2G21 - 3: Months

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:22 am

We've now experienced a full twelve months of this bullshit and it's got me thinking what normally defines the months of the year for me.

What are your favourite months and how would you rank them? What events and occasions do you associate/look forward to the most in each month? Are there any months that you hate and do you take any measures to combat these?

Bonus question: If you could add in an extra month, which two months would it be between and what would it be called?

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:12 am

If we had a 13th month, each month could be 28 days and all non-lunar calendar holidays would always fall on the same date and day of the week. Seems like a good idea.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:38 am

What would the extra month be called though and would you put it after December or between two other months?

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:12 pm

I'd put it before August and call it Realoctober.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:11 pm

Mitsurugi CP wrote:If we had a 13th month, each month could be 28 days and all non-lunar calendar holidays would always fall on the same date and day of the week. Seems like a good idea.

Plus we get an extra day that falls outside any month. And also outside any normal day of the week if we make it that way. An Aegirsday, if you like.

Coincidentally, Realoctober would make regular October even more fake.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:22 pm

January
Unlike the month or two prior, it’s pretty consistently cold and snowy and it gets points for that. Solid winter weather. However, it also gets dark before work ends, which is a slight mark down. Burns Day can also be fun.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

February
Still usually solid winter weather, but it’s light a bit later! Winter Carnival in Quebec City—never been but it looks like fun. Nuit Blanche in Montreal. Valentine’s Day often means chocolate and a nice restaurant. Groundhog Day gives me ample time to sort out all of my problems. (Happy Groundhog Day!)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

March
Winter starts to get pretty hairy here. Spring technically starts, but that’s a cruel joke. Occasionally we get Easter, but that’s a lot more fun as a kid, or maybe with kids. St. Patrick’s Day is of little interest to me. Worst month.
Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

April
What’s that? It’s spring, you say? Then why is it still snowing just enough to keep some slush around? And why are literally all of the trees still bare, even at the end of the month? April is a fool’s month, but at least spring actually starts to feel like it might happen one day. Also, the bike share returns, and in recent years I’ve taken vacations around this time, so points for that.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

May
By a week or two into May, the trees have leaves again. Hallelujah! It’s spring for a moment! It’s also light jacket or even NO jacket time! And flowers! May is nice.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

June
It’s my birthday, and the weather isn’t too unbearably hot yet. Lacks the euphoric return of May, but a solid month nonetheless. Also features the Mural Festival.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

July
Getting too hot and humid. But hey, it’s sunny and it’s nice to go for long walks and bike rides in the evening. By this time, ice cream is also a regular part of my diet.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

August
Too fucking hot. Otherwise, most of the benefits of summer continue. Nicer than average during pandemic years. Some cool thunderstorms.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

September
As a kid September sucked because school came back. But now it’s when I go camping and the leaves change to unbelievably beautiful colours. There are sugar maples everywhere here—do you understand? This is transcendant stuff. Also the extreme heat starts to go away.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

October
Nice colours early in the month, dry leaves and Halloween later in the month. Cool but not cold. Thanksgiving can be fun too. Good month to wander through cemeteries.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

November
Getting chilly, but not much snow yet—too much cold rain instead. Kind of grey. Trees bare, but without pretty snow. The bike share goes away. Christmas appears too early, though admittedly some of that is nice, like the craft markets. So-so month.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

December
I love Christmas, so big points for that. However, the weather is still hit and miss. It is not reliably wintry even by Christmas Day. Lame duck presidents can be a problem in December. Still, lots of fond associations with this month.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I guess if I could add another month, it would be between September and October, to extend the nicest part of fall. I’d call it Autumnber, which is a pretty dumb name to make up for how otherwise perfect it is. Note that this is assuming we get to literally expand the year with an extra month, not rejig the months à la Mitsurugi.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:11 pm

I feel I'm missing out on a nice October, living in the UK. By far, my least favoruite month!
Been though this in various threads here, but the weather is so inconsistent, it's impossible to dress appropriately for the entire day. It's generally rainy and damp though. The best part of the year has gone, they days get shorter, I get depressed and barely anything noteworthy and good happens. November is probably only better for me because it includes my birthday and I usually have plans based around that.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Wed Feb 03, 2021 4:45 pm

My preferences are highly Montreal-centric. In Vancouver, fall and winter would be rated much lower and early spring much higher.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:43 am

My order, from best to worst:

July
August
May
June
April
September
March
November
December
January
February
October

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 12:26 pm

From best to worst

August
September
June
October
February
May
January
July
April
December
March
Hell month of November

I am not completely aligned with fei but looking at the tiers and we are close

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:07 pm

I'm almost opposite to you guys considering how highly you rank the awful hot summer months and how low you rank the winter months. No way I'm gonna make a complete ranking though as too many months are pretty indistinguishable from each other for me. I will say that August is probably the worst month to me as it often contains the hottest days of the year and has no holidays.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:40 pm

