I’m using Voyager atm too with this PieFed account, but I needed to sign-up to the PF instance via my browser and then add the login to Voyager. That this is still not possible but Voyager is listed as a supported app for PieFed is kinda weird, I’ll admit. FWIW, Summit is a really cool app too. Unfortunately not available on F-Droid.

Comeback - 2. Februar 2026

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin w/ 26 mm Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Derby Premium
• Lather: Noble Otter - Neon Sun
• Post Shave: Störtebekker - Tortuga Aftershave Tonic

2 passes on the head, 1 on the neck. Not my best, but a welcome return to wetshaving.

So I did it. Finally found time for a nice shave on my day off after working the weekend. My weekend early shifts were hellish, so I had zero energy left. Today was a good day however.

NO Neon Sun provided optimal slickness despite the razor blade actually being kinda tuggy in some places. I don’t know if those Derby blades deteriorated without constant use; seems somehow like it. Nevertheless, I was able to shave the dome in two passes and even get a single one on the neck done.

I was also able to finally try this new aftershave tonic spray I got earlier this year after a proper shave. Can’t really say much about it after using it post dry shaving/trimming, but it’s actually good stuff. Störtebekker is a german brand that started out on amazon, so I was a bit wary of them. This contains good ingredients though (witch hazel, aloe, glycerin, etc.) and the scent is as advertised - spicy yet fresh. There’s a hint of menthol to provide a fresh feeling I guess, which I am indifferent towards. Some people really hate menthol, but I can take it of it isn’t too much. As for the scent, it’s a mix of citrus, incense and bay rum. Kinda like a modern take on classic aftershaves. The spray application is surprisingly nice to use. However, the price is almost 30€ normally. I got it at a promotional discount. So once it is empty, no second purchase from me. I can get better artisan tonics and balms for less.

Don’t get your hopes up that this will already be a full comeback from me, but I will try to find more time for my hobbies now and then. I seriously missed wetshaving and I hope you’re all doing well! ✌🏻

New hobbies are great and I’m sure it’ll nicely support your other hobbies. There are plans available for razor holders and I guess there should be similar plans for RC plane parts and accessories. Great investment 👍🏻

And I hope it’ll be a way better way to make coffee. I also have a french press, but while that coffee tastes way better, it irritated my stomach. The filters should take care of that now. Only cleaned the machine today and gave it two test runs with just water as recommended in the manual.

Thanks! I kinda underestimated how a completely new workflow and a month of early shifts would take a toll on me. But the salary is really fair and I start to get more confident at what I do. I hope to be more active here again soon!

Congrats on the 3D printer! I find those things very exciting, but unfortunately I lack the time, space and tech knowledge to justify getting one. New gadgets can always be inspiring and spark some joy though. I was boring and just got a mini filter coffee machine for myself to finally get away from instant coffee powder 😅

Still not dead, but my new job has me drained of energy. I’m positive it’s just an adjustment period though, as I am actually having fun sometimes too. It’s definitely more challenging and demanding than my work at the nursing home used to be - the constant juggling between different tasks is quite hard atm, especially with my ADHD problems. My coping strategy/workaround is that I carry a small notebook in my scrubs and write almost everything down. Gets me weird looks from colleagues, but IDC. It also helps that my first paycheck included a welcome bonus and my jaw dropped when I realised I could finally make a good living from nursing. It was already comfortably more than I ever got at the nursing home without the bonus…

Unfortunately the high workload lead to me putting all my hobbies on the back burner. I was actually planning to get a shave done today, since I had two days off before working the weekend, but nope - I just couldn’t do it. Maybe tomorrow after my early shift and some much needed grocery shopping, but this will leave my energy levels at 0%.

