I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with razors. Well, mostly hate, actually. I’ve never been able to find a razor that worked properly with my skin. I tried every manner of disposable razors imaginable. I tried safety razors. I tried straight-edged razors with replaceable razor blades. But always, the result was the same: a face full of razor cuts, looking like I was on the losing end of a fight with an alley cat.

I used to shave at least an hour before leaving the house to ensure that the bleeding would be stopped in time (sometimes, it wasn’t). Unfortunately, shaving nearly always ended up being a highly frustrating endeavor.

Then, a few years ago, I came across a subscription box called “Dollar Shave Club.” How this works is that they send you a free razor, followed by a monthly shipment of razor blades. People who left reviews claimed that this was the first razor that didn’t cut their face to ribbons. The more I read about them, the more intrigued I became, so I finally caved and joined them.

The first time I shaved, I was amazed. No cuts! The second time I was even more shocked. I couldn’t believe that I’d finally found a razor that worked for me. I’ve been a faithful customer of theirs for several years now, and I couldn’t be happier. In the past few years, I think I’ve only nicked my face once, and that was through sheer clumsiness. There is another popular monthly shave subscription box that I tried once, but they didn’t work out for me: I nearly bled to death.

Dollar Shave Club also offers a plethora of other hygiene products, everything from moisturizers to sunscreen. I personally always use their Shave Butter (it’s way better than shaving cream, in my humble opinion) and their post-shave cream. Since I joined, they’ve changed their shipment schedule to every two months, which works out fine. I just make sure to stock up on products when it’s time to update my box.

It’s interesting to note that though their marketing is aimed toward men, I noticed there were plenty of positive comments and recommendations by women as well, who use their razors to shave their legs. So female readers as well may wish to give them a try. I just wanted to share this product with others who may have had the same difficulty in finding a razor that doesn’t cut them with each shave. So if you have sensitive skin, they might be worth checking out.

Here’s a link to their site: Dollar Shave Club

I sat down a while ago and decided to take a good, hard look at all of my monthly subscriptions, especially the software ones. Over the years, I’ve added more and more of these types of subscriptions without really realizing how much I was paying out every month. So let’s just say that I was more than a bit shocked when I tallied it all up!

Some of my subscriptions include:
– Web hosting
– Cloud storage
– Shopify
– Learning Piano Apps (Piano Marvel and Playground Sessions)
– Virus and Malware protection
– Backup services
– Writing Tools (such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid)
– Streaming Services (Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney, Apple TV+)
– Retail services (Book of the Month Club, Dollar Shave Club, Audible, Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime, Costco Membership)

But most shocking of all was the number of software subscriptions that I’d amassed over the years. I hadn’t realized just how many of them I was continuously paying for. The ones that stood out were Ulysses, Todoist, 1Password, DayOne, Buffer, Microsoft 365, Adobe, and TextExpander, just to name a few of them.

Identifying all of them was only the first step. The next step involves elimination, and that’s what I plan on doing in the coming days. I’m going to seriously evaluate every one of these pesky monthly charges to see which ones I can remove and which ones I can replace with non-subscription alternatives. For instance, I own versions of Scrivener and IAWriter, both of which can replace Ulysses, a subscription text/markdown editor. I also own standalone image editing programs such as Affinity Photos and Pixelmator, which can probably replace Adobe Photoshop (although that would mean getting rid of Lightroom, which I’m not quite sure I’m ready to do yet).

I’ve already begun the culling process, and my wallet is already feeling way lighter. I eliminated a couple of monthly software subscriptions for apps that I rarely used. I’ve also moved all my cloud files to one service rather than multiple ones (not quite sure how I ended up with so many). As a result, I’m finding it much faster to find what I’m looking for (I could never remember on which cloud drive some files were located) as well as to manage.

