After Afta?

  

I have been using Mennen Afta, fresh scent, for about 40 years, and it has definitely made shaving tolerable during that time, as it cooled, soothed, and moisturized my skin after the rigors of shaving. Without it, my skin is a hot, irritated mess after shaving, to the point that it made me wish I could grow a decent looking beard and never shave again. Truth be told, Afta is one of the only personal care products to which I have developed an absolute brand loyalty over the years. Unfortunately, that product has been gradually disappearing from store shelves over the course of several years and now appears to be reaching the point of extinction. The last place I could consistently find it was Walmart, but while the shelf tag remains,at least for now, the floor-level shelf space does not portend well for its longevity, and it has remained ominously empty after I bought their last two bottles more than a month ago.

While I haven’t run out yet, I find myself thinking of the future as my supply continues to dwindle. A search on Amazon turned up only the original scent, which I dislike, especially at twice the price I was paying at Walmart. Further digging turned up an ‘out-of-stock’ listing for the fresh scent, with a notation that it is unknown when or if it would again become available. A check of parent company Colgate-Palmolive’s Web site does not show Afta among their assortment of brands; in fact, the only former Mennen product still available is Speed Stick deodorants.

Apparently, as a mature product line, parent company Colgate-Palmolive has allowed it to coast along with no advertising or promotion. Not surprisingly, sales have fallen off to the point that it is no longer viable. This unfortunate development has sent me in search of alternatives. The less desirable original scent remains available online, but inflated prices, twice what I was paying at retail, would seem to be an indicator that the product may well have already ceased production and consumers are now vying for the remaining stock. so I am instead looking to alternatives.

Back in the ‘90s, Gillette introduced a competing product that was comparable to Afta in most respects, and remains on store shelves, albeit at floor level, like Afta. But at least it’s still there and the price has not gone up. A 2.5 ounce bottle is still well under $3. The best unit price I could find was buying a carton of six bottles from Amazon for $15.24. This is about fifteen cents a bottle cheaper than the shelf price at Walmart and I don't have to drive to the store to get it, which is a double win.

Having ordered a carton, I tried the Gillette aftershave gel this morning, for the first time in more than 20 years, and found it to be an acceptable substitute. I still prefer Afta, which has a richer feel to it, but I can live with the Gillette, since there is really no alternative at that price point. The gel itself is a bit thinner than the Afta, and its scent has more of a citrus note, which is not unpleasant. It produces a more pronounced cooling sensation on freshly shaved skin, which is nice for the few minutes it lasts, but it does not feel as if it moisturizes to the same degree. The important thing is that several hours later, my skin is very slightly irritated, but less than it would be without either product.

It frankly boggles my mind that moisturizing aftershave gels have so completely disappeared from the marketplace, at least at an affordable price point. There are still some more expensive alternatives from the likes of Nivea and others, but nothing to compare with Gillette or the late, lamented Afta. In the ‘90s, this was a very robust category with entries from Edge and others, but it has gradually died away. Although beards have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, most men are still shaving and a significant number of us are doubtless still experiencing skin irritation from doing so. A product that addresses this condition effectively and affordably would seem to be a quite viable category and not just a niche market.

Is Starfleet Academy really that bad?

The latest Star Trek series to stream on Paramount+, Starfleet Academy, has managed to garner a significant amount of negative press, but I have to ask if it's anywhere near as bad as its detractors would have us believe. After watching the first five episodes to drop, which constitutes half of the first season, my response is a wholehearted 'not really'.

To understand my take on this, I have to put it into the perspective of other streaming Star Trek series and one dreadful made-for-streaming TV movie. Starfleet Academy is decidedly light years ahead of the dreadful Section 31 movie, and for my money is even superior to the thematically similar animated Lower Decks series. I still don't understand why the moronic drivel of Lower Decks is so beloved. I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the entire final season. 

At its worst, Starfleet Academy has moments that are equally as cringe-worthy as pretty much all of Lower Decks, and borrows way too much from the silly side of Strange New Worlds, but at the same time, it has shown its ability to bring viewers pleasingly thoughtful fare, especially in the fourth and fifth episodes, which focus on specific characters' paths of self-discovery. In episode four, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diane), a dispossessed Klingon, gains a sense of belonging, in worlds of both Starfleet and the Klingon Empire. While this at times feels like a re-tread of Worf's journey through Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, an impression bolstered by Diane's performance, which all too often feels like he's trying to channel Michael Dorn's performances as Worf, it is redeemed by the nuance and growth Jay-Den experiences by episode's end. 

