Oops. To recap, since then, I have purchased 6 new shave creams. No new brushes or razors or aftershaves, but several colognes. And what's the endgame? I guess, for me, there really isn't one. I would say it's to enjoy my shaves, but I'm already there. I would say consistently close shaves, but I'm already there, too. So it's just geekery. I love geekery. But geekery is expensive, in terms of both time and money, not to mention mental energy. Here's what I know:TBoner wrote:Marion,Marsom wrote:You the funny thing about this trip that many of you are on is that you are searching for an end all be all... which is great, but have you ever asked yourself what would happen if you found the end all be all? I suppose the game would be over and you'd have to find another game to play... which isn't all that exciting. So, this one keeps on going and going.
Best regards...
This post has struck a chord with me. I spent six months compulsively buying everything when I joined up here. I spent the next six months compulsively selling, re-buying, and swapping, always looking for something "better," the end all be all, as you said....
I have turned a corner, I think.... So what am I after, exactly?
Fact is, we are a compulsive lot. Some of us (myself included) could probably use therapy. It is, in fact, a game. A way to occupy our minds and wallets. To a point, there's nothing wrong with that, but I know how much time I've spent at SMF and how much money I've spent on shave goods. And I know some are here more and spend more, and good for them, but in the end, is the game really all that fun?....
I'm done with the game....
Off the merry-go-round,
- I love traditional wetshaving and will do it for as long as I'm alive and able
- I love good scents and will wear them as long as I enjoy them
- I love the camaraderie here and the broad spectrum of interests, knowledge, and even minutiae that we discuss, shaving-related and not
- I love the products I own, but I love some more than others
- Having too much stuff disturbs me, both because it clutters my house (an organized mess is still a mess) and because it clutters my mind
- When I'm a regular participant of the forum, I use the camaraderie as an excuse to indulge my geekery and "try" (acquire and obsess over) new stuff
- I can enjoy wetshaving and scents without forum participation
I have tried "cutting down" on my participation. I have tried quitting cold turkey for a while and then dipping my toe into the forum again, only to find myself plunging headfirst within a few days. So my endgame, I think, has to be this: moving on.
I will be posting up a bunch of stuff for sale or swap, more than I have so far, a bit of purging following another hoarding binge. For now, I will keep posting in SOTD everyday. That, plus e-mail notification of new PMs, will help me keep in touch with the many good friends I have made here, but will hopefully keep me out of the cycle of buying. Nevertheless, I have an eye toward the exit and will take it the moment my inclination is to pop over to Connaught or QED or Superlather and buy some rare or sale-priced product.
I appreciate that many of the men here can deal with reading the forum and somehow avoid acquiring ad infinitum. I have come to terms with the fact that I'm not one of them, whether due to OC tendencies or lack of willpower or both. I'm not posting a farewell out of ego or anything else; it's just that I always wonder when regular posters vanish (John 5 comes to mind as a recent example), what happened?
This is a really fantastic forum, full of knowledgeable, friendly gentlemen, and I will miss the scrutiny of every new batch of Creighton creams that comes along, the gentle ribbing over ADs, and the unbelievable depth of historical and real-word information.
See you in SOTD.
Regards,