Another decision I’ve made is regarding my entertainment streaming services. Do I really need to have access to six different streaming services simultaneously, especially given that I rarely watch TV? Yeah, that’s a huge, resounding no! So what I’ve decided to do is subscribe to only one or two at a time, during which I will watch any shows/movies that I want to see. Then, once I’m caught up, I’ll unsubscribe and subscribe to the next service with shows I want to see. This way, I’m only paying for what I’m using. I’ve already eliminated two of them — the rest are yearly subscriptions, which I’ll probably convert to monthly when they come due, and again, I’ll only subscribe to one at a time.

Of course, there are certain apps/services that I cannot or will not discontinue, especially those that are essential to my business, such as Web Hosting services and writing tool apps. I’m still undecided about Ulysses, my main short-form writing app. Though I have other apps that do the same thing, I always seem to come back to Ulysses. This is the app in which I do all my daily writing. Perhaps I’ll spend some time evaluating other writing apps to see if I can find a replacement that works for me. What bothers me most about many of these apps is that access to your files ends when your subscription terminates, and more and more, I’m finding that utterly unacceptable. So those will definitely be the first to go.

So yeah, subscription fatigue is real, and I’m happy I’m finally doing something about it. How about you? Have you attained subscription fatigue yet?

You may have noticed that the blog was a bit quiet this week. It’s not that I had a lazy spell and didn’t feel like posting. Rather, my power was out for nearly three days.

Earlier in the week, we had a hell of a thunderstorm accompanied by hail and gusts of up to 60 mph. I was in the middle of eating dinner when everything went dark. Now, this does occasionally happen, our power going out during a storm, but it’s usually back on within half an hour. Not this time. I waited and waited, but it didn’t come back on. So finally, using the flashlight app on my phone, I went to the basement in search of some candles.

I subsequently learned that close to 200,000 people were without power, mainly due to trees falling on power lines all over the city. The news headlines informed us that it could take several days for cleanup to be achieved and power to be restored. Great.

This is the first time since I’ve lived here that we’ve had to go without power. It certainly was interesting, to say the least. For one, my ability to work was limited. I didn’t have my computer to work on, but I was able to get some basic stuff done on my iPad. Of course, the problem here was that I’d eventually need to charge the iPad and my phone. A few years back, I purchased a couple of portable charging bricks, mainly so I could charge my phone if I was on the go (such as on a photo safari) and not have to worry about the availability of AC outlets. Truth be told, I’ve only used them a few times over the years, mainly during weekend camping trips. But they sure came in handy this week! Using them, I was able to charge my phone and iPad a couple of times, so I wasn’t completely cut off from the world.

Living through this power outage made me realize how utterly dependent on electricity I am. Given that cooking was out, I had to try and find a restaurant that was open where I could pick up some takeout. I also managed to pick up some groceries for “cold meals” such as sandwiches. I got some canned coffee as well (did you know that canned coffee has 210 calories?)

Anything I wanted to accomplish basically had to be done during the daylight hours because by evening, it was way too dark to see in the house. The candles helped somewhat but not nearly enough. There was also no dishwasher, no laundry, to charging my electric toothbrush. Hell, I couldn’t even play piano to pass the time because I own a digital piano that needs to be plugged in.

Speaking of killing time, there isn’t a whole lot one can do when your house is lit by only a couple of candles. It’s definitely too dark to read. Luckily, I could stream audiobooks on my phone, so I did that for a couple of hours each evening.

It’s also worth mentioning that this took place during which the outside temperature hit about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. So I ended up spending pretty much all my time outside on my deck as it was way too warm in the house. I didn’t mind, though, as my deck is shaded by a giant oak tree next to the house, so it was reasonably comfortable. I also happen to be a person who doesn’t mind the heat (it’s the cold I can’t stand), but I imagine the heat would have been challenging for some people.

By the end of the third day, my charging bricks were nearly dead, so I would have to find somewhere to charge my devices the next day. Luckily, it didn’t come to that because at 4:30 in the morning on the 4th day, the power came back on. Whew!

