In these times of heated social media diatribes, political Greco-Roman wrasslin’ and semi-permanent lockdowns (cue the mandatory beating of my Melburnian breast), I have decided to observe October as a month to observe other people observing things. For me, there was a sense of self crumbling under the weight of being house arrested for the good of all. Gravitas, like gravity, can be crushing; I knew I needed a break from howling at the Moon (16 October is the ‘international observe the Moon night’). So to the calendar I turned.
In my enforced isolation, it was a month too early for world hello day (21 November) and yet a month after I had sloppily missed international talk like a pirate day (19 Sept); I am still lamenting that missed opportunity to annually push verbiage such as avast, belay and bilge back into popular usage.
So in honour of our mates at the UN (who have their own little celebration on 24 October with the 72nd observance of United Nations day) I followed and will follow my vicarious Octoberisms, courtesy of those intrepid internationalists and sundry other lovers of the tenth month.
I formally videocalled my old man on 1 October to pay homage to the international day of older persons. Serendipity reigned, as his new hearing aids meant he also could revel in international music day, held on that same orbit of the sun.
The next day, world no alcohol day, made pretext towards a valiant global struggle for sobriety. It was defied by national vodka day, observed in solidarity with some US mates on the 4th.
Unlike some German rellies lamenting the second consecutive cancellation of Oktoberfest, Australians under Covid conditions are holding firm in their beer consumption and hitting new heights with wine and spirits. Portentous or Playful? Coping method or calamitous mayhem? It depends who’s pouring and why they’re drinking.
'Engendering some community spirit in the face of an increasingly polarised, deliberately discriminating community of vaccinated and unvaccinated could be just what the doctor ordered.'
On the 5th, I ceremonially raised a glass to salute my spouse on world teachers day, as she heroically slogged along, doing her utmost to share kindness, acumen, wisdom and concern for her students through screens.
I would have readily done the same to celebrate my favourite leggy wonders, the oceans’ funkiest residents as recognised on world octopus day, which is beautifully assigned to the eighth of October; except for