I got a cheap electric head shaver and a OneBlade, and while both get the job done I need to be honest: for wetshaving enthusiasts like us, it’s simply not satisfying. The cheap chinese head shaver from eBay surprisingly does a way better job than the popular Philips trimmer though and thankfully gives me almost no irritation. Still, it’s a “soulless” way of shaving. As in, shaving becomes a chore again. I now dropped the henriquatre/full goatee in favour of short designer stubble again, since I’d rather get a nice trimmer with different low guards than replacement heads for this Philips atrocity that makes my neck look like I got into a fight with a cat - and lost…

Nevertheless, as I said I am positive that I’ll adjust to my new duties soon and feel less exhausted from everything. Hope you fine folks are all well, even though 2026 started off pretty cold and snowy (at least over here). ✌🏻

First off, welcome to our community!

Tbh, I don’t have snow tires. Last year I had to get a new car - not entirely new, but in great condition - and it has “all-year tires”. In Germany, those need to have “Alpine certification” (? or something along those lines) indicated by a snowflake symbol imprinted on the tires. They aren’t bad, but not as great as real new winter tires with a deep profile. My plan is to get some of these this year, when I can afford it thanks to the new job.

Thanks! “Stressful but possibly very rewarding” could be applied to nursing in general. It’s still the best job for me personally and the hospital setting feels more right for me. Now I only need to improve my skills and expand my knowledge, which is actually a fun challenge for me. I like learning new things.

Unfortunately not entirely optional - there are quite a few sick colleagues on that station atm and I was available as the “young, fresh new guy”. My duties today were mostly providing basic care and measuring blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and body temperature as well as asking about pain levels on the numeric rating scale (NRS) and taking care of the 3 infectious patients (COVID, Flu and MRSA).

There are indeed lots of people working there, mostly RNs and only a few assistants or trainees. Today my team was entirely different from yesterday. It was me and two older female nurses and a young trainee in her first year. I get what you mean though, fortunately I have two days off immediately after my shift tomorrow and only work on 3 days the following week. 👍🏻

I’ve now worked 6 days at my new workplace, a hospital in the Thuringian forest. My station is for gastroenterology, rheumatology and unclear/psychosomatic diseases.

The onboarding process is at least happening, but it’s not as organized as I hoped it to be. The station is always very busy and so, there’s little time to show me things. For example, as someone with a background in geriatrics and nursing homes, I hadn’t dealt with infusions at all and my internship at a neurological rehabilitation centre during my retraining only had me disconnecting empty infusions and “flushing” the lines with NaCl = sterilised sodium chloride/salt water. I rarely helped with preparing them. Now that’ll be one of my primary duties. So my new colleagues have to teach me, which isn’t very easy for either of us during stressful times.

It also doesn’t help that nurses who worked in geriatrics or nursing homes are generally looked down upon by a few older colleagues in the hospital due to the less intense medical knowledge needed in that field. I kinda feel the need to prove myself, unfortunately. In Germany, nursing is no academic profession like in the US - it used to be 3 different apprenticeships: one for children, one for adults/hospital work and one for seniors/geriatric care. Since 2020, it’s a generalized apprenticeship with a new title. There’s also a B.Sc. course for it now for a bit of academic value. As I started my retraining in 2022, I received the new title but some of the old guard aren’t even that aware of all those changes. To them, those who worked in the geriatric field are the less qualified, less skilled nurses.

There’s also yet another winter storm over here and I still deal with some nuisances from a minor cold I got on the very first day of the new year. Today I had to fight to keep my car on the road due to all the fresh snow. It won’t be much better tomorrow, as it rained with warmer temperatures in the afternoon but now it’s freezing over with a cold blast of -11°C. So it’ll be slippery AF tomorrow. Yes, I actually already work 7 days in a row on my first week. As I said, trying to prove myself. Like my mom said, to describe what I am dealing with atm: “Hardcore is an understatement”.

Unfortunately the exhaustion and early shifts (have to get up at 4:00 AM) leaves barely any time for hobbies, nor even any shaves. I must admit that I ordered an electric head shaver for some morning touchups where every damn second counts… Not my proudest move, as these things are neither close nor comfortable. Yet I need to look presentable as I represent the nursing staff of the hospital. I hope things will change for the better soon, but don’t be worried if I’m posting less frequently and am barely active here. Chances are that I am just working, not dead!

