Palindromes (2004)

Ellen Barkin (left) and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Aviva (right)

Todd Solondz (Happiness, Storytelling) is one of the most unique filmmakers of the last few decades and for my money, one of the most creative as well. He places American suburbia in the ugliest frame possible but manages to find some very dark humor within all the twisted sadness he portrays. He takes people we normally don’t want to know and examines them intimately enough that we must chose whether we like them, or even hate them more than we could ever imagine. His latest film was 2004’s Palindromes, and it is no exception to his style. Solondz does more of the same but it almost seems that with Palindromes he wanted to explore his themes and style with even more depth. Some viewers may think this means Palindromes is likely to be more disturbing, but really it is his style and his unrestrained creative madness that is more on display than the kind of content within his films that often justify his troubling reputation. Although, like Happiness, Solondz explores child molestation and sexual deviance further than anyone, and many will not want to join him on this ride.

Shot that likely influenced the poster art

Aviva (played by 8 different actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a thirteen year old girl that is profoundly sad and who has only one motivation in her life. She wishes to have a child so she may be loved by someone for the rest of her life. She decides that in order to have a child she will have sex with an unsavory family friend named Judah. Aviva’s mother (Ellen Barkin) is devastated to find that Aviva is pregnant and orders her to get an abortion. The doctor informs Aviva’s parents that she is no longer capable of having children after the procedure, but her parents never actually inform Aviva of this complication. She soon runs away from home to continue her quest to have a child. She has sex with a pedofile truck driver who then abandons her. Aviva’s travels then bring her to a Christian fundamentalist group who cares for misfits kids without a home. The head of this group is also involved in organizing the assassinations of doctors at abortion clinics, and one of his associates is the same pedofile truck driver who Aviva had relations with earlier in the film. She is of course drawn to him again. The truck driver, whose name is eventually revealed to be Bob, despite his constant need to use aliases and try to change what he is and what he is perceived as, is assigned to kill the doctor who completed Aviva’s procedure. Aviva goes with him and Bob accidently murders the doctor’s young daughter in addition to killing the doctor. He feels terrible for this and expresses how stupid it was for him to think that actions like that could change what he is. By the film’s end Aviva reunites with Judah, who now calls him self Otto. She has sex with him again, completely oblivious to the fact that she cannot have a child.

A similar landscape shot with Aviva played by yet another actress

There are a few different reasons I think Solondz decided to use seven actresses and one young actor to portray Aviva. For one, the obvious stand against convention is a Solondz trademark. The diversity of the group that plays Aviva is also wide and perhaps more provoking for that alone. So each actor was probably cast without regard for visuals and more for their performance in their particular scenes. The primary reason I think Solondz did this though was to show that no matter what you look like on the outside you can’t change what you are. Aviva will always be Aviva no matter what she looks like on the surface. Even if you spell her name backwards she will always be Aviva and Aviva will always want a child to call her mom.

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

recently, my routine is:

- wake up at 10am, watch fraiser
- brush teeth, turn on laptop
- watch a film
- 3pm, eat and watch Macolm in the Middle
- let the laptop cool off for a little while so watch some more tv
- after sufficient time and if there’s nothing on that night, watch another movie

it’s pretty sad. i’ve watched 5 films in the last two days. it might be even more, but i’ve sort of lost count.

LA FEMME NIKITA: 8 / 10 ][ french ][ 1990 ][ plot: Junkie Nikita gets a second chance at life when the government choose to train her to be a spy rather than let her rot in prison. spunky and emotional, she prevails as a femme fatale, but finding the balance within her double life proves to be harder than expected.

not bad. i liked the action and nikita was a babe. i would've loved it if the sexual tension between her and bob got on (a kiss is not enough!). the music was pretty shitty though.

CARNAGE: 6 / 10 ][ french / spanish ][ 2002?][ plot: Six degrees of seperation. A bull fights for its life as it fatally wounds a bull fighter. it is subsequently slaughtered with its remains - its eyes, horns, meat, bones - being put to full use, linking the lives of 6 individuals whose laps they serendipitously fall unto.

it was more than 2 hours of - to be frank - boring. i don't know why it won the prix de la jeunesse at Cannes. i mean, yea i guess it's deep, but it's just so hacked up. the six degrees of seperation was very loose and some of the characters' trials were idiotic.

WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE : 10 / 10][ 1995 ][ plot: Poor little Dawn Weiner. The social outcast in the home as well as in school, Dawn is a loner, save her fledgling friendship with her younger neighbor. DOLLHOUSE illuminates the bleakness of suburbia while it highlights the emotionally troubled bully, sibling rivalry, distant parents, and perhaps the typical quirks of being the weirdo in school.

i watched this film a helluva long time ago when i was in elementary school. watching it now... i guess i can sort of relate. but Dawn - i can't say that she doesn't deserve all of the shit she gets. she's a pretty big bitch herself, but who could blame her? her life is pretty messed up. anyhoo~ fantastic film with lots of great irony and sympathic "oh-gees!"

