story of embarrassment, Eternal Sunshine, meme

[sarea]

Something incredibly embarrassing happened to me yesterday. It's one of those things that I've always had in the back of my mind could happen, but had escaped up to this point. Well, it finally happened.

First of all, damn you for clicking on that link. :))

Second of all, before I start this, I just want to say that I have no problem doing things by myself. I really like doing things with other people, but I don't mind -- and sometimes, I prefer -- doing things on my own. Well, yesterday I decided to go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and since it was playing at the theater right near one of my favorite sushi restaurants, I decided to go there first for lunch, then go to the movie.

I was just starting to eat my lunch, when, as is usual, I start ruminating on how awful it would be if I had forgotten my wallet or something. I check my purse, and it's there, so there's a momentary breath of relief. Notice I said MOMENTARY. Because, of course, in the next second I remembered that when I had gone out the night before, I'd taken out most of my credit cards, my driver's license, and my cash, and stuck it in the backpockets of my jeans. JEANS I WASN'T WEARING. Ahhhhhhh!!! I only had my Discover card with me, and the restaurant didn't take Discover.

There was a lot of embarrassing apologies from me, groveling, giving of phone numbers and the aforementioned Discover card as collateral, etc. They were very nice about it, saying that I should just stay and enjoy the rest of my lunch, but I don't think I could have sat there and ate, knowing that they were probably wondering if I was some kind of scam artist or something. Plus the movie was going to start soon, and I didn't want to miss it.

I had them pack it all up to go, then I rushed home and got my credit cards and cash, then rushed back and paid for it all, still feeling 50 shades of shame. They had even packed up extra miso soup for me so I could "enjoy it at home," and of course I tipped them extra. They were nice and it wasn't a big deal, but God it was so very, very embarrassing. I don't know if I can ever go back.

And see, this is one situation where it would have been better if I'd been with someone, because then maybe they would have had some form of payment, or at least could have sat there while I went home and got money. SIGH.

Anyway, then I went and saw ESotSM, which I enjoyed. It was really well done, and it's definitely a good movie, but I don't think I liked it as much as I wanted to/thought I should. Part of the problem is that Clementine did nothing for me. I didn't like her. If I knew her IRL, I'd probably want to smack her. In fact, the movie was saved by the fact that she was played by Kate Winslet, who I love. If she'd been played by someone else, I don't know if I could have gotten over not liking the heroine.

At the same time, maybe Kate playing that character was a detriment. I've seen Kate in just about everything, and she really likes playing these kooky characters. The problem is, I think she's better in more traditional roles. Other kooky heroines she's played were in Hideous Kinky and Holy Smoke!, neither of which were very good. So in a way, I feel like I keep seeing her same kooky character, and I don't even like her all that much.

I liked how the story was put together; it was nice to see Joel and Clementine's relationship come together the way it did. The storyline jumped around a lot, but it wasn't confusing and felt pretty seamless. I do wish we'd seen more of the deterioration of their relationship. We saw the good parts, and we saw the bad parts, but I'm not sure we really saw how it went from one to the other.

What I really enjoyed was when Clementine was trying to recapture what she had with Joel, with Elijah (how creepy was he? I was kind of bummed that we never really saw that get wrapped up completely), but it wasn't right because it wasn't Joel. And I liked the overall message of the movie -- that we are the sum of our experiences, and good or bad, those experiences make us who we are, and they are worth having. What's interesting is that, conversely, it also shows (through both Joel and Clementine as well as through Kirsten Dunst) that we already are who we are, and we'll make the same decisions over and over again, no matter what, because we haven't learned yet not to make those mistakes.

I dug the conclusion that Joel and Clementine came to -- that if it's going to end badly, with her hating herself and him being irritated by her ... so what? They both realized that what they had, or will have, is worth whatever comes after, because the having is what counts. It's the experience that matters ... they can't learn from their own mistakes when they haven't made them, when it's just been told to them. And it's nice that, because they already know this about themselves, about their relationship, they might actually make different choices (as I think we're being told when, in his memory, Joel enters the house again though he didn't do it the first time).