Those few dark days certainly proved to be an adventure. Funny — the possibility that the power would go out for several days never occurred to me. If it happens again, I need to be a little more prepared than I was this time. I decided I’m going to try and find a battery-powered lantern of some kind that’ll give off more light than a few candles, something I’ll be able to read by. I may also pick up another charging brick or two, so I don’t have to worry about charging my phone & iPad; this way, I can still work. I’m also going to dig out my old propane-powered camping stove and keep it handy, so I’ll at least be able to cook and make coffee. Keeping some canned food around probably wouldn’t be a bad idea either. These are all things that we don’t think about until we need to. A little preparedness can go a long way when it’s necessary.

How about you? How ready are you for an extended blackout?

I’ve always loved going to the cinema ever since I was a kid. As an adult, I’d turned it into sort of a ritual in that we’d go every weekend to see the newest blockbuster on the super large screen (called the “Ultra Screen”). It was something I looked forward to every week: pizza at my favorite Italian restaurant and then a movie. Plus, I felt there was nothing like watching an epic superhero movie on the big screen.

But like so many others, my movie-going came to an abrupt halt when the pandemic hit, and for the past year and a half, my film viewing has been limited to streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney. Now that I’m fully vaccinated, we’ve begun talking about perhaps going back to the cinema. But the strange thing is that I’m not sure that I want to.

First off, I swear that most colds I used to get were picked up at the movies. I never failed that there was someone sitting next to me, hacking and sneezing their way through the entire film. So it’s been lovely not being sick once for going on nearly two years.

I also enjoy no longer missing large sections of a movie because I had to take a bathroom break during the showing (and I always have to take a bathroom break). When viewing at home, I simply hit the pause button whenever I need a break and never miss a thing. It’s also nice to be able to snack or eat a pizza during the film at home.

Lastly, there’s the cost involved. For the two of us, dinner and a movie came to a little over $60. That’s quite a weekly expense, money I could definitely put to better use.

I imagine I’ll go back at some point — but again, maybe not. These past two years have shown me that I thought I’d enjoyed the cinema more than I actually did and when all is said and done, I really don’t miss it all that much.

So instead of sitting next to strangers in a chilly movie theater, I may simply start entertaining friends and family at home and stream movies in a much more enjoyable (and cold-free) environment. We’ll see.

This morning, I once again had coffee on my deck, and the number and variety of different animals amazed me. I always knew there were many of them, but this morning, I took special notice and simply watched. Here’s who came for a visit:

• Male and female cardinal
• Downy woodpeckers
• Hairy woodpeckers
• Yellow finches
• Purple finches
• Hummingbirds
• Red-bellied woodpeckers
• Flicker
• Wren
• Robins
• Crows
• Bluejays
• Brown Thrasher
• House Sparrows
• Chipping Sparrows
• White-breasted nuthatch
• Red-breasted nuthatch
• A Hare
• A gray squirrel
• A red squirrel
• Chipmunks
• All manner of butterflies

All this was only during the space of a couple of hours. I’ve always said that the animals in my yard can provide hours of entertainment, and I still maintain that. However, I often find it challenging to get any productive work done while sitting outside because I’m constantly distracted by all the critters.

The reason for this diversity is that it’s always been important to me to have a yard that supports life. To achieve this, I use no weed-killers or any other poison on my lawn (this ensures a lovely melody of cricket noises and an entertaining firefly light show at night). I also have a couple of different feeders: nyjer (for the finches), a bird feeder for millet (for the smaller birds), a feeder filled with sunflowers, two hummingbird feeders, and two suet feeders (the woodpeckers, nuthatches, and all manner of different birds).

Additionally, I maintain several sources of water:

• A couple of large birdbaths
• A small heated birdbath for the winter
• A couple of small cans of water in the flower patches for the butterflies

I also dug up a good portion of my lawn and put in a large flower garden with a variety of flowers to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

It sounds like a lot of maintenance, but really, it’s not. Once the garden fills it, I pretty much let it go on its own. Setting up a “life-supporting” yard is not only fun but brings in a wide variety of creatures, resulting in hours of amusement.