Thoughtful Thursday: Alternate Realities

Let's go in the Wayback Machine to Tuesday, shall we?

Alternate realities as portrayed by Sliding Doors, remember? Also the hotness of John Hannah, but let's move on to more philosophical observations.

I'd been thinking of the film as similar to The Double Life of Veronique, the focus of a blog called Brasserie Alizé. But it turns out they're not really that much alike. TDLOV is - well, I'm honestly not sure what it is, because I haven't seen it yet. It's on order. I've read several reviews, and it's intriguing, but I can't grab hold and characterize it for you yet.

Maybe I won't be able to do so even once I've viewed it, but I will certainly give it the old college try.

Where does that expression come from, anyway? I mean, my Mom uses it all the time, but where'd she hear it? Sigh. I am so ADD. While looking up "old college try" here might make for an outstandingly interesting post, I DID promise you something about alternate realities. Let's go back to the comments on Tuesday for more fodder to pontificate.

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

I don't embrace regret, but I do wonder and really, who doesn't?

(I, for one, am not going to lie to you.)

I guess I can live without knowing because despite the decisions I would do differently, I'm pretty happy to be where I landed.

I actually go out with Lisa every once in a while, and I can attest she is a happy person. And a thoughtful person, in both senses of the word (kind to others and a deep thinker). So in our non-scientific poll, we have 1 who admits to wondering about other paths that might have been, but content with her lot in life.

Mrs. Chili said... The bit you posted from Four Weddings gets me EVERY TIME.

Sometimes, I feel a little like I DO live in more than one reality; like somewhere, a little bit of my soul split off and took a different course and, if I'm still and quiet, I can hear the lessons it's learned transmitted back to me.

Aha! The plot thickens. We now have 2 who admit to wondering about alternate realities. Plus there's more than contentment, there's learning going on, and a reference to horcruxes (But I doubt Mrs. Chili has committed unspeakably evil acts like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in order to have the soul splitting; her writing is too lovely). This is intriguing. Anyone else ever have that multiple reality feeling? The transmitting reference reminds me of the Dennis Quaid movie, Frequency. Anyone else ever see that except me and Professor X?

Bee said...

That scene from Four Weddings is SO memorable, isn't it? I knew what you were referring to the second that I read "Stop all the clocks . . ."

As for alternative realities, or roads not taken, I often think about how nearly I avoided meeting my husband -- blind date; had just ended a long-term relationship, and didn't really want a new one. His English-ness decided it! And that brings me to John Hannah -- who has sweet droopy eyes.

My reason (you, too, JaPRA!) for not being prejudiced against Texans has spoken. Three out of three commenters wonder about alternate realities. And this one feels gratitude for not being on that other road. My buddies are all blessedly blissful. That makes me glad.

phd in yogurtry said...

I loved Hannah's performance in Sliding Doors. and it was a great movie. One of the few movies I've purchased. It plays out that question we all contemplate from time to time.

As for your question, I'd have to say no. I don't believe in destiny. I think of myself as a romantic, but I guess I'm a logic bound romantic. Life is random and so never boring or predictable.

A fourth wonderer, who also seems content, and addresses the question of destiny with a shake of her head. While appreciating the charms of Mr. Hannah. :)

Lisa said...

I'm so glad you told me to come look! This made my night! I love John Hannah. And that scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral brings me to tears every single time.

This is a great post. I waver between thinking that some things happen for a reason and thinking that everything is random. I never get very far with those lines of thought before I'm flat on my face in confusion.

The John Hannah fan club is growing by leaps and bounds. I only hope that Lisa hasn't skinned her nose. Acknowledging randomness vs. believing my mother's phrase (everything happens for a reason) - those are two very different places. No wonder Lisa is bewildered. Me too. But she avoids my alternate reality question. Very slippery.

Kathy Amen said...

What was so great about Sliding Doors was that the earth-changing thing was such a minor, overlooked event! Who knows what will change our lives forever?! (And--spoiler alert--that would be a good movie to include in your list of good movie pathos, would it not?)

Kathy's the fifth to wonder about the wee things that change one's life.

She's right - it would be a good movie to include.

So I wasn't getting any male commenters, and I sort of wondered about that. Then I had what my friend Alexandre would call an "A-ha moment." I needed more delectable bait! Some beautiful woman would bring the boys running. So I replaced John Hannah with Gwyneth Paltrow, and waited, and the comments came rolling in....

from more women.

Nancy Goodman, LPC, NCC said...

