November 2016

Hello all,

November, November, I scarcely remember. November has always felt like a filler month to me; nowadays it’s little more than an extension of December, everyone just anticipating Christmas now that we’ve got the pesky first five sixths of the year out of the way. Certainly, there’s very little to distinguish it from its brethren: the weather grows colder, but it’s already been doing that since September and, sure, more leaves turn brown but it’s only the first ones you really notice.

In England, there is of course Guy Fawkes’ Night to help add some bang, if you’ll pardon the pun (and you absolutely shouldn’t). However, for me at least Guy Fawkes is just not as fun as an adult- if I want to watch something explode, I have to risk my own limbs, rather than watching a parent and/or teacher do so from afar. Unlike Hallowe’en or New Year’s, which gain a lot of excitement from the adult ability to make your own fun, Guy Fawkes’ Night just becomes another night when I sit inside because I don’t know anyone who’s letting off fireworks. Also, there’s all the tedious people who seem to think that Fawkes was an anarchist.

But, never fear, there’s some tasty morsels to add a little fizz to this month, courtesy of HAJET and the region which spawned it. There’s the Enkai after the Skills Development Conference, which almost but not quite makes up for the indignity of the conference itself. There’s also a Classic Cars Fesitval on the 3rd, a Happiness Market on the 12th and a Science Café on the 22nd.

And, of course, there’s this month’s issue, where Elise informs of one of Japan’s most horrifying monsters, Rackle regales us with how the rafting trip went, a JET-Parent tells us how it is on the other side, we learn about how to deal with children and the Refuge provides some good old scares with an ogre and a centipede.

Have fun and watch out for Christmas Creep,

Da Chief (Rory)