Monday, January 28, 2008

The Butterfly Effect

Thanks to the shingles I am out of commission, apparently all week - that is what my boss expects. And this morning my consultant at the agency warned me I could be out for up to 3 weeks. No way! I was hoping to be able to wear something more formal than pyjamas by the end of this week! But I don't know, some of it is right along the bra line. Evil. And water on the skin? Forget it.

I am unable to go to a friend's birthday this weekend. I'm not contagious, but I don't want anyone to worry.

Well, the throbbing, pinching pain is mostly gone this evening, but there is a rawness, and the itching is becoming much more intense; there was even a little spreading yesterday, but it's definitely slowed down. It is easy to keep my hands off, but compression and warmth help, and when my hand is there compressing, the temptation to maybe scratch round the edges of the gauze and tape is sometimes too much...then there is a sort of stupid lingering pain under the whole area.

Oh! Must take my midnight dose. High dosage tablets, five per day for a week (probably because it's so poorly absorbed by the body). It's not hard to forget when you have something so pervasive. I almost watch the clock.

This thing is so wicked...more so than the original chicken pox. If you've had that then you must try to avoid developing shingles, ok? Which means, keep down your stress levels and keep up your immunity.

**********

On to better things. I saw a movie the other night that we might enjoy discussing.

It's The Butterfly Effect.

First off, I am no fan of Ashton Kutcher. No, not even that, he's not even an issue. The actors in a movie don't influence whether I watch it or not, I'm not critical in that way. (I don't like Cameron Diaz but have watched There's Something About Mary twice.) But I must say, young Mr Kutcher did a good job in this.

It was a fascinating premise and one that obviously interests me as a psychology grad and a lover of some things sci-fi.

A psychology student called Evan (Kutcher) with a troubled childhood finds a way of travelling back in time and into the body of his childhood to certain events in his life via his journal entries. In this way, he is world-wise enough to tweak the main events that influence his life in order to improve the long-term outcome. After each episode he returns to the present but often with drastic changes, and he must undergo a fit during which his memories are rewritten and he suffers some hemorrhaging. However, each attempt is detrimental to his life and the lives of the people who are closest to him.

Depending on which event he tries to control, the outcomes are wildly varying and he goes further back each time to find the root problem.

The final solution means he must return to a day when he says something that turns the love of his life, Kayleigh, away from him forever. And only then do their lives take a normal path. Of all the variables, it had to be her.

Finally, Evan finds himself at the college dorm, roommates with the friend Kenny who in all other scenarios had been tied to a bed in a mental hospital, but who is now studying architecture. He experiences the hemorrhage...Kenny asks if he needs to see a doctor...he insists everything will be alright now, then asks "How's Kayleigh?"
And Kenny says, "Who's she?"

Sad, but triumphant, ending.

Some years later, working in NYC, Evan passes Kayleigh on the street. They glance at each other the way you do when you get the feeling you've seen someone somewhere before, except he knows who she is. She then looks back at him but keeps walking. Then he looks back too, but shakes his head and keeps going. He has chosen to keep the solution uncompromised.

I hope you find the time to watch it.

**********

Oh my gosh!! 'Tis getting worse. Please tell me not to scratch it!!!

11 comments:

L B said...

Please, please, don't scratch! Or you will find pieces of yourself on the floor soon! :-) Awww, I am sorry you're not too well. But I can imagine how comfy you look in those pyjamas.
I must have watched The Butterfly Effect a couple of years ago.. Quite a good movie. But I cannot remember much of it.

Anonymous said...

Get well soon Olivia.

MattJ said...

Oh dear! I hope you get well soon 'Livvy!

I tend not to avoid films because of actors either - I can't stand De Caprio and not a huge Hanks fan but thought they were both brilliant in Catch Me if you Can. Perversely I really like Wil Smith as an actor, despite some of my comments surrounding certain films! (Check out In Pursuit of Happiness if you need a Hollywood ending ;))

Anyway! I've seen the Butterfly Effect, I wasn't a huge fan but I agree Kutcher wasn't awful in it! Did you see a movie called Memento? That's one I loved!