Not to mention, Clementine going to Lacuna put a halt to whatever might have come after. Joel was ready to apologize, had purchased her some jewelry that we know she liked ... who knows what could have happened? Maybe they would have worked it out anyway. (Seems doubtful when she hated herself, which is a pretty serious criticism of the relationship, imho.) Or maybe, because they're both a little different from their (non-)experiences, they'll be able to meet each other half way. I don't know ... but the possibility is there. And the great thing is, even if they don't work it out, the message is that that's not what's important ... it's creating those experiences and living your life that's important. Which is cool.

The stupidest thing, though, was that Joel apparently wasn't to know about Clementine erasing him from her memory. He found out from his friends, and later Tom Wilkinson tells him that he wasn't supposed to have seen the card. I'm like, that makes no sense whatsoever. Wouldn't the person being erased be the FIRST person to tell, if the point is to make sure the patient doesn't come into contact with whatever s/he has erased? Yes, that part was lame.

And, gacked from fearthainn:

Invent a memory of me, or me and you. It can be anything you want, so long as it's something that's never happened. Then post this to your journal and see what people would like to remember of you, only the universe failed to cooperate in making it happen, so they had to make it up instead.

How creative are you guys? <g>

Comments

[sevenfourteen.livejournal.com]

aww, sarea it's ok...i know how you feel though..i always get so flustered...at least you can do things by yourself. I HATE going place by myself

in regards to yesterdays posts:
-that is very true...i tend to think of sweet guys as being brotherly...but hey, you never know ;)
-opposites attract, right?
-I can see why people wouldn't like Ella. It isn't my most favorite movie, but I thought it was cute. I'm gonna take my little sister to see 13 going 30 after finals :)
-And, yes, I happen to be one of those girls that falls into the romantic comedy category. I love em. Only b/c shit like that doesn't happen in real life :p I don't like them all...some can be too cheezy even for rom comedy, some just don't work ie Maid in Manhattan
-As for Adam Sandler...you might like Punch Drunk Love...it's kind of different and wierd...Im not sure if I liked it or not...I also hated the Waterboy with him...that was HORRIBLE

ok, im out

*mwah*

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

Remember that time we went backpacking in Australia? That was so much fun...all that time hanging on the beach, drinking wine, chatting with all the other kids doing the same thing. And that guy with the green bandana, although the less said about him the better, I think. Didn't you keep the bandana as a souvenier? I didn't think you'd want it after where it had been, but you said you didn't care. You always were the daring one. ;)

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

I washed it!!!

Well, not immediately after, but ... eventually.

About the movie..

[venetianglass.livejournal.com]

I saw it several weeks ago, and I recall being slightly confused. In fact, I spent 2/3 of the movie being confused. But I kind of liked it.

Before we went to see it, I hadn't read anything about it. Only that the actors were amazing - Jim Carrey particularly - and I agreed wholeheartedly with that. This was probably the first movie of his I adored since I saw Man on the Moon. I agree about Clementine - she left me wanting for something. In the end, I found she was the one I really didn't like. And I decided if their relationship failed, it was her fault.

Overall, I agree with your review. Once I got it and could make sense of the timeline, then I realized how much I enjoyed it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_lore/]

Oh, gawd, remember the time we were sitting in the diner and that guy came up to hit on you? The one who's always there, nursing a cup of coffee in his army jacket and scraggly beard. Man, you were hot that night, of course he chatted you up. Everybody breathing hit on you! Men, women, it didn't matter, you had a glow and it was all about you.

I admit, I was a little jealous.

love, lore

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, remember when I was out by you and Jade was there too and we just sat around talking the whole night except for when we got mad at each other and started yelling emoticons at each other? I'll never forget shouting "SHIFT SEMICOLON HYPHEN L, BITCH!" and you shouting back, "SHIFT X HYPHEN SHIFT 9, WHORE!" and Jade ignoring us both and reading War and Peace. Then we made up and started criticizing your next door's neighbor's fashion choices and that weirdo at the local library. Good times, my friend, good times.

