Movember Day 2

End of Day 2 in the month of Movember - the month where we are raising money to fund research needed if we are to find a way to beat prostate cancer. We have an intrepid team of mo-growers who are hoping, nay - believing - that many of you, readers and friends, are going to make some donation, no matter how small, to the cause.

Alas and alack! While some of our brave team have sent me a photo, I am still waiting for others. As soon as they arrive I will publish them. Meanwhile, this is what I have:

Yours faithfully: Terry McCann

Wayne Hudson. Great smile.

Raj Bamaniya

Bob Arpin. Another great smile.

Greg Forbes. You need to appreciate the sacrifice of a man whose daughter has never before seen him without a mo! I am waiting to hear what the reactions were and whether his wife still loves him with a naked lip... I once heard a French lady say that kissing a man without a moustache is like eating ham without mustard...

Greg Landry.

Taylor Landry. Without his "chops" he is almost unrecognizable. Ah, the price some men are prepared to pay for a great cause... If you have FaceBook you may want to look at the group, Taylor in the Month of Movember. You may even want to join.

Remember, remember the month of Movember

Fun with Mo reason

For this is the season

For lips to grow stubble

So efforts can double

That cancer gets whipped

By those hairy lipped

And their sponsors who give

To the scientists who live

For the day when they find out the way

After all we've endured

That cancer gets cured.

The Mostashed Hairiers - Movember Team

Allow me to introduce you to this year's Movember team, the Mostashed Hairiers!

I don't have photos yet for everyone. As I get them I will post an update. Meanwhile I will give a placeholder pic of a smiley in the barber's chair.

First, some old stalwarts from last year's MoCann Terriers.

Greg Landry. Note: this is not the smiley placeholder. This really is Greg!

Taylor Landry

Mike Peyvandi

Then we have a couple of friends of the above. Now that's impressive, when somebody who I haven't even met joins my team I know it's nothing to do with me and everything about the cause: funding research into prostate cancer so that we can beat this sucker.

Mike Norman

Justin Manuel

Then, in addition to Mike Peyvandi, I have a number of colleagues who have rallied to the cause:

Bob Arpin

Wayne Hudson

Raj Bamaniya

Kevin Timmins

Greg Forbes

I am thrilled to have a good brother from our Marriage Encounter support group, Peter Righton.

And finally, Mo Sista Ingrid, my wife.  You can agree with her or you can be wrong.

Mostashed Hairiers: Movember Q & A's

Here are some answers to what should be FAQs that people should be asking...

How do I join the Mostashed Hairiers?

Follow these simple steps:
1. Send me your mugshot ASAP - with or without a moustache (hereinafter called a "mo".)
2. Register today with my Movember team, The Mostashed Hairiers.
3. Read the email that the Movember organisers send you. You may want to make your own blog.
4. Look with delight at the entry I make about you on my blog.
5. If you have a significant other in your life, tell him or her about the blog. Give your permission and encouragement to have them tell their friends.
6. Shave clean on the evening of October 31 and send me a picture to prove it. All your friends and colleagues will see you and laugh. Think what joy you will be bringing, especially when I put your picture on the blog. You can also have your own Movember blog to bring added joy to the world.
7. For the entire month of November (sorry, Movember) you shave your beard, but not your mo, taking a picture every four or five days to post on the team blog so that the world can admire/guffaw/whatever and, most importantly, your supporters/detractors will make sponsorship donations directly to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada. No need for you to handle any cash or donations if you do not want to.
8. Your wife/girlfriend/partner/whoever has a very important role to play in helping find sponsors for you from among their own friends and acquaintances. They do this, not by asking for money (unless they particularly want to,) but just by telling their friends by email and FaceBook what you are doing and sending the link to the team or your personal blog. Wives and girlfriends can also register as a Mo Sista.

Canadian Men! Your country needs your mo!

How do I sponsor the Mostashed Hairiers?

Click here: Sponsor the Mostashed Hairiers.

You can also click on the sponsorship button in the panel on the left.

How much have the Mostashed Hairiers been sponsored?

The official Movember blog of the Mostashed Hairier's gallant and intrepid captain, Mo Bro Terry, will give you the (almost) latest status on donations to the team. Actually they seem to be a few hours behind, so if you make a donation give it a while for them to process it before expecting to see it on the blog.

Where are the Mostashed Hairiers in the Canadian rankings?

Hopefully we are in the Top 100. If not, please make a donation to get us there.

Why would I join the Mostashed Hairiers?

...because you are too lazy to run a marathon. Hats off to all the people who run for breast cancer!

Other reasons would include:

...because you want to raise money for prostate cancer research

...because you always wanted to grow a mo but felt sheepish; this gives you a reason.

Why do men not join the Mostashed Hairiers?

Just a few men have told me they will not be joining. In order of frequency, reasons have been:

1. Vanity.

"I don't look good with a mustache"

"I don't have much of a moustache to grow"

"I don't do mo's. It makes me look rediculous"

"I can't bring myself to shave the mustache I already have. I would look rediculous"

2. Wife

"My wife would divorce me"

"My wife couldn't handle a mustache on me"

3. Kids

"My kids have never seen me without a mustache. Do I really have to shave it off?"

"My kids say it makes me look like a paedophile" (I must admit there's no arguing with this one )

Have I missed out any?

Autumn or Winter

Today we had snow - and not just a little flurry - real snow which continued on and off the whole day around our neck of the woods.  

This has happened just nine days after a glorious Thanksgiving weekend which inspired me to get out my camera and drive around our neighbourhood to catch some of the local fall colours which I have uploaded to an album, 2008 October Fall-Winter.

Before coming to Canada I was of the impression that autumn was the "proper" word for this season and that fall was just a "lazy American" word.  I will own up to being led to this conclusion by snobbish prejudice. I was wrong and I have spent the last few years trying to be a bit more open to the possibility that I might even be wrong on some other points; I'm just trying to discover what they are :-)

Here's what I found in the Online Etymology Dictionary:

Fall

Noun sense of "autumn" (now only in U.S.) is 1664, short for fall of the leaf (1545).

Autumn

c.1374, from O.Fr. autumpne, from L. autumnus, a word probably of Etruscan origin. Harvest was the Eng. name for the season until autumn began to displace it 16c.

Here are a few photos I have selected from the album.  All pictures in the album were taken less than 5 minutes drive from our house.

Snow falling front of our house today

Congratulations, Master Miriam

Today Geoff, Ingrid and I attended Miriam's graduation to Master in Social Work at York University. Well done Miriam.  It was a long hard slog through some pretty tough times but you came through. It's not impossible that I might be more proud than you are.

Afterwards Stephen and Heather joined us for curry buffet.

You can see the album of 15 pics at Miriam's Graduation Album.