Journal 3 Jacob Kroh

                                                                     Part 1
I am really enjoying the stories so far. I find myself marking up the book with highlights and comments in the margins all the time. I definitely think active reading in this case is the most effective.  It is nice to read about people who are fighting to maintain their lives and heritages in the ever changing world. As I will outline below, I find myself identifying with these people in my own struggles to keep what I care about relevant in the modern world. Even though our culture likes to think it values individuality, what we see more often is people feeling the pressures to conform to a standard. That is what the people in Isay's Profiles are fighting against. I feel he does an admirable job of telling their stories and making them matter. He has a way of conveying a subtle sense of tragedy in some of the profiles that I pick up on here and there.  I hope to model my profile on examples we see in this book. Last semester I wrote a profile essay in english class, I feel that with what i know now i can do a much better job.
                                                                     Part 2
          I like to think of myself as an old-fashioned person, a gentleman in the way I conduct my affairs and myself. I feel most days like it’s a lost art, or at least its lost its practicality and therefore its value. In this I feel a connection to “steam train” Maury Graham. Like him, I see what I value slowly disappearing, which saddens me. But at the same time, culture is dynamic and will always be changing to meet the needs of the people in it. If being a gentleman has truly lost its cultural value, then it will disappear eventually anyway. But at least with me it is something that will always have value.

           

            One of the things that I see constantly changing is the age-old ritual of shaving. For thousands of years, shaving meant a single blade and some finesse. About 3 years ago I got tired of buying disposable razors and decided that I would try a straight razor as an alternative. After doing plenty of research and more than a little worrying, I made my initial purchases. The first time I shaved was a very tense experience. First I had to get my courage up. Of course there were some hiccups in the beginning, I didn’t properly strop the first time, so I ended up with a fairly unpleasant burning and a half-dozen small cuts. I also realized that I had bought a terribly poor Chinese blade that couldn’t hold an edge. After yet more research, I decided that I could safely buy an old and well-made razor and refinish it.

            I decided to check out the local antique mall and found something amazing, a 120-year-old ivory handled silver steel razor.  Now of course it was in rough shape, but a $12 investment seemed low risk, so did it and set to work on the restoration and sanitization. After I put a proper edge on it I was amazed when the second time I shaved there wasn’t any burn and only one small cut. After that I never looked back. I feel it imparts tranquility and a certain calmness in the morning that makes the rest of the day a bit less stressful.

            I also enjoy wearing bowties, though there really isn’t a fantastic story behind that. Part of it is just pure eccentricity, the other part is practicality. For one thing, long ties are cumbersome and they get in the way a lot. I enjoy working with kids, and kids enjoy pulling on ties. The solution was the bowtie, which they can’t reach so easily. I was also good enough for Winston Churchill, a man whom I enjoy studying. I like being different and I like to feel professional in whatever I’m doing.