Hello, thanks for your email! First of all, I love John Hannah. Also John Cusack. I really liked Sliding Doors, from a "cinema therapy" perspective, as a great example of the low-grade emotional abuse/crazymaking/codependency that can occur in an unhealthy romantic relationship. "I can't write without you"--manipulation heaven.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Nancy has this great blog, Fumbling Toward Serenity:musings on the quest for happiness. I'd discovered her while preparing to write on Tuesday. She has a fun analysis of Sliding Doors on July 9, 2008. You should go visit her. She is very smart, but like most counselors, she doesn't answer your questions, just gives you some thought-provoking observations. Articulate and intelligent, but shielded from revealing anything about her own reactions. I mean, these are great points about the therapy value of the film, and will be extraordinarily helpful to me in constructing my class. But do we know whether she thinks about alternate realities or destiny? No. Still, she's AWESOME.

Gifted Typist said...

I like J. Hannah too. Not long after I saw Sliding Doors, I ran into him in Liberty's in London (as ya do!).

We were on the stair case. I thought it so good of him not to stop me and make a big fuss in public.

Gifted Typist makes me giggle. But I do wonder - why didn't she trip Hannah and make him live in her house forever? Not that I'm saying I would, you understand. Hey! wait a minute! Another avoider of my questions. These people are getting unruly.

dianne said...

I really enjoyed 'Sliding Doors' and yes I have often thought what my life would be like if I had chosen a different path or made different choices.
I did a post on that very same thing on my blog on March 13...I have often wondered 'what if'?
Remember that beautiful poem that the Colonel posted on Nature Diary 'Love at First Sight' by Wislawa Szymborska about parallel lives and how we might have just missed an encounter with someone we could love by a second in time, that we may have touched a door handle or rang a bell that the person had also done before us but we would never know...I have often wondered if that pesron exists for me. ♡

Dianne's response does not surprise me. Her blog, Here is My Heart, often has a wistful tone about the what-might-have-beens. So she is my sixth wonderer, and my first sometimes sad one. I hope that good things come to her. Or that she goes out and grabs some good things. But that's a topic for another day, I think; the going in search of your bliss in a sneaky way. Yes. I will share my incredible insights on that (distilled from my mother's expert advice) some time soon. I wish I could go back to Nature Diary and look at that poem she references. But the Colonel has taken the blog down, which is a very fink-like thing to do. If he doesn't want to keep posting, fine. He could simply announce that he is leaving it up as an archive, but it will not be updated. But to remove it entirely....

Anyone else out there have a favorite blog totally disappear? Why, there oughta be a law.....

Hey! What's the source of that quote? I honestly don't know. I googled it and came up with 6,810 hits. But none of them seem to answer it. Okay, the first two don't answer it. Then I got bored. Will someone please tell me?

Oh, and feel free to talk about the post too.

What was it about again?

Stop All the Clocks or Two for Tuesday-MEN'S VERSION

Okay, so I figured out why I was only getting female commenters on today's post. Men were not excited by the photo of John Hannah. So here's a pretty girl photo to entice them to comment. We'll see if it works....

It's time to talk about alternate realities.

And look at a very beautiful girl. Here she is!
(Blogging tip: frontload eyecandy to incentivize readers to keep slogging through one's very deep and oh-so-important thoughts.)

I've been trying to come up with ideas for five week Mature Learning courses I can pitch to the local community college. For some reason I thought of sad movies about death. I'd bill it as "Mourning at the Movies!" or "Cinematic Kleenex!"

Don't worry; no one I know has died recently. I just like stories that move me, and believe my students do too.

Naturally, I thought of Truly, Madly, Deeply and Always. Excellent flicks. But there's also a great scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral, when Matthew gives the eulogy for his lover, Gareth, by reciting an Auden poem. It's called Funeral Blues. Watch and listen:



It's a great sorrowful moment. The editing is brilliant. The grief-filled expressions on the dead man's parents' faces go straight to my heart. The actor, John Hannah, is brilliant. I think Auden would have loved his recitation.

John Hannah is also very cute. He reminded me of someone. I checked for other clips of him on youtube. He did a film called Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow, the beautiful actress. Watch this. Does he remind you of anyone?



I'm thinking John Cusack. Only with a really cool accent. But you wouldn't care about that because you are a guy. Presumably. Assuming my clever tactic has worked. Of course, if you are the star of the Jason Show, you might want to check out the alternate reality post with John Hannah. Just sayin'. ;-)

You're thinking, "Wait! What about the alternate realities?" That's where Sliding Doors comes in. When Helen (Paltrow) attempts to board a London Underground train, the plot splits into tandem parallel universes. In one, she catches it before the doors slide shut, and she arrives home to catch her boyfriend cheating; in the other, she misses it and her life plays out quite differently.

