artisan soaps."  "What exactly is it saying, and could it be true?", he asked himself.   "Sure" he thought.  "Grooming Dept swims in the Sea of Widely Loved Soaps", besides which, he figured all that's really being promised is that it is new, different, a GDept bell weather, and the clincher "more like a cosmetic product".  He had no idea what the clincher meant, but even so, he was curious - very curious.

Then he stopped himself in his tracks, straightened up, and took a deep breath.  He began rummaging around, wondering "Where did I put my poise and my sense of proportion?"  But even as he did so, he was still thinking about soap.   

Now this is quite a story, and obviously To Be Continued... 

And then the second email arrived indicating that a extra week self-denial would be tacked on. Maybe more. Too soon to tell.

I'm glad you raised the subject again Mark.  I got the same email, and my guess is that the majority of people who received the email were neither surprised nor upset.  Hopefully things will go off on the 11th without a hitch.  If not, the world will keep spinning round until they do.  In any case, not long after making the post you quoted, I saw the obvious with deeper clarity - that my own problems were all inside my head.  For me, the deeper clarity was a relaxing and further liberating epiphany.  So if, whenever the drop happens, I feel like a house divided, I just won't buy the soap.  Simple.  And in my case not the least bit a poor reflection on Grooming Dept.  OTOH if I'm genuinely cool with it, I likely will buy some soap.  

Either way, I'd like to give a shout out to Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who wrote Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works, and another shout to Paul Simon, whose songbook includes this ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8JXiroAi6Y

HighSpeed  I was not surprised or disappointed and I’ve actually come to expect it. It’s just his way   

I agree that if you get hung up on stuff and the acquiring thereof, you will generally be unhappy or at least unsatisfied given the vast quantity of as yet unacquired stuff out there relative to acquired stuff in your possession. The category of unacquired stuff is constantly growing too and despite your best efforts you will find that:  A) there will always be someone with better stuff than you; B) you will never acquire all the stuff there is and, C) the more stuff you acquire the less pleasure you get not just from each additional item, but from all of your stuff. So, assuming you’re not crazy, why would you get on that treadmill?  In an episode of Veggie Tales that I watched with my kids years ago, Larry the Cucumber was going a little overboard with material possessions and in Response to Bob the Tomato’s question “how much stuff will it take to make you happy?” Larry replies “I don’t know Bob, how much stuff is there?”

HighSpeed  I was not surprised or disappointed and I’ve actually come to expect it. It’s just his way   

I agree that if you get hung up on stuff and the acquiring thereof, you will generally be unhappy or at least unsatisfied given the vast quantity of as yet unacquired stuff out there relative to acquired stuff in your possession. The category of unacquired stuff is constantly growing too and despite your best efforts you will find that:  A) there will always be someone with better stuff than you; B) you will never acquire all the stuff there is and, C) the more stuff you acquire the less pleasure you get not just from each additional item, but from all of your stuff. So, assuming you’re not crazy, why would you get on that treadmill?  In an episode of Veggie Tales that I watched with my kids years ago, Larry the Cucumber was going a little overboard with material possessions and in Response to Bob the Tomato’s question “how much stuff will it take to make you happy?” Larry replies “I don’t know Bob, how much stuff is there?”

 Thank you for that. 

Marko HighSpeed

Marko HighSpeed

One of my favorite comedians!

I have too much fun!  Sabbatical?  I’ll watch you but nope.  Good luck gents.

I now know that feeling well, Lipripper! I am out again, succumbing to a sample of MdC Nature from Pasteur's Pharmacy. And while there, they had Scheermonnik Puur for 30% off. And then, on a whim, I searched Etsy for another amber handled injector and found one! As mine has a bent spring, I hit the Button

and it is on its way to me. Dave has agreed to take a look at my bent up one (previous owner damaged the razor to remove the blade is what I expect) so it will be the back-up.

So much for my temptation log. Mike HighSpeed, I need to do better and I still think your idea is tops. My goal is to make it to March and reassess.

For all who made it 30 days already (or more), Great Job!

I'm out, oh wait...I wasn't in so I'm good still..Right?

I'm out, oh wait...I wasn't in so I'm good still..Right?

I have too much fun!  Sabbatical?  I’ll watch you but nope.  Good luck gents.

I now know that feeling well, Lipripper! I am out again, succumbing to a sample of MdC Nature from Pasteur's Pharmacy. And while there, they had Scheermonnik Puur for 30% off. And then, on a whim, I searched Etsy for another amber handled injector and found one! As mine has a bent spring, I hit the Button

and it is on its way to me. Dave has agreed to take a look at my bent up one (previous owner damaged the razor to remove the blade is what I expect) so it will be the back-up.

So much for my temptation log. Mike HighSpeed, I need to do better and I still think your idea is tops. My goal is to make it to March and reassess.

For all who made it 30 days already (or more), Great Job!

Good luck Eric.  Just be sure to take it easy on yourself.  The right times for a restraint are different for everyone.

My goal this month was two days of restraint. I made it seven before succumbing to the sirens' call. I'll still call that a success!

Now I'm off to find a perfect badger brush. Any suggestions?