It now takes me about 10-15 minutes to shave, but in return I have gained the right to move one space closer to “manhood” in the game of life. Like most things in life the tasks that you take the time to do right seem to reward you the best, and this seemingly small part of my routine (especially since I don’t actually grow facial hair) has forced me to slow down and actually pay attention to something I have often over looked. There is something about ritualizing a simple task that can elevate it from mundane inconvenience to something that uplifts the spirits. I never thought that shaving would actually brighten my day, but when you slow down and do it right without skipping any steps you feel better and fresher by the end of it. So go out and get yourself a badger hair brush, some pre-shave oil, a good cream, and a safety razor (not a mach 1000, but something that holds real blades) and go to town. On that same note, keep your Scotch in a decanter with its own tumblers, it makes pouring and enjoying your drink special. It can be a $10 dollar bottle or a $1000 dollar bottle, but it elevates them both to something they couldn’t be without the ritual of pouring them out of a beautiful decanter.
I was cruising around NYC the other day in Moonshine Metro (the distilleries trusty little Geo-Metro) delivering moonshine to the masses when it hit me like a hammer, Ive been trapped in the East Village. Driving through the mountain range of buildings in the financial district, cruising across the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge, down the tree lined streets of Park Slope, by Prospect Park, along the banks of the East River, outside of the sea-port, and the list goes on and on… in only 5 square miles
it was made completely apparent to me that I had fenced myself in. Matthew who was making the rounds with me made comment to how that was a real problem for all New Yorkers, that everything is so accessible within your own neighborhood that you never have to leave a 4 block radius. We are constantly surprised to find places we never knew existed within a stones throw of our front door, and to think about how much there is to discover just a 10 minute walk away is almost frustrating. As we have settled into our normal routine of work and school here in the city it has been too easy to push aside exploring for the comfort of our couch and the promise of an easy day. With so much available to us, and none at almost no cost, I hope to find the motivation to get out into the world again during our very limited free time. Fortunately moving day is coming up and once we have relocated into Brooklyn we will have already taken a new step to exploring a new area.
Shannon and I are officially making the move to the new place next Tuesday. So after that time, please find us at our new apartment in Williamsburg. I haven’t decided how I feel about posting our address on the internet, I am not sure it matters at all, but if you guys need our new mailing address please let me know and I will either put it up or send it to you.
Finally, our good friend Tanner Walle is working on his next album and is preparing for some studio time. As you know he has been amazing here during our first year of living in New York, and has made numerous appearances on this very blog. You can find some video from his concerts in previous posts: click here. We met Tanner bar tending at our favorite wine bar, aka our second home, where he makes a living, but while Tanner can poor a mean bottle of Bordeaux his true talent lies in his music. In order to get our good friend into the studio to produce his album he is making use of a funding website called kickstarter. Check it out, check him out, and if it perks your interests, help him out! See it all here: Tanner Walle’s Kickstarter Project.
Snowy Weather, Story of Our Lives
The Wandering Willey 