Who among us hasn't thought "if only this one tiny thing had happened differently, my whole life could have been different?" You, there, in the back, shaking your head "no." You are such a liar. Of course you've had that thought skitter around your mind at some point. Don't lie to me.

I'm not just talking about the conscious decision moments, small or large. The choice of which college to attend, who to marry, this salad dressing or that one, what shall we name the baby, where should we go on holiday, should I have one more drink before driving home, boxers or briefs, the high road or the low road (note clever injection of Scottish lyric)...they all make a difference, to be sure. And some of us agonize endlessly about whether we've made the right decision or if things would be ever so much better if only we'd made a different choice.

This is more about externalities that influence our lives. The things over which we have virtually no control, but which affect our path. We do control how we respond to those things. So we're not totally helpless, merely buffeted by outside forces. But there is still an alteration. That is the fascinating part of alternate reality stories. You ARE fascinated, aren't you? These sorts of speculations can keep me entertained for hours. Surely you feel the same way.

Sliding Doors' logline is "What if one split second sent your life in two completely different directions?"
It's ironic, given that there's a certain convergence of plot events at the end. Which leads me to my next question: Do you think that some things are inevitable, meant to be, and that regardless of what happens, eventually they're going to occur? Do you believe in destiny?

Whoa, this is one heavy post for a Tuesday. Lucky you, Wordless Wednesday is tomorrow. But it's only a brief respite. Thoughtful Thursday is just around the corner.

Stop All the Clocks or Two for Tuesday

It's time to talk about alternate realities.

And look at a very cute Scotsman. Here he is!
(Blogging tip: frontload eyecandy to incentivize readers to keep slogging through one's very deep and oh-so-important thoughts.)



I've been trying to come up with ideas for five week Mature Learning courses I can pitch to the local community college. For some reason I thought of sad movies about death. I'd bill it as "Mourning at the Movies!" or "Cinematic Kleenex!"

Don't worry; no one I know has died recently. I just like stories that move me, and believe my students do too.

Naturally, I thought of Truly, Madly, Deeply and Always. Excellent flicks. But there's also a great scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral, when Matthew gives the eulogy for his lover, Gareth, by reciting an Auden poem. It's called Funeral Blues. Watch and listen:



It's a great sorrowful moment. The editing is brilliant. The grief-filled expressions on the dead man's parents' faces go straight to my heart. The actor, John Hannah, is brilliant. I think Auden would have loved his recitation.

John Hannah is also very cute. He reminded me of someone. I checked for other clips of him on youtube. He did a film called Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow. Watch this. Does he remind you of anyone?



I'm thinking John Cusack. Only with a really cool accent.

You're thinking, "Wait! What about the alternate realities?" That's where Sliding Doors comes in. When Helen (Paltrow) attempts to board a London Underground train, the plot splits into tandem parallel universes. In one, she catches it before the doors slide shut, and she arrives home to catch her boyfriend cheating; in the other, she misses it and her life plays out quite differently.

Who among us hasn't thought "if only this one tiny thing had happened differently, my whole life could have been different?" You, there, in the back, shaking your head "no." You are such a liar. Of course you've had that thought skitter around your mind at some point. Don't lie to me.

I'm not just talking about the conscious decision moments, small or large. The choice of which college to attend, who to marry, this salad dressing or that one, what shall we name the baby, where should we go on holiday, should I have one more drink before driving home, the red blouse or the pink one, the high road or the low road (note clever injection of Scottish lyric)...they all make a difference, to be sure. And some of us agonize endlessly about whether we've made the right decision or if things would be ever so much better if only we'd made a different choice.

This is more about externalities that influence our lives. The things over which we have virtually no control, but which affect our path. We do control how we respond to those things. So we're not totally helpless, merely buffeted by outside forces. But there is still an alteration. That is the fascinating part of alternate reality stories. You ARE fascinated, aren't you? These sorts of speculations can keep me entertained for hours. Surely you feel the same way.

Sliding Doors' logline is "What if one split second sent your life in two completely different directions?"
It's ironic, given that there's a certain convergence of plot events at the end. Which leads me to my next question: Do you think that some things are inevitable, meant to be, and that regardless of what happens, eventually they're going to occur? Do you believe in destiny?

Whoa, this is one heavy post for a Tuesday. Lucky you, Wordless Wednesday is tomorrow. But it's only a brief respite. Thoughtful Thursday is just around the corner.