6. January 2026

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Razorine Flatboy 73
• Blade: Personna (Unknown)
• Lather: OAM - Oli del Benessere soap
• Post Shave: OAM - Oli del Benessere Sensitive Skin toner

just one pass + cleanup on the face. Not too rough, but not very smooth either. Middle of the road shave.

I only had time to shave my face. I thought the Flatboy should be great for getting sharp angles at first try for the goatee. Unfortunately, wrong. There were a few stubborn hairs I had to get with an XTG clean-up and even then, a few escaped and I used my zero gap trimmer. This might also be due to the blade, it was labeled as “Personna” but has zero identifying markings on itself nor the wrapper. Who knows if these even are for general shaving use and not just for surgery preparation?! (Our razors on station are very mild, almost dull, for that exact purpose).

My new work has me fried, as in: absolutely exhausted. Will post updates on FTF. Have a good time, everyone ✌🏻

Eucalyptus & Menthol, the Second - 4. Januar 2026

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Snakeskin handle w/ 26 mm Silksmoke Flattop/Fan hybrid knot
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Derby Premium half-DE
• Lather: Jean & Len - Fresh Menthol Rasierpaste
• Post Shave: OAM - Oli del Benessere Sensitive Skin Toner
• Post Shave: Benecos - Men 2in1 ASB

a single pass on both head and face, same software as yesterday. A bit of an improvement in terms of overall comfort.

My throat is almost back to normal, yet the stuffed nose remains. So I almost exactly repeated the shave of yesterday to improve my breathing. Minus the brush, I really wanted to use my snake fang again.

Funnily, Jean & Len advertise this shaving cream as “2 in 1”. According to them, it’d also work as a facial cleanser… “thanks to the coconut oil”- haha, yeah right. Probably enough menthol to freeze your face off and FWIW, coconut oil is a bit drying. Castor, Jojoba or Argan oil are good for moisture. Nevertheless, the cream provides a solid shave in a fast time with my usual method of spreading it with wet hands before lathering with a brush.

Tomorrow it’s back to my new workplace for the early shift. I’m kinda eager to learn something new. For now, I’ll go to bed. Hope everyone had a nice weekend, have a good time! ✌️

Eucalyptus & Menthol Galore - 3. January 2026

• Brush: Omega Roma Colossea 31 mm
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Blade: Derby Premium half-DE
• Lather: Jean & Len - Fresh Menthol Rasierpaste
• Post Shave: OAM - Oli del Benessere Sensitive Skin toner
• Post Shave: Benecos - Men 2in1 ASB

1 pass on the dome, 2 on the face. Rather solid shave for a cream.

My sore throat has developed into a bit of a head cold, as now my nose is also kinda affected. I’m fighting it like crazy and actually see a bit of an improvement. Unfortunately, this contains consuming lots of tea with eucalyptus and/or peppermint.

Even though it’s madness using mentholated software in my current weather conditions (still stormy and snowy), it felt like a fitting choice given my current condition. Fresh Menthol smells like a famous german balm you rub on your chest and back when you’re sick, allegedly it helps to breathe easier.

The “paste” is more of a fluffy cream, easy to scoop out with my thumb and apply on the skin before lathering it up with a wet brush. I must say, I enjoyed that process more than I thought. I might’ve liked it even better if not for the cooling sensation of the menthol. Cause it contains a lot of menthol…

The shave itself was rather nice, especially with a fresh blade in the Leaf. I struggle a bit with lining up the henriquatre since I gave it a very short trim today, but I still managed somehow. I really hope to get better until Monday so I’m not going gentle against this cold. Yeah, I’m throwing everything I can against it. I just can’t be sick, not right now…

I had my first day of work at the hospital and my head is full of new information, many new impressions and paths I need to memorize.

Had quite a difficult time to get there, since the winter storm picked up in speed and snow intensity (probably laughable by those of you who’re used to blizzards, yet still difficult to drive). But I made it in time! However, it definetely requires me to organise lots of things on the night before my shift so I can actually make it work. The biggest challenge is successful time management with my ADHD, yet I am determined to make it work out for me!

