Eat Pray Love Party

In the morning I woke up in time to go to the 10 AM Body Pump class, and I swear I managed to pull myself out of bed in time to go. But then I realised I had the flat to myself, and thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to just enjoy this for a bit?" And so I didn't go. Perhaps a mistake, next time I REALLY should go...

I did notice on Facebook however that Lex said he was heading to Greenwich for lunch, and I remembered the night before that there had been much talk of going out to watch the folks running. Okay, so it would take me over an hour to get to Greenwich, but I didn't have to meet everyone to go see "Eat Pray Love" until 4 PM, so why not go out?

In the future, I shall NEVER AGAIN go out without a firm, concrete plan of where I am meeting everyone. Got to Greenwich, texted people, only to find out that Kitty wasn't coming, Lex wasn't there yet, and I couldn't get a response out of anybody else. Ended up hanging around Greenwich for over an hour, finally buying a sandwich (I hadn't had breakfast, but didn't want to eat too much if we were all getting together for lunch), until finally after enough mis-direction at almost 2 PM, decided I'd had enough and just went home again. Wasted over 3 hours just on public transport and not doing much.

At least I got home in time to do some grocery shopping (I'm always amazed at how I seem to have no food at home), and even had a chance to scramble two eggs and wolf them down before I had to run out to meet everyone for a pre-film dinner at 4 PM.

Although it might have seemed silly to eat before going to dinner, it turned out to be a very wise move, as I've never been to an Italian restaurant with such measly portions! The food was nothing to write home about either, so I doubt I'll be going back...

Given that we were all still hungry, we stopped by a Sainsbury's to stock up on snacks before the film. We then ended up meeting everyone at the theatre, and I was surprised at what a large group it was, well over 10 girls. And the theatre itself was PACKED! I can't recall the last time I've been to a movie where every last seat was taken...on a Sunday afternoon, no less! Still, an enjoyable film and good to compare to the book, and I had to marvel at how the Italian food in the film looked sooooooo much better than the Italian food we'd just had!

After the movie, I found myself thinking a bit as I walked home. What was the real point of the film?

When reading the book, the part that had most struck me was that the guy she had the instant chemistry with, the guy who she LIKED right away, was not the guy she ended up with. It was the old, past-his-prime, gentle Brazilian guy who she had barely noticed at the start. In the book, you were several chapters into the story of Bali before you realised that this was perhaps someone to pay attention to.

Indeed, in the film, I think they cast the guy who she'd first been attracted to very well. A Kiwi with an incredibly buff body, he was absolute delicious to even look at on the screen. In truth, if that had been the guy offering a fling, I definitely would have gone for it.

But I think the key was that she instead ended up spending more time with the Brazilian, to the point where they were several weeks in, and his son was teasing his father about how he hadn't slept with his girlfriend yet. And it was a significant point in their relationship where the Brazilian put down her book one night and told her, "It's time."

So the take-home message? I think sex is much more important than we sometimes give it credit for. Because in that relationship, it was really the defining moment of when they became seriously attached.

Having watched the messes all around me this weekend, of people who got involved with in a sexual relationship without an emotional relationship to go along with it, and I'm absolutely stunned by the amount of wreckage that sex can leave behind. There was Louise, who was so upset when Dan showed up at her birthday with another girl (yet since they'd never formally been "dating", he didn't see the error). Or Roofie realising how awkward things could be if he messed around with someone in his social crowd. Or Adam belatedly realising that if he sleeps with a girl, she's going to become attached, no matter how much he might have thought it was a "no-strings-attached" situation. (It never is). Even I was surprised at how much time I spent dithering about whether to send the silly boy a kiss-off message, just because I've been so angry about how he treated me. And not really wanting to belabour the point, but also wanting to let him know that such behaviour is Not Okay.

So was Julia Roberts right to not have a casual affair with the Kiwi? In the long-term, probably yes, she made the right call. Yet, I can understand the temptation, and I wonder if there isn't at least a little bit of regret for a missed opportunity. Of wondering what it might have been like. Of just wanting to indulge in a bit of hedonism, damn the consequences.

As you can see, I had a lot of time to think as I trudged back to my bus stop in the rain. Finally made it home though, called my parents, and wrote a few e-mails to favourite guy friends who had all decided to simultaneously e-mail me at the same time. Funny how that happens on a Sunday night...