Merlins Tower

Moleskine Museum - Photography of Various Historical Moleskine Notebooks

Posted on June 16th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Coffee, Communication, Drawing, Journaling, Life, Miquelrius, Moleskine, Notetaking.

Today, while I finally had a few moments to peruse the web and finally catch up on a few of my favorite websites and blogs. Let me tell you it was really nice to site down with a nice cup of coffee from the aeropress coffee maker (Still using it and loving it more and more each cup of coffee I make from it)

Well, even though I have not used a Moleskine Notebook in quite some time - (Since I switched to Miguelrius Notebooks) I still like to keep up and see if there would be anything I could use or be interested in. Well, today I noticed what I call the Moleskine Museum. It is a collection of journals and notebooks used by famous or semi famous people. You can see photographs from Picassos Notebook cover to James Chapin, Paul Bowles, Guillame Apollinaire, Georges Bataille, and Emily Sowden. Below is a sample from James Chapin.

Technorati Tags: moleskine, modo, de, museum, historical, photography, notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, sketchbook, journal, notes, note+taking

0 comments.

A few interesting Items at Ebay

Posted on April 1st, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Art, Life, Weird Stuff.

While shopping on the old ebay today I found their high lighted products pretty interesting as you can see:

I am placing my bid on the Evaporated Water - But they have some competition as there is the company BuyDehydratedWater.com that is offering FREE Samples. Be sure to sign up and get your free sample today.

I might try and purchase a clue as I really need one. But Maybe I should purchase a Vowel as I don’t know when I could use an extra one. You never know when you might run out of vowels. I sure would love to purchase my face on Mt Rushmore but I just don’t have enough cash to purchase that one. And There is no way I am purchasing a Cow Lick. I have enough problems with my hair now. :-)

I am sure they will be sold out of the Electoral Votes as that I think will be quite popular.

Oh well - Time to get out of the time machine and Wish Everyone Happy April Fools Day.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Merlin -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Technorati Tags: Dehydrated, Water, Dehydrated+Water, Mt, Rushmore, mount, electoral, votes, ebay, evaporated, water, cow, lick, april, fools

3 comments.

Lending a Hand - Friend visiting Culinary Arts School

Posted on March 19th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Announcement, Communication, Food, Life, Travel, Web Service.

I have been helping my friend plan her son’s trip to New York - He is heading off for several days to go and visit the culinary institute that he is looking in to attending.

Robert is getting so psyched about going to see this top notch Culinary Institute. All I have to say is that I have had a chance to eat some of Roberts projects in the past. He has been attending Culinary School while in High School and well he needed to practice so I got to volunteer. Even when it meant that I got to eat some Sushi  - well California Rolls and many other wonderful creations.

Currently his teachers he as at the High School Culinary Art Program are fantastic. I really can see Robert Hitting the big time.

My nephew was also following this same path as well a few years back. He was even in the same Culinary School that Robert is in currently. And My nephew did get to work in a really nice Restaurant here in Pittsburgh before it closed. He worked at Poli’s Restaurant as a Sous Chef preparing and prepping the dinners. But this was before he got his other calling in life as a sound technician. I wonder what would have happened if my nephew went to any Culinary Institute where he would have turned up. Not at all saying what he is doing now is bad - In fact it really is not - But that story for another day.

Ok Back on track - I was helping them plan the trip and Robert needed to get around New York and Needed a subway map. I was able to find him one at: Amadeus.Net - As they have many subway maps ready to print and use all across the world. Amadeus.net makes it easy with these Free Printable Maps.

Now - Readers - I would love your help - in helping Robert out - Besides the Culinary Schools that he will be visiting in New York - Can you suggest any Culinary Schools in your area that might help him out or do you know of any Top Notch Culinary Schools either near you or any that you may have had the chance of knowing someone that attended these schools or possibly you attended. He still has some time before he need to make up his mind on which culinary arts program he wants to attend. I know he is not interested in baking or desserts. He is mainly into the Restaurant Management and General Culinary Skills. But they are looking to send him to the best of the best culinary arts program. Feel Free to leave your comment below as this really can help him decide on where he will be spending the next 2 to 4 years.

Merlin =-=-

Technorati Tags: Culinary+Institute, Culinary+Arts, Culinary+School, Restaurant+management, New+york, Culinary, School, Arts, Program, Subway, Free, Printable, Maps

0 comments.