Anonymous said...

Don't Scratch It! Stop That!

And, er, well, get well soon!

The film sounds really interesting, tho I bet he's kicking himself for fidgeting with the space time continuum like that!

Anonymous said...

Hey, stop that scratching! Watch another movie. Write another post. Um.... rearrange your clothes closet. Think about going back in time to change something in your past. ....are you still scratching?!

The Moody Minstrel said...

No! Stop!
Ah-ah-ah! Don't!
No...!
GET those fingernails away...RIGHT NOW!!!!

LEEEEAVE BRITNEEEY AL...huh?

(scratches head)

Hey, don't look at me like that! I can scratch! You can't! Don't even think about it! Not even! It's not itchiness you feel! You feel blessed rays of pure energy caressing your skin, revitalizing you, invigorating you, restoring your fading self-worth, resetting your political alignment, making you ponder whether it's permissible to spell "vigor" without a "u"! You don't want to interrupt that energy, not even for a whit (or a curmudgeon)(No offense, Matt), so DON'T SCRATCH!!!!

Hey, I saw that!

Anonymous said...

Just checking back - are you not posting because you're scratching?! Better not!

MattJ said...

Minstrel - Offended?! Hell no! It's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! *SOB!*

And we agree on another thing! -

Livvy - Quit the damaned scratching or so help me I will deliver a lenghty, vitriolic and invariably ill-informed rants on the iniquities of the US electoral system! :D

That should learn ya!

.....
....

And no, without u's in words like favour,flavour, vigour etc. You can cause untold environmental damage. Countless tons of non-biodegradable U's litter the earth thanks to you silly Americans! Why do you think English words are so full of unnecessary letters?! Just look at Queue and Cheque - those extra letters could be saving some kind of Vole! Luckily some of you Americans have an environmental conscience and so purchase and drive SUVs in order to utilise these poisonous and hazardous vowels!

Olivia said...

LB - Check me out, I have graduated to leggings and a shirt today!

***

Planethalder - thank you my dear!

***

Matt - despite myself, i have come to like Will Smith too. He's adorable, and a great character.
I have seen Memento and it has been recommended to me before. It didn't really get me, though...See, what I liked about Butterfly was how very much like a role playing adventure it was, where you can fiddle with the endings.

***

Nikki - I'm not really scratching, just rubbing the dressing!

***

Minstrel - you did NOT just mention THAT girl on my blog...

I did like that zen meditation moment though, made me smile.

I will get to the U when I bash Matt on the head in a minute.

***

Nikki - uh, anything I think of posting is so boring. Who wants to read an article in praise of the incandescent light bulb?

***

Matt - alright mister! Nice, I see you are already calling me "you American" hehe!

You Brits protest over the French so much, so why do you use those words that came over with the Norman invasion? Colour is closer to couleur, but color is taken from the Latin root, and so on...

So nyer! :P

MattJ said...

All these things I know, hence the use of the term 'unnecessary extra letters' and my spurious reasoning lol!

The 'You Americans' was aimed at Mr Minstrel actually, you've at least had some time in civilisation heheheh!

Personally I quite like the French - its the way they go on strike not only for a cause, but sometimes even in solidarity with other strikers that makes me think there is a lot of good there lol!

and, yes, English is the most mongrel of cultures let alone languages - most English folk and fairy tales are Germanic, Scandinavian and Gaelic in origin!

so nyer! heheh!

The Moody Minstrel said...

Matt -

Actually, right now I think a lot of those excess "u"s are winding up in young peoples' text messaging.

i no u n ur 2 pwn3d 2 no! ;-)

Olivia -

Yes, I'm afraid I did mention THAT girl here. I'm really sorry, too. I don't really know where it came from or what came over me. I guess I was just very deeply moved by that video on YouTube. The loyalty of that whiny fan (attention whore?) was just so touching.