This is really bad, I need to get on with my essay. It’s terrible. Although, I am now 20% through my essay, which is a full 5% closer than last time. The house is full of housemates’ music and it’s really hard to concentrate!

I’ve been a little disturbed at my exclamations of late. For those that don’t live with me, I’m prone to shout things out at random intervals. They express mild annoyance (i.e. TV being crap) or frustration (i.e. essays being crap).

Recently my exclamations have been centred around predicting death. For instance; “Oh, we’re all going to die!”. Technically, these exclamations are true. At some point, we will, all of us, die. At least that’s the justification. But anyway. They’re not meant to be maudlin or depressing, and as long as I don’t do it in front of strangers or anything I think it’ll be OK.

I bought Belleville Rendez Vous on DVD the other day. I’m so looking forward to it! It’s a French animated film (by Sylvain Chomet) and it’s about a cycling champion who is kidnapped by gangsters. It’s deliciously surreal and slightly dark in places, and I can’t wait to see it again! (I saw it a few months ago on TV, late at night, and really enjoyed it then).

Over here, in Britain, we’ve just had “bonfire night”. Also called “Guy Fawkes’” or simply “fireworks night” (or even just “the fifth of November”). This is when we celebrate the ruthless and bloodthirsty torture, subsequent confession by, and execution of our best-loved scapegoat traitor, Guy Fawkes. There’s even a song!

Remember, remember
the Fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
Remember, remember
the Fifth of November,
Something that rhymes with ‘and plot’*.

(Apologies, I have forgotten the last line…)

Families gather round bonfires and burn effigies of said traitor, and fireworks are lit all over the nation. This gives the most wondrous impression of being in a warzone with the city all around you being mortared (or shelled, whichever you prefer) by terrorists. You do get to see some lovely fireworks, though.

The history behind this event is this: In 1705, Guy Fawkes and some other (Catholic) conspirators made a plan to blow up the (Protestant) king, James I, on November 5th. They laid a store of gunpowder under the houses of Westminster but were stopped when someone received what we would call today an ‘anonymous tip-off’. The conspirators were then tortured until they signed a confession, and exectuted.

Isn’t it quaint, British culture.