Geo F. Trumper Shaving Cream - New Review

Posted on March 13th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Health, Life, Shaving.

I just received some Geo F. Trumper Shaving Cream. A close friend of mine that reads my blog received a straight razor kit as a gift / prize from a function that he attended for a local fund raiser.

He told me that never got into using the straight razor but he likes the straight razor as a cool letter opener.

The straight razor kit he received also came with the essentials needed for performing a good wet shave. He told me that this kit included the razor, one shaving brush, some mens skin care products, and two containers of trumper shaving cream. He told me he never used the shaving cream and figured I would want to try it out. So freecycling at it finest.

This Geo F. Trumper Shaving Cream has to be the nicest smelling shave cream I have ever smelled. I am not an expert but I have been stopping in some stores and smelling the various types to see which ones I like to use. I have not seen this Geo F. Trumper Saving Cream for sale at any of the local stores so I might just have to try and find a good price online when I eventually run of of this shaving cream.

What Geo F. Trumper Says on their webpage:

The Trumper Shaving Cream - Almond Range is exceptionally soothing and softening. Wrapped in a warm, refreshing, nutty aroma, the caressing touch of sweet almond nourishes a gentleman's skin in the notably luxurious way so truly unique to Trumper. The unique enriching properties of the almond range allow those with dry or normal skin to enjoy fully the pleasures of grooming.

Review: As the ad states the Trumper Shaving Cream is a very rich and wonderful smelling shaving product. The aroma of this is very pleasant and wonderful. Trumper Shaving cream comes in nice plastic tub allowing this to be used easily used with any brush. I use a old wide coffee cup / soup bowl with a handle.  In this I put in some hot watter and soak my shaving brush for several minutes while I wash my face and soften my stubble. Then I empty the hot water out of the cup and shake out the brush. I then run the brush several times over the top of the Trumper Shaving Cream in its tub. But I make the foam used to shave in the heated mug. I mix up the foam in the bowl for about 1 to 2 minutes of time. I find I don't waist as much of the shaving cream this way and the foam becomes very foamy and rich. During my trial run of Trumpers Shaving Cream I found it was very easy to get a very nice rich lather from this. And as I mentioned the aroma from this was very pleasant and soothing. I really liked the light floral and  just a hint of almond smell compared to the menthol smell from Prorasso Shaving Cream. The Lather went on very nicely and and the felt wonderful to the face. Honestly I could not tell if the Trumpers Shaving Cream was any better for cutting my stubble but it really left my face very smooth and my skin felt very good afterwards. So in my humble opinion if you want a nice combination floral and nutty aroma, rich lather, I would highly recommend purchasing a tub of the Trumper Shaving Cream.

Technorati Tags: Trumper+Shaving+Cream, Geo+F+Trumper, Trumper+Shaving+Products, Wet+Shave, Mens+Grooming, Straight+Edge+Razor, Safety+Razor, Shaving, Free, Review

0 comments.

Daylight Savings Time Started Today

Posted on March 10th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Announcement, Communication, Life.

Good Morning Everyone - Rise and Shine - If you live in the United States You better check your clocks on everything - Bread Machines - Toaster Ovens - Microwaves - Your PC

Because you need to make sure you have set your clock ahead one hour. This came earlier then normal due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which moved Daylight savings time to March 11th, 2007 and it doesn't end until November 4th, 2007.

You can read more about this issue at Dr-T as last night many people were working on making sure your Cell Phones, Banking Services, Computers Were set and accurate.

If you would like to understand the history of DST (Daylight Savings Time) you can read more about it at Answers.com - Which gives the history all the way back to Ben Franklin suggesting something like this and a complete list of all the pros and cons of DST.

And if you would like to hear a song that was inspired by DST you can check it out on Last.FM 

If  you live anywhere else - Good Morning and Just enjoy your day.

Technorati Tags: Energy+Policy+Act+of+2005, Energy+Policy, DST, Daylight+Saving+Time, Time, Hour, Clock, Setting, History

1 comment.

Shaving Products Update: Via Target

Posted on March 4th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Health, Life, Shaving.