[ropo.livejournal.com]

My favorite memory of you is that time that you moved back home. *g*

You criminal. I woulda loved it if they made you wash dishes.

Meanwhile, in similar news, last night Jade & I went to the fabriolet all-night McDonald's for ice cream, only their ice cream machine was broken, so we decided to split a 2-cheeseburger meal. But we'd left the house w/ no money, other than the change in my car, which equalled much more than the 84 cents needed for the ice cream, but would we be able to scrounge FIVE DOLLARS AND SIXTY-TWO CENTS for the meal? Amazingly enough, we did! The end.

(Note to self: Must remember to refill car's change holder.)

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

LOL @ that! I wouldn't have had $20 in change, so even if I'd been in my regular car w/ all the loose change it wouldn't have mattered, the embarrassment would have happened anyway.

However, I am shaking my head at the fact that Jade KNEW MY STORY in the afternoon time, so before you guys did that, and she didn't learn from my mistake. Honestly.

I did move back home. But that was four years ago and it was for three months. :))

[akscully.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh! Remember that time, oh, well, I guess you might not, but anyway, I was over at your place and there was this line of guys by the door--really weird looking ones, but whatever--and I thought that was a little odd, and I tried to walk in, but one of them pushed me back and said, "No cutting" and I was like, "Dude, I don't self-mutilate," and he was all, "No, no cutting in line. We paid to be here and see Sarea in her bedroom," and I was all, "Okay, man. I respect a service in exchange for money arrangement."

So I left and went and had some ice cream. It was really good.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

How else do you think I earned the money to go shopping with you at Nordstrom's?

And aren't you glad that I don't charge you?

[akscully.livejournal.com]

It's how I knew you really loved me.

[jade-okelani.livejournal.com]

Man, my favorite was that time we planned that tour of Europe, and we pre-paid all our hotel accommodations and train-fare, but somehow, we forgot our money at home (give past behavior, I blame you), and we couldn't place any calls home (due to that terrible electrical outage of the time) and so we had to earn food and anything else we needed while on vacation. Man, the street performing we did; you were pretty good at tap dancing, but I still can't hear Let Us Entertain You without cringing.

I still don't know what you did with that French guy, but man did we ever eat good that night.

[gianfared.livejournal.com]

Awww, so sorry for that embarrassing moment. My husband has taken my wallet out of my pocket book and left me high and dry like that. At least I had the luxury of blaming him. :P

Sorry, but my memory is all about me. It was that time you were so sweet and babysat my three kids so I could have a day at the spa. I thought you were the best to let me get that massage, herbal masque and they even served champagne. The kids loved you so much you couldn't wait to come back and that's this Friday, right? Thanks! You're the best!

[fiannan.livejournal.com]

*pats sympathetically*

Ouch. Don't worry, though, it happens to us all - some of us more than others o.0

And I'd invent a memory of us, except that would be kind of weird considering this is only like the second time I've commented on your LJ. I'm not a creepy-stalker-type. Really, I'm not *g*

[mynuet.livejournal.com]

I'll never forget that time just before Christmas when we were chatting on IM and, just to be nice, you told me all about how IYOK was going to end. God, having Draco turn out to be the killer all along, and then Ginny ends up helping him kill Harry and Hermione just before the end... I'd never have suspected.

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Dude, you promised you'd never tell anyone. That is just not cool.

[mynuet.livejournal.com]

*adds 'faithless' and 'untrustworthy' to "Hurtful Arrogant Elitist Bitch" plaque*

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you tote that around proudly.

You forgot the twist, though, where Ginny then turns on Draco and kills him, because it turns out that she's been influencing him all along. She learned a thing or two while being under Voldemort's control. But don't worry, that doesn't happen until after they have sex near their friends' dead bodies.

[mynuet.livejournal.com]

Didn't you say you were writing some smut where they smeared each other with the blood from the murder victims or something like that?

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

I cannot confirm or deny, as you clearly cannot be trusted with such information. But if I were to write such a thing, it might be a standalone and have nothing to do w/ IYOK.

[mynuet.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, I didn't even mention that other project you were working on. *looks shiftily at icon* I mean, surely that counts for something?