Speaking of DS9, episode 5 is an artful homage to that series as SAM (Kerrice Brooks) attempts to discover the true fate of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) at the end of DS9. Although the elder Brooks (no relation to Kerrice) does not appear in the episode, it he did authorize the use of a prerecorded voice-over at the end of the episode. Also, SAM  does share a couple of scenes with Cirroc Loftin, reprising his role as a middle-aged Jake Sisko, who helps her discover, Wizard of Oz style, that the answers she was seeking differed greatly from the truth that she found, which was perhaps inside of her all along. 

As the remaining five episodes of Season 1 drop, one can only hope the show will continue along the path of the two most recent ones as it charts its own course, unique from where previous iterations of the franchise have been before. Yes, it feels kind of soapy at times, but it is intended to appeal to a younger generation of viewers, a demographic to whom that type of content would appeal. Let's face it, those of us who came aboard with the original series represent a demographic that will, before too long, be aging out, so the powers that be are arguably on the right track to create stories that will appeal to newer audiences,

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Update 14 March:  

The tenth and final episode of Starfleet Academy's inaugural season dropped two days ago, and things did indeed get better--much, much better. We were even treated to a cameo appearance by a favorite character from Discovery, Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), who had become an academy instructor by the end of that series. Her episode at least partially made up for the disappointment for her absence as a series regular. While the remaining episodes retained a certain amount of soapiness, the characters' journeys of self discovery, both individual and collective, continued to be front and center, making for some compelling moments, especially in the two-part finale, which stands up favorably with any of the best Star Trek two-parters and even plays out better than some of the weaker Star Trek feature films. 

I am now of the opinion that the awkward cringeyness of the seasons early episodes was a clever and necessary move, designed to help viewers appreciate the characters' growth over ten episodes. They came in wondering if they belong and came out after ten episodes knowing that indeed they do. Interestingly, the writers chose not to create a season cliffhanger, but instead tying up most of the hanging plot threads. Still, it will be interesting to see what happens when the cadets return for their second year at the academy. Even with scant clues as to how the second season will unfold, we know they will come back with a greater sense of cohesion and belonging, that they have found a home. They will certainly come back more seasoned, and with an understanding of what it means to be a Starfleet officer that no textbook could hope to teach.

Fortunately for viewers, we will find out the answers to those questions when Starfleet Academy returns for its second season, which is already in the proverbial can, awaiting its premiere. The larger question is where Star Trek is going from here. In addition to another season of Starfleet Academy, we have two more seasons, or one and a half, depending on how you want to look at it, remaining of Strange New Worlds, but no word on what's coming after that. At the moment, no new Star Trek series or films are in production, or even pre-production to follow what has already been shot, but is yet to stream. The most plausible explanation is that Paramount's new management has not yet decided what to do, following the merger with Skydance and the possible takeover of Warner Bros., both of which significantly complicate the equation. Perhaps the proverbial field is about to be allowed to lie fallow, as has happened before, while those decisions are being made. 

Update, 24 March:

In recent days, Paramount has announced that Starfleet Academy is indeed headed for cancellation after Season Two, with no new Star Trek projects presently in production, pre-production, or planning phases. Does that mean it's all over for Star Trek? Probably not. If we look at the history of the franchise, there have been periods of inactivity that have ushered in new and prolific eras. When the original series was canceled in 1969, we didn't get any new voyages until the original crew returned in animated form on Saturday mornings in 1973. Shortly after the animated series' cancellation, a new live action series, tentatively titled Star Trek: Phase Two, went into pre-production, but then evolved into a feature film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which launched the feature film franchise that ran for six films with the original cast, which ran from 1979 until 1991, and four with the Next Generation cast from 1994-2002. The success of the feature films resulted in a return of Star Trek to the small screen with The Next Generation (1987-1994), Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Voyager (1995-2001), and Enterprise (2000-2005) in continuous and overlapping production for the better part of a quarter century. A year later, in 2006, the first of J. J. Abrams' Kelvin timeline Star Trek feature films entered pre-production for release in 2009, and six months after the third and final one premiered, the streaming era commenced with Star Trek: Discovery, followed in quick succession by Picard, Prodigy, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, Section 31, and Starfleet Academy. That's more than six decades of almost continuous Star Trek TV shows and feature films with gaps of no more than two or three years, including pre-production periods, stretching back to the shooting of the first pilot, "The Cage", in 1964. Dry spells have happened from time to time, but they are always short-lived. 

