November Thoughts

A chill has settled in the air. It's not quite winter here in Scotland, but it's certainly getting closer. After the time change recently, it's dark by the time I walk home at night. I haven't yet broken out my pea coat. Once it's predicted to be very cold for a few consecutive days, I'll consider it.

It's also November. To me, that means NaNoWriMo (which I am honestly way too busy to participate in this year if I want to stay sane... maybe next year), Thanksgiving, my birthday, and impatiently waiting for the first snowfall. This year my birthday is on the same day as Thanksgiving, but since I'm in the UK I won't get the day off. I have two projects due the day after. I hope to get work done beforehand, so I can be free to have fun on my birthday. My 21st is one I should make sure and celebrate! Despite already being able to drink in the UK.

Today's date is 11/11/11. Yes, even in Britain. To Americans, this is Veteran's Day. I have a few issues with how some people honor Veteran's Day, and I could probably dedicate an entire post to it, but I'll leave it at this: I'm sure many of them are honorable people, but I personally don't understand why anyone in their right mind would join the military. It's also depressing what happens to these people when they come back from tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. I'd prefer if we focused on keeping people from going to war rather than honoring people who have been to war.

However, today isn't just Veteran's Day. To the UK, it's Remembrance Day, which honors the end of WWI. In Korea, it's Pepero Day, similar to Valentine's Day, when people give their friends and significant others Pepero, a treat similar to the Japanese snack Pocky. To gamers, it's the launch day of Skyrim, the sequel to the massively successful game Oblivion. And to some, it's just a lucky day. Something about a date with the same 6 digits that won't come around for another thousand years just seems like a reason to celebrate.

So go grab a hot chocolate, a mug of coffee, a bottle of Magners, or whatever makes you happy, and await the snow with me.