Tomorrow I finish up my second week at my new job, and so far it has been quite nice. I have really hit the floor running and I have already been working on a number of interesting projects. My first big project, oddly enough, was setting up a Microsoft Project Server to help centralize and streamline project management in the organization. My other major achievement was winning the Friday night poker tournament the first Friday I was there. Luckily I have been invited back for another round.

One of the biggest drawbacks to this job is that it has forced me to become a commuter. Eleven kilometers is just a little too far to walk every day, as good as it would be for my health. It takes about half an hour, and parking is a nightmare, but so far I have not been too unlucky in that regard.

Since I am working again, I have started shaving regularly. I have been shaving now for roughly 14 years. I still have the old Gillette Sensor 2-blade razor that my parents got me for Christmas so many years ago, though I rarely use it these days. Somewhere along the line I upgraded to the new and improved Gillette Mach 3 shaving system which uses 3-blade cartridges. I didn’t realize just how good this razor was until my recent brush with abject poverty. The Sensor blades are considerably cheaper than the Mach 3 blades, but I know from previous experience that the Sensor blades are also much harder on my face. Sometime in October it came to pass that I needed new razor blades desperately. I went to my local Shoppers Drug Mart (I still shop there despite evidence of their ties to international terrorist cells), and I cringed at the thought of cheaping out on the Sensor blades. Then I found the miracle solution to my problem. Schick. Their Xtreme 3 razor had 3 blades and cost a fraction of the Gillette replacement blades. I quickly thought about how much I would save over the course of my lifetime and proceeded to the checkout.

The next morning I lathered up my face and proudly wielded my new razor. I took a few tentative swipes at my face and then a full-blown stroke. I cringed. It was as if I had taken some 60-grit sandpaper and pulled it down my cheek. By the time I was done I was bleeding in a dozen places. It would seem that 3-blade razors are not all the same. My face fell as I realized that I would no longer be saving on razor blades for the rest of my life.

I have heard it said somewhere that Gillette is the best a man can get, and I have to heartily agree. A few weeks after my torturous mistake, Joan surprised me with two packs of Mach 3 blades that had been on sale at London Drugs. It was very sweet of her, and now my face is pretty much back to normal.

Recently, Gillette has been pumping the new 5-blade Fusion. If the Mach 3 is so much smoother than the others, I can only imagine how incredibly smooth the Fusion must be. Sadly, the Fusion is too rich for my blood. The replacement blades cost nearly twice as much as the Mach 3!

With their constant addition of more blades, I envision a day when Gillette comes out with a razor with so many blades that you’ll be able to finish shaving in just one stroke. I would certainly be lining up to buy that product. I estimate that it could save me five minutes every day. The sooner I am done shaving, the sooner I get out the door. The sooner I get out the door, the sooner I get to the office. I could save enough time with the Gillette “whole face special” that I might just get to the office in time to find a parking spot. Wouldn’t that be sweet?