I have always been a bit of a contradiction. I am a software engineer and a traditional oil painter. I have always lived in big cities but also have the mindset of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. I own a mobile software company but at times hate the fact that I have to carry a phone.
Lately these contradictions have become more evident due to a couple of decidedly old-fashioned changes in my lifestyle.
The first was a switch to a French Press coffee maker. A friend of mine had been encouraging me forever to switch to French Press from my automatic drip coffee machine. I finally acquiesced and discovered that he was 100% correct.
What makes French Press so superior is this key ingredient: oil. See, coffee beans contain two significant elements - oil and acid. When you use a paper filter with an automatic drip machine, all of the oil is captured in the filter so that the acid is left to run roughshod over your tongue and stomach. The French Press, however, retains all of the oil through its wire mesh. This allows the oil to counteract the acid like a natural antacid.
Another neat benefit from the French Press - no warmer. This might seem to be a drawback, but in reality it's a plus because the coffee stops brewing after the initial pouring. So it doesn't get any stronger by sitting. This means that you can grab the remaining coffee hours later, throw a cup in the microwave at 1/2 power for a minute, and it will taste as fresh as when you first brewed it.
The other anachronistic change has to do with my shaving regimen. Like most suckers in America, I had been in the habit of purchasing those outrageously overpriced multi-blade cartridges by the big name brands. These cartridges have risen to such heights in price (roughly $5 to $6 a piece) that retailers are actually keeping them behind locked glass. Soon you'll find them next to Faberge Eggs and caviar.
Fortunately my friend Andrew Sheffield enlightened me to the glory of the old-school single blade razor. These are the kinds of razors that you might have seen your grandfather use. You insert a single two-edged blade into the handle. A blade that costs around 40 cents. 40 cents! Compared to 6 bucks for the multi-blade.
And here's the crazy part: that single blade actually gives me a closer shave than my 5 blade cartridge. I don't understand the physics of it, but it really does give me a cleaner shave.
I'm also using the old-school shaving brush and shaving cream. Feeling those bristles on my face and smelling the eucalyptus & menthol has become such an enjoyable experience that I actually look forward to shaving. I never thought in my life I would utter those words.
Don't get me wrong, like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite I still love technology. One of the great joys in my life is developing new software and solving logical conundrums. But at the same time, like Isaac Newton, we need to recognize the giants on whose shoulders we stand.
Great ideas didn't start in 1992.
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a world traveler, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
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