August has a Bank Holiday here. We get Bank Holidays in January, March or April (depending when Easter falls), May, August and December. None in the rest of the months

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:57 pm

I have holidays in January, February, May, July, September, October, November, and December. January and November have two.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:07 pm

See we don't have shit like Thanksgiving and Independence Day. Ours are mostly bunched up in the spring, with a couple for Easter and two in May.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:12 pm

We don't get anything for Easter, in the other hand.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:20 pm

August ain’t so bad Golbez. But you’re right it’s too damn hot. That’s why you go outside and have ice cream.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:22 pm

Stay inside with AC on and have tea.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 3:39 pm

Yeah that’s definitely part of the August experience too. Heck, I still frequently order hot coffee on a hot summer day and sweat it out while I’m out away from AC.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:39 pm

I like being able to go outside and enjoy the sun in the summer. It's rarely too too hot here (unless Johnsun happens).

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:00 pm

This is where late spring and early fall tend to be nicer here—nice and warm outside, but not sweltering. And not as many bugs either.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:44 pm

Yes, weather wise May and October are generally pretty okay, but too much of October is still too hot and too much of May can be either still too cold or already too hot. November is probably a bit better for consistent fall weather. Honestly though, if you can get a straight week out of 52 in the year without bad weather, count yourself lucky.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:23 pm

So picky! Basically, yeah it’s too hot in peak summer, but to me that’s balanced out by being able to walk and bike around so much, the sun being pleasant except for its extreme heat, the late evenings, the stuff going on outside, etc.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 6:40 pm

Fei Ayanami wrote:So picky! Basically, yeah it’s too hot in peak summer, but to me that’s balanced out by being able to walk and bike around so much, the sun being pleasant except for its extreme heat, the late evenings, the stuff going on outside, etc.

I can't walk and bike so much if it's too hot. Being able to spend a lot of times outdoors is negatively impacted by temperature regardless of whether it's too hot or too cold and the summer has the added issue that I have to be careful to stay out of the sun during midday hours.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 7:06 pm

At least outside in the cold you just need to wear more clothes. The heat can be kind of brutal since there’s only so far you get by dressing light. You sort of just have to accept that you’re hot, drink a lot of water, and try not to get heatstroke.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 7:12 pm

That and dressing light can have the negative side effect of more skin exposed to the violent sun.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 7:23 pm

Yeah well that’s what sunscreen is for. It is annoying and kinda gross to put on but it’s not so bad to have on once it kinda mixes with your sweat.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:05 pm

When it mixes with my sweat it gets in my eyes. Bad!

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:24 pm

Poor baby

eightman · Post by **eightman** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:58 am

Mitsurugi CP wrote:I'd put it before August and call it Realoctober.

May I suggest Rocktober?

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:20 am

Is that a contraction

eightman · Post by **eightman** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:34 am

Perhaps a compromise.

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:22 pm

Or make the real October "October", and the fake-ass, newly made 11th month "Mocktober".

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 5:08 pm

It's funny that everyone has an axe to grind about October not being real October, but September, November, and December are fine. I guess the sin against octo can't be overlooked.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 5:19 pm

They follow logically from the false octo-premise.

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:59 pm

October 10/10 that is all

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:21 am

10/10 grey, damp and shitty.

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Tue Feb 09, 2021 3:54 pm

12 months ago I was in Florida not catching the covids

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:18 pm

Damien wrote:10/10 grey, damp and shitty.

Not when you live in southern California.

Although I happen to enjoy grey, damp, and shitty weather so that wouldn't bother me either.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Feb 11, 2021 1:12 pm

You'd probably tire of it quickly if you lived in Manchester. I went to San Francisco in October 10 years ago and it was like the best days of our summer... including the day when it fucked it down with rain.

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Thu Feb 11, 2021 1:23 pm

Yeah but when did Manchester ever burn down tho

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:18 pm

Damien wrote:You'd probably tire of it quickly if you lived in Manchester.

I'm from Seattle so I doubt it.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Fri Feb 12, 2021 7:46 am

Seattle was lovely the two times I was there. I feel I didn’t get to go to the famous bits though. For some reason, I didn’t care at the time.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Feb 12, 2021 10:43 pm

You were there both times?

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:03 am

Just had the realisation that despite my terrible hayfever, I still prefer Spring and Summer months. I must really really hate Autumn and Winter!

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:17 pm

Damien wrote:My order, from best to worst:

July
August
May
June
April
September
March
November
December
January
February
October

Easy to say July is best when it's February. I'd like to rethink this and move it down

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:52 pm

I see I gave July 4 stars out of 5. Pretty fair. I must say, though, this year’s July has been unusually pleasant so far.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:02 pm

Climate change has affecting my ranking in just 2 years

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:39 pm

The to best months r coming up

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:53 pm

Yeah - *checks notes* September and October!

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Jul 13, 2022 6:39 am

October is still the worst here.