The really important notes, he tattoos onto his body so that they don't get lost. His pockets are full of Instamatic photos which name people whom he is likely to run into and places he will find himself in. Lenny is a disturbed man bent on revenging the murder of his wife. The last thing he can recall on any given day is the moments just prior to and following the violence which resulted in the death of his wife. Oh, he has full memories of his life as an insurance investigator and revels in recalling one particular investigation detailing an insurance claim on a man who lost his memory.
Memento is a story told backwards.
It's a brilliant way of telling this story and a way that hooks the viewer emotionally. If it had been done the old fashioned way, one day after another, we wouldn't have to think for ourselves, and the story would undoubtedly lose substance. The scene opens with Lenny having just recorded his last experience. In this case, it's a scene with someone having been shot in the head, blood everywhere, including on Lenny. But, Lenny doesn't look like the type of guy who would be going around killing people, so we begin to wonder how this happened.