How Was Your Mo?

Feb 15, 2012 by Sentinel

Behold, the almighty Wikipedia’s definition of Movember:

Movember (a portmanteau of the slang word “mo” for moustache and “November”) is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November.

There’s a little more, but you get the gist. Wikipedia, wonder that it is, also sets out to define the rules of Movember. They are as follows:

You do not talk about Movember.

Okay that’s a lie. Moving on.

You must begin the 1st of November with a clean shaven face.
You grow/groom a moustache for the entire month of November.
No joining of the mo to your sideburns.
No joining of the handlebars to your chin. (This is considered a goatee.)
You must conduct yourself as a true country gentleman.

It’s generally assumed (at least in my circles) that since the inception of Movember, November 1st has become the lest favourite day of the year of women world-wide. My personal experience with my friends would certainly confirm this. Beleaguered girls suffer (mostly in silence) as their partner’s upper lip begin to resemble the rodent pets they cherished as children. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if statistics some day appear to tell us that increasingly fewer children are born in August, perhaps this summer I should look into it. I however love Movember. I am also a big fan of Decembeard. I might even be just waiting for Canadian rugby star Adam Kleeberger, (of Fear the Beard fame) to re-grow that fearsome hairy appendage (dutifully removed as required by rule 1) and then magically, and randomly, appear in the West Kootenays so that I can woo him accordingly.
Now I was most intrigued by the fifth rule of Movember. A true country gentleman you say? Well sign me up for that! As a matter of fact, in 2011, I did sign up! When not diligently hunkered over my studies I work two days a week at Otter Books in Nelson, where my manager Samara Nicoll, coworker Dzitka Edwards, and I formed “The Otterly Stachtastics” a fully registered Movember team. We raised a little over a hundred dollars, and go our mo-on at the celebratory November 30th party at the Royal in Nelson. In fact, I’ve even got a never-worn prosthetic handlebar ‘stache tucked away for Movember 2012.
After all, I will still be in school this fall, the weather in November is, let’s face it, pretty crap, and we students will be feeling the pressure of midterms, research papers and upcoming exams. So it’s good to know there’s something silly to look forward to! This upcoming fall I encourage all of you, whether as a Mo-Bro or a Mo-Sister, grow a mo, groom a mo, stick a mo on, and support a mo.