Well, I got to drive around to a bunch of Targets this weekend looking for some of the Miguelrius Journals as mentioned in a previous post. While I was there I looked at the SPA section of the store which is located in the women's cosmetics section of the Health and Beauty Area of the store. This area caries a couple of sections of Men's Grooming Products. Here you will find Proraso Shaving Products (Shave Cream, Shave Soap, Shaving Brush, After Shave Balm and more) and you can also find the Caldo Line of Mens Products (Soaps, Shave Products, Eau De Toilette Spray and again More Items) Target also had the Sharps Barber Brigade Products available (Quick Dry After-Shave Gel, Non Foaming Shave Gel, No Shine ace Toner, Clean Foam Face Wash/Scrub) What I was happy to see or not is that several of the Sharps Barber Brigade products were on Clearance From $7.99 marked down to $1.98 (That was the Quick Dry After Shave Gel)  They also had a set of Sharps Citrus Bite Set Marked down to $1.98 as well - Perfect for travel and I liked the lite citrus smell to them as well. Only a couple of the Caldo line were marked down. Some of the Eau De Toilette Sprays w Soap Combo was marked down from $14.99 to $3.74 - Again the smell of this product was quite pleasant to the nose.  I was happy to see the Proraso Line in stock - After reading all the Targets that have been out of stock seeing the ones closest to me in stock was a pleasant surprise. Note none of the Proraso Products were on clearance. (Whew) I wanted to try out this shave cream as many of the people on some of the shaving forums rate this quite highly. Proraso is the Number one barber product from Italy. This quote below is from ClassicShaving.com Describing this Shaving Cream.

Created by Ludovico Martelli over 50 years ago, in Florence, Italy, PRORASO Shaving Products are still being made in the time-honored traditional way by the Martelli family. The Quality and Performance of PRORASO products has made them a staple in barbershops throughout Italy that has been discovered by visitors and transported worldwide.

PRORASO Sapone Da Barba,  "Original" (Green) Eucalyptus, Menthol, and Glycerin based shaving cream will transform your daily shave into an event to look forward to. Its tingle will invigorate you and its quality ingredients will provide a close shave without irritation.

PRORASO Sapone Da Barba,  "Wheat Germ" (Red) shaving cream contains wheat germ oil and is formulated to protect and lubricate the most sensitive skin. Permits a closer and smoother shave than ever before possible for those who need or want a gentler shave.

 

 

And In case your are interest below is a quote about Caldo Products from Targets Press Release:

The Caldo collection is designed for the modern, discerning man who seeks only the finest when it comes to his appearance. Packed with essential vitamins and crucial oils, Caldo formulas tailor to the specific needs of men’s skin including pre- and post-shaving treatments. Caldo’s distinctive fragrance paired with its simple, modern packaging is the perfect compliment to every man’s grooming wardrobe.

Technorati Tags: Shaving, Wet+Shave, WS, Shave, Proraso, Caldo, Sharps, Barber, Brigade, Barber+Brigade, Citrus, After+Shave+Gel, After+Shave, After, Shave, Shave+Cream, Badger, Brush, Badger+Brush, Boars

0 comments.

The Art of Shaving: Part 1 With Video

Posted on March 1st, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Gadgets, Hack, Health, Life, Shaving, Tutorial.

A friend of mine was telling me about the Martha Stewart Show last week where she did a special mens day all about Mens Grooming. (No, he doesnt' watch it normally - His Wife Tivo's the show and called him in to share it with him) He told me they demonstrated how to do a wet shave. You know the kind I have talked about before using a nice lather with brush and then shaving with a good razor. Well I didn't have access to the Martha Stewart show but instead I came across this video that I am about to share with you. Today is the Introductory: Part 1 on how to wet shave. But first back to Martha Stewart show. He told me they recommend this book The Art of Shaving and their shaving products. I have personally used some of the products and they are great to use (just love the scent and feel afterwards) and the feeling that you get from shaving the correct way is a pleasure and not a chore as mentioned in the following video. 

Enjoy and part 2 will be coming soon.

Past Articles on Shaving that might be of interest are:

Free Shaving Samples
Searching4Arcadia Shaving Articles 

Merlin

Technorati Tags: Art+of+Shaving, Shaving, Wet+Shave, Shave, Martha+Stewart, Razor, Razors, YouTube, DIY, Grandfather, lather, foam, gel, gillette, blade, safety, beard, grooming, mens, beauty

1 comment.

Older » « Newer