Pope Alexander

Went to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night. Love that Charlie Kauffman. But as lots of people who'd seen it told me, maybe I'm not in the best place in my life to appreciate a movie about two lovers who've broken up and are trying to erase each other from their minds. Especially since--though the characters are nothing like us--I bear a passing resemblance to Jim Carrey and J looks not terribly unlike Kate Winslet.

The scene that got me the most was when they've just met and Clem matter-of-factly takes a piece of chicken off Joel's plate. On 2 October 2001, I was at a party for Renaissance Studies at a British University, and had a piece of what I thought was chicken on my plate. When I took a bite it turned out to be some fried Indian onion horror. No sooner had I made an "ew" face than a beautiful woman I didn't know said "Oh, that's an onion bhaji. I'll have it." And she took it. Off my plate. With a bite out of it. As if we were already lovers, as Joel Barish says in the film.

Within about thirty minutes J and I were closer friends than I usually acquire in years. People asked how long we'd known each other, thinking the answer would be months, not hours.

Sigh. Can't erase these memories. And why would I want to? But letting go would certainly be easier without them. Blessed are the forgetful.