Archive for January 2026

Phoenix Shaving’s CYGNUS Review

Discover the perfect shave with Phoenix Shaving’s CYGNUS razor. Handcrafted for precision, this copper-based razor offers a luxurious experience, providing a close, efficient shave that rivals the finest brands. Act fast—these will soon be hard to find!

Brass Zippo Forced Patina

I had this old brass Zippo lighter laying around. Getting a patina. You know, when the oils form your skin, air pollutants, moisture, and age make that shiny brass or copper discolor. Sometimes it looks good. Sometimes not so much. I recently saw a picture from someone who had made their Zippo lighter form an […]

Big Bend Ranch State Park 2025

As is our tradition, we spent a week of Christmas at our favorite location – Big Bend Ranch State Park. The interior main road was worse than usual due to the summer storms of 2025, but we made it to our spot, roughly 12 miles from turning off FM170 just outside Presidio, in an hour and 45 minutes. Those were a slow, grueling 12 miles.

How I Rate Whiskey

Much like my food, whiskey will fall into one of 3 categories.

Karma, by Bridgett Nelson – 5/5

Her first full-length novel, Karma, by Bridgett Nelson (winner of two Splatterpunk Awards!), is a fast-paced story of good old-fashioned, Old Testament, (brown)eye-for-an-eye revenge. If you don’t catch my drift there, you certainly will by the time you finish. A sequel to a shorter story by her, Jynx, you can read it on its own merit without missing a beat. But being the classy author she is, Jynx is included after the story in case you haven’t read it yet.