November 8th, 2025: Very nice!

• Brush: Maggard Razors - Tuxedo 24mm Synthetic
• Razor: RazoRock GOAT
• Blade: Zorrik Super Platinum (8)
• Lather: House of Mammoth - You & I (Will Die) - Soap
• Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Nefertiti - Aftershave
• Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth - Jitterbug - EdP

After 5 days of varying levels of having no water, water full of bleach, cold water only, etc., the house is finally up and running! We got a new boiler with fancy new zone pumps, new indirect water heater, well tank, well filter, a UV light that the water runs through (just in case), and most importantly – a new water softener that doesn't make us fail fecal bacteria tests! The old softener was bypassed when we bought the house, and after using it for a while we found out why it was bypassed. We couldn't pass a well water test, and dishes would sometimes smell foul. We bypassed it again, treated the system, and all of our problems went away (except for the water being slightly hard… just enough to be annoying). So replacing it was an easy decision, especially since we replaced everything else at the same time!

It's so nice having soft water again. Super soft water with 0 hardness isn't my style either – it's slimy and things slip out of your hands. I have a mixing valve in the mail which will let me add in a bit of untreated water to make it more manageable.

Along with some car repairs on my wife's 2006 Xterra and a new dishwasher, it's shaping up to be an expensive week. These are things that we've been planning on doing for 3 or 4 years, so it's very nice to have it all coming together.