Brightening up an older car

 There are few things that make an older car in otherwise good condition look tired than hazy headlights.

For the past 30 years or so, virtually all cars have come with clear plastic headlight lenses. They give manufacturers greater latitude in designing vehicles' front ends, but over time, the sun and road grit conspire to make those lenses look dull, yellowed, and hazy. In the worst cases, they are almost opaque, diffusing forward illumination to make the lights considerably less effective.

One might think the simplest solution is just to replace the headlights, but this is an expensive proposition that can cost in the hundreds of dollars, and there is really no need for this, as the existing lenses can be polished and restored without a lot of effort. You can have this professionally done, but it is also a good driveway project that can be done in an hour or two, and for less than the cost of a tank of gas. 

A quick Internet search will bring up any number of home remedies, including toothpaste, to clear your headlights, but the one thing they all have in common is they don't last. You have to repeat the process every few months, and some store bought kits have similar shortcomings. 

I have tried kits from several different manufacturers on various cars, and the best of the lot seems to be one called Cerakote, which involves a three-step process that returns the headlights to like-new condition with no power tools required.

The kit purports to come with everything needed to do the job, but there are a few things needed that aren't in the box. Since it involves abrasives and caustic chemicals, it is advisable to mask off the painted areas around the headlights, just to be on the safe side, even though the instructions make no mention of this. Also needed is a container of water, such as a bucket or spray bottle, which the instructions do mention with regard to washing the headlights before beginning the process and for wet sanding them in step two. You will also need a roll of paper towels.

So, the three steps are actually four, if you include washing loose dirt off of the headlights and then masking off around them before beginning the process. We'll call that the prep step or step zero. 

The first step using items from the kit is to remove the deteriorated sealant coating from the headlights with the included wipes, labeled with a large numeral one on each packet. Because the chemicals on the wipes are caustic, you should wear one of the two pairs of nitrile gloves included in the kit, which provides a total of eight wipes, four for each headlight. The instructions suggest wiping in a circular pattern and changing wipes frequently as they take on a nicotine-stained hue. This discoloration will be minimal by the fourth wipe. 

After this first step is complete, wipe off the remaining solvent with a paper towel and discard the first set of gloves. The headlights will look clearer as you perform this first step, but they will become hazy again as they dry. 

The second step is wet sanding with the provided sanding discs and applicator. Start with the 2,000-grit disc then follow up with the 3,000-grit one. The kit includes two of each, one for each headlight. Sand gently in straight, horizontal lines across the headlight lenses and use plenty of water on both the sanding discs and the headlight surface; otherwise, you will likely scratch the lenses. The instructions suggest sanding for three to five minutes with each disc. 

After the sanding step is complete, rinse the headlight lenses off with water and wipe them off with a paper towel to remove any remaining grit, then dry them thoroughly. Use towels, a blower, or just let them dry naturally. The important thing is to make sure they are completely dry before moving to the final step of applying the ceramic clear coat.

This last step is where the magic happens. The ceramic clear coat finally gives the headlights a like-new finish and protects them from hazing over again. Put on the second set of gloves and be prepared to be bowled over by a strong ammonia odor when you open the packet to extract the wipe. There is one wipe for each headlight. The instructions suggest applying one coat of sealant in overlapping horizontal strokes, making sure to cover the entire headlight surface. This is by far the quickest step, but you will need to wait a minimum of one hour before driving the vehicle and don't touch the headlights while the sealant is curing. 

Once this entire process is done, you will have spent about two hours taking your headlights from hazy to amazing. They will not only look like they did when the car was new, but you will be able to see much better at night. And Cerakote guarantees these results for as long as you own the vehicle.  Of course the best part is the satisfaction of having done this yourself.