I sent this as an email to friends in May, 2005.....

I know you will understand that I am aware this is crazy. There is no joke at the end and no sinister plot involved. I am not a man with too much time on his hands (although that could be true), it’s just an observation and an investigation I am undertaking.

 I like to shave. It’s not everyone’s “cup of tea”, but I enjoy it. I often shave twice a day if I have a reason to be going out in the evening. So far, this is reasonably normal.

 Some time ago I began to count how many strokes it took to shave (see how it’s getting less normal). Then I worked at seeing if I could shave with less strokes. I figured it took me 150 strokes (I was surprised at how many) to shave, and I have successfully cut it down to 100. There is no prize for this, nor does it save enough time to matter. It was just for fun.

So, if you shave anyway with a razor (non-electric), try counting and let me know how many strokes it takes. I considered it a stroke from the time it touched my face until I lifted the razor.

 Now I know all the minds are going about how many strokes it takes to do other things, but let’s concentrate on shaving.

 You certainly can write me off as compulsive (hard to believe) or strange (not hard to believe) but this is all about fun. It has taken me weeks to write this as it seemed too bizarre to ask.