Freshly shaved and ready

Here follows a list of things, in no particular order, that I hold most dear in my current life: my family, Glen Hansard songs, a notebook full of musical ideas, my girlfriend, Green Bay Packer football, and the cleanliness and well-being of my upper lip.

This month, I'm putting the latter at stake for the betterment of men's health. Beginning today and continuing throughout November, I'll be joining men around the world in growing a moustache to raise awareness for cancers that affect men. What does this mean for the blog? Well, all through the month I'll be posting pictures of my mo-growing efforts as well as information about the Movember movement and it's famous alumni. In exchange, I ask only two things: 1) you'll humour me by posting your mo styling suggestions in the comments section of this blog, and 2) you'll consider sponsoring my effort by making a donation. While growing a moustache may be funny, certainly the threat of prostate and testicular cancer is not. Consider the following:

- In their lifetime, 1 in 6 men will at some point be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
- Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18-35.

To sponsor my "mo" and fight against these cancers, you can either:

• Click this link http://us.movember.com/mospace/58171/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or
• Write a check payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 58171 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:

• The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
• Research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please go to http://us.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

And that's it. I realize that growing a moustache may not seem like the most serious approach to help stop cancer, but in reality these moustaches serve as great conversation pieces and, if nothing else, get people to stop and listen. In a place like Japan where men are encouraged to stay silent about certain issues, the importance of opening a dialogue about men's health can't be underestimated. Please consider supporting my efforts, and let's have a fun Movember.