.

I was all set to use the Feather straight razor again this morning. I had my Taylor's Avocado shaving cream, my Vulfix #2235 badger brush, and nothing to bother me for the next hour's worth of leisurely showering and shaving..

"Honey, remember we have to leave in 15 minutes to take the kids to the doctor!" came BOTO's (Brains Of The Outfit's) shout down the hall.

D'oh! Okay, fifteen minutes for everything -- I can do this. In and out of the shower in five minutes flat. It wasn't comprehensive, it wasn't enjoyable, and it wasn't pretty, but I can pull off a five minuter when it's DefCon 4.

I took a hard look at the Feather razor. No time for a long, hard look, so just a hard look. You rush a shave with the scary-sharp Feather at your peril. My fastest shave ever with this thing was a sweat-poppin' 20 minutes for two passes plus some touch-up under the chin. Could I break my own land speed record if I really, really had to?

I slopped on some lather and went to town. Cold, ruthless efficiency. I did a fairly quick N-S pass over my face and neck, and that's when I heard another, shorter voice outside the bathroom door.

"Daddy? What are you doing in there?"

My three year-old. In an instant I knew the dream was over. I put the razor down. She's the first reason it's laughable to think I can shave every day with a straight razor. The second being, of course, my two year-old. He's all over the place these days. I shouldn't have a straight razor in the house with these two running around, much less in the bathroom cabinet.

I finished the shave with a 1961 Gillette safety razor, and then put the Feather back in its balsa wood box deep in the back of my shaving crap drawer, behind a row of cream tubs and brushes. I'm sure I'll get it out every now and then to practice with, but right now, with two toddlers in the house who like sharing bathroom time with me and who don't give us all that much time to throw ourselves together in the morning, I think a DE makes the most sense from all angles.