As for the colleagues, today mostly the “old guard” was present and they’re a bit skeptic of newcomers. I had a friendly welcome though, just not the warmest one. A bit more reserved. However, I am sure I’ll somehow get along with everyone, as I also managed to do that with folks at the nursing home most couldn’t stand.

My onboarding process is thoroughly planned with lots of checklists and appointments. I’m really impressed, yet it will also require me to put in my due dilligence to get everything done as good as I imagine. Now I have a weekend to recover ahead of my which is nice, since I woke up with a sore throat. I’ll need to sort that out before returning to work on Monday… 2026 already starts with lots of changes for me.

Happy New Year! - 1. January 2026

• Brush: Omega Roma Colossea 31 mm
• Razor: Leaf Thorn
• Razor: RazoRock Hawk V2 Superknurl
• Blade: Derby Premium (Thorn)
• Blade: KAI Captain Protouch MG (Hawk)
• Lather: Zingari Man - The Navigator
• Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Master
• Post Shave: Benecos 2in1 Aftershave & Face balm

1 pass on the dome with the Leaf; 2 passes on the face around a stubble henriquatre. Generally rough shave due to dry skin from harsh weather conditions.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a smooth start into 2026.

Since I have my first day at my new workplace in the hospital tomorrow, I wanted to get a nice shave in this evening. Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been kind to my skin - we’ve got a winter storm with a stiff breeze and alternating freezing rain and snow. Getting to work will be a challenge tomorrow, so I need to get up at 4:00 AM - no time left for shaves.

I figured it’d be time to ditch the patchy stubble beard for something neater, more well-groomed looking. The henriquatre/full goatee won’t be for long, as I plan to go back to a Van Dyke/Anchor beard soon. However, those don’t look good with stubble so I need to grow everything out thicker and evenly. Since they plan to take photos of me tomorrow, I opted for a neat partial beard that I wouldn’t hate to see on my ID photo.

I thought I could justify todays’ software combo methaporically as in “navigating new seas towards mastery”, but it still doesn’t really fit together well. Despite the great quality of the ZM soap, the shave was rather rough since my skin was dried out. Oh well, nothing too serious in terms of irritation except minor redness and tiny blood spots. At least I did my first shave in 2026 and will look as good as I can for tomorrow. Have a good time! ✌️

Great movie choice 🤘

Happy 2026 to you too! 🥳

The same to you, walden! Thanks for taking such great care of our small but fine community here!

So a combination of nacho chips, cigarettes and whisky. Sounds like one of my old Saturday nights 😆 A wonderful New Year to you too! Really enjoyed those write-ups 👍

Sounds like a wonderfully relaxed way to get into the new year. Happy New Year’s Eve!

Last Shave of 2025! - 31. December 2025

• Brush: AP Shave Co. Black & Clear handle w/ 30 mm Tuxedo Fan knot
• Razor: Wilkinson Hydro cartridge razor
• Blade: Wilkinson Hydro 3
• Lather: Chiseled Face - Ghost Town Barber
• Post Shave: OAM - Oli del Benessere Sensitive Skin toner
• Fragrance: Tom Ford - Tuscan Leather EdP

almost forgot to post: single pass head shave, grabbed the cartridge because I was running late for my final late shift at the old place. No irritation whatsoever!

The last shave of 2025. I planned something nice for it, but life had other plans. Had to fall back on GTB, my personal “Ol’ Reliable”. The cartridge razor wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s a safe and - unfortunately - soulless choice.

What a year. I finished my retraining, got my nursing degree, found a new job just this month… it was really stressful, but oh so worth it. Wetshaving wise, I transitioned from Lemmy to PieFed, post with the WSDB SOTD generator, got a new safety razor and some nice new soaps after my degree and was able to explore quite a few interesting soaps thanks to Buena Vista Wetshaving Social Club. Thanks for being here and having me around, folks! I wish every single one of you & your families a smooth transition into the new year. In Germany, it’s tradition to say “Guten Rutsch!” meaning as much as “Have a nice slide into the new year”. So, have a nice & slick slide and a successful start into 2026, folks. 🍀🥳