Monthly Archives: May 2011

Today the United States is celebrating Memorial Day, a day when the fallen soldiers are remembered/honored. In November, Veterans Day is celebrated, honoring all men and women who served in the US military.

I am originally from Sweden, a neutral country who have not been in a formal war since 1809. Despite this, Swedish soldiers have fought and died in several wars since then, though. In 1940, many Swedes volunteered to help Finland in the Winter War against the invading Soviet Union.
In the early 1960’s, Sweden sent ground troops as well as jet fighters to Congo during the Katanga crisis.

Sweden has also lost troops in Afghanistan, where about 500 Swedish soldiers currently are part of ISAF. Five Swedish soldiers and one dual-citizen Swedish-Norwegian who was serving with the Norwegian forces have been killed this far. They are pictured below.

So my Memorial Day is not just to honor the men and women of the United States armed forces who died over the years, but all soldiers who served their countries to the best of their ability and paid the ultimate price.

In my close family, I have my uncle Karl-Heinz, whom I am named after. He served in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during WWII, first as a glider pilot, later in an anti-aircraft artillery unit.

Unteroffizier (NCO) Karl-Heinz Groeling
1919-1945
 

 Note: I wrote this entry over the weekend, but due to the BleedYellow blogs having technical issues, I was not able to post it until this morning.

This is a non-technology related post, but I wanted to share my experiences with this particular product.

I have always been shaving with a razor and gel, that is how my dad did it and I followed his lead. For the last 20 years, I have been using Gillette products. They simply worked the best for me. YMMV
As a true geek, I have always been using their latest model of razors, and I am currently using the Fusion Proglide Power. A couple of weeks ago, I had to buy new blades (they are getting pretty outrageously expensive, though!), and in the packet I got s small travel size sample of their Thermal Face Scrub.

I have always been very skeptical to that kind of products. Soap and water have worked for me the last 40 years”…” A year or two ago I got a face scrub to use once a twice per week, and even if I have to admit it felt nice, I dis not see a need to get another one when I ran out.
So I tried this sample from Gillette, and it was very interesting. I rinsed my face as usual, then applied a small amount of the product. The skin got nice and warm. I then rinsed it off, according to the instructions, applied the shaving gel I use and shaved.

The result? Well, I almost hate it when the commercials or advertising is correct. But it was a noticeable difference. I shaved at 6.30am, and by 6pm, my face was still as smooth as in the morning.
I had used brand new blades, which might have made a slight difference, so I tested it a few days later by using brand new blades on one side of the face, and some well used (about 1 month) blades on the other side. The difference was hardly noticeable, with of course the side where I used the old blades felt slightly rougher. Still an improvement compared to not using the product.

I do not know if long-term use of this product will have any effect on the skin, but I usually don´t shave during the weekend, allowing the skin to rest. I really like the product and purchased a full size tube a few days later, saving the travel size one for travel.

Disclaimer: Sample received free, purchased full-size product.