It's Movember!

Happy November, everyone! Personally, I'm just glad to have October behind me.

It's going to be a big month this one, for a few reasons:

• Toby turns 1! (More on that, no doubt, in weeks to come)
  
• My parents are visiting from Perth in a couple of weeks
  
• I'm going up to Sydney a couple of times.
  
• I've still got an insane marking load to get through
  

So, on top of all that, I've decided to do something else fun. I'm doing Movember!

(I'd toyed, very briefly with the idea of doing NaNoWriMo, like a lot of other people I respect in the blogosphere, but decided that growing facial hair was probably, on balance, less work and something I was much more likely to actually get finished.)

Why Movember? Aside from the fact that facial hair annoys mum (or at least, it used to. After my blue-hair thing earlier this year, I think she's adopted more of a resigned perhaps-he'll-grow-up-one-day approach to these things), my main reason is that it's for a really good cause. Money raised from Movember goes towards Prostate Cancer research. My Grandfather on Dad's side suffered from this disease in his later years, and there's a strong hereditary link, so it's something I'm going to have to watch out for. Aside from the fact that when Granddad was alive there wasn't nearly the awareness of prostate cancer that we have nowadays, I've also got something of a vested interest.

So, this morning after my shower, in accordance with the rules, I shaved my face clean and away we go. The first week or so will pretty much just involve growing foundation hair, but then I'll have to make some tough decisions: what style am I going for with this?

My first option was to go the Nick Cave:

Sadly, Imogen used her first veto on this one. (I didn't realise she even had veto's, but apparently this is the case.)

Instead, I suggested the Boonie:

Which drew out Min's second Veto. She then counter-offered with this:

I pointed out that I only have a month in which to grow this thing and, even at my hairiest that was probably a little ambitious. Then, things just got silly:

Finally, after several minutes of tense negotiation, we decided that I'd have a bash at something 'classic'. The chances of me actually growing one of these in all (or even a small portion) of it's glory are pretty remote, but what the hell. By the first of december, if all goes well, I should look something roughly like this:

I'll keep you all posted on my progress. In the meantime, if anyone would like to support me in this very silly, but also very worthy endeavour, feel free to pitch in at my Movember donations page.

Now, I'm off to moisturise my upper lip...