clouds in my coffee

Joel: If only I could
meet someone new.



I guess my chances of that happening
are somewhat diminished, seeing that I'm incapable of making eye contact with a woman I don't know.

Maybe I should
get back together with Naomi.



She was nice.
Nice is good.



She loved me.



Why do I fall in love
with every woman I see...who shows me the least bit of attention?






Unrequited love may be painful, but it is safely painful, because it does not involve inflicting damage on anyone but oneself, a private pain that is as bitter-sweet as it is self-induced. But as soon as love is reciprocated, one must be prepared to give up the passivity of simply being hurt and take on the responsibility of perpetrating hurt oneself.

A. de Botton






I've learned...

I've learned...
maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned...
it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned...
you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved; the rest is up to them.

I've learned...
no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned...
it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned...
either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned...
it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned...
you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

I've learned...
you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I've learned...
you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned...
you can do something in an instant something that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned...
you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned...
you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned...
we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned...
regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned...
heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned...
money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned...
my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned...
sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned...
sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned...
true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I've learned...
just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned...
no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned...
it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned...
no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned...
our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned...
just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned...
we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned...
even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned...
you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned...
two people can look at the exact same thing and see something different.

I've learned...
no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned...
your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I've learned...
even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I've learned...
credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned...
the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon. Cherish and appreciate them now.

I've learned...
regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned...
it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.

I've learned...
if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.

I've learned...
you can make someone's day by simply sending them a little note.

I've learned...
life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned...
that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her needs to cast blame on others.

I've learned...
no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned...
motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.

I've learned...
you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned...
making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life".

I've learned...
you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned...
if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned...
whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned...
every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love human touches - holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned...
that I still have a lot to learn.






...scenes from a mall...


Joel climbs stairs, searches the aisle, spots Clementine.

JOEL
Hi.

She turns.

CLEMENTINE
I didn't think you'd show your face
around me again. I figured you were
humiliated. You did run away, after all.

JOEL
Sorry to track you down like this. I'm
not a stalker. But I needed to see you.

CLEMENTINE
(seemingly uninterested)
Yeah?

JOEL
I'd like to... take you out or something.

CLEMENTINE
Well, you're married.

JOEL
Not yet. Not married.

CLEMENTINE
Look, man, I'm telling you right off the
bat, I'm high maintenance. So I'm not
going to tiptoe around your marriage or
whatever it is you got going there. If
you want to be with me, you're with me.

JOEL
Okay.

CLEMENTINE
So make your domestic decisions and maybe
we'll talk again.

She goes back to stacking. Joel stands there helplessly.

JOEL
I just think that you have some kind
of... quality that seems really important
to me.

The scene is disintegrating. Clementine's speech is
delivered without passion.

CLEMENTINE
Joel, I'm not a concept. I want you to
just keep that in your head. Too many
guys think I'm a concept or I complete
them or I'm going to make them alive, but
I'm just a fucked-up girl who is looking
for my own peace of mind. Don't assign
me yours.

JOEL
I remember that speech really well.

CLEMENTINE
(smiling)
I had you pegged, didn't I?

JOEL
You had the whole human race pegged.

CLEMENTINE
Probably.

JOEL
I still thought you were going to save
me. Even after that.

CLEMENTINE
I know.

JOEL
It would be different, if we could just
give it another go around.

CLEMENTINE
Remember me. Try your best. Maybe we
can.

The scene is gone.