FAT GIRL: 9 / 10 ][ french ][ 2001 ][ plot: Preteen Anais is fat while her older sister Elena is the physical embodiment of classic beauty. while on vacation, Elena becomes seduced by a fellow tourist, a much older Italian law student. Anais must tag along and witness this fledgling romance as she battles with sibling rivalry, her sexuality, and the concept of love.

It might be a 10 / 10, but i don't know if i'm confusing pure genius with 'interesting'. there's a lot - and i mean A LOT - of nudity in this film. a lot more than i expected. again, it's just very interesting. sometimes you feel very sorry for Anais because she's the ugly duckling (will she become a swan?), but you can see that she doesn't entirely hate her sister; she doesn't really push all the blame unto her sister for her shitty existence. Elena has quite a lot of depth and she truely loves her sister, which makes it hard to completely hate her. I appreciate that, but the whole naive-thing is pretty overdone (but considering she's 15 i guess it's plausible). by the way, i love the juxtaposition between Elena and Anais. Not just the physical stuff, but Anais' realism versus Elena's naïvete, the former desiring to lose her virginity with a nobody and the latter choosing someone whom she loves, etc.

HAPPINESS: 7 / 10 ][ english ][ 1998 ][ plot: the portrayal of the lives of 3 sisters and those that are involved with them. there's Trish who 'has it all', but unbeknowest to her, her husband is actually a closet pedophile. there's Joy who has social, romantic, and self-esteem problems. already 30 years old, her family believes she's destined to fail, and the only thing she can do is attempt to change her life. and there's Helen, a successful but poseur author who lacks authenticity in the (literally) crap she writes. when you mix in seperating parents, a freakish neighbor who loves to jerk off, a psycho who kills a doorman and hacks his body into pieces, and a foreigner who loves the five-finger discount, you get HAPPINESS, another black comedy / drama by Solondz (DOLLHOUSE).

not bad, but not great. very controversial content and i liked the way the dealt with it. in the end, everything’s pretty much messed up… which makes sense considering all the characters are heavily, heavily flawed (or just human).

Here’s an excerpt of my full review. Head over to The Brick for the whole thing.

About halfway through this movie, I realized I was watching something special, and I had every intention of writing a full review for it. The way the film straddles the line between drama and comedy (and it is fiercely hilarious at times) is nothing short of brilliant. I don’t mean scene to scene, but quite literally line to line. It’s not necessarily the case of “I’m not sure whether to laugh or not” but the reaction to be floored by the drama or burst out in laughter constantly and amazingly shifts fluidly within individual scenes.

It takes a much more tragic turn in the last hour or so that I simply was not expecting. I was a little queasy during the last 40 minutes, and I don’t think it’s because of Bill Maplewood’s actions (which I won’t elaborate on here) per se, but just the escalating and fluctuating dramatic thread that Solondz spins.

A light series: off the record, originally uploaded by fernandoprats.

Cuando parece que se apaga, a veces, no se apaga.

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When it seems it’s switching off, sometimes, it’s not.

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Dedicated to leonie polah, who wanted to fave it.

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The end of A light series

]]> http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-off/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:26:00 +0000 fp http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-off/

A light series: off, originally uploaded by fernandoprats.

Alguien sugiere que para encontrar palabras lo mejor es apagar la luz y estirar la mano. No estoy seguro, pero hago caso.

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Someone suggest if you want to find words it’d be better to turn off the lights and to stretch hands. I’m not sure, but I do it.

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The end of A light series

]]> http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-projections/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:25:21 +0000 fp http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-projections/

A light series: projections, originally uploaded by fernandoprats.

Ok. ¿Y las imágenes? Cuando la proyección se detiene… ¿A quién hay que enviarle la hoja de reclamaciones?

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Ok. And what about the images? When the projection stops… Who must send the claiming-sheet to? Who do we contact about the refund?

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A light series

]]> http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-luminous-words/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:24:43 +0000 fp http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-luminous-words/

A light series: luminous words, originally uploaded by fernandoprats.

Buscando luz… se oscurecen las palabras.

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Searching for light… the words darken.

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A light series

]]> http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-light/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:24:03 +0000 fp http://barceloning.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/a-light-series-light/

A light series: light, originally uploaded by fernandoprats.

Una serie ligera, una serie iluminada.

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A light series, an illuminated series.

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A light series

]]> http://alexpantarei.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/happiness/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:52:27 +0000 Alejandro Delgado http://alexpantarei.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/happiness/

Happiness (1998), de Todd Solondz. La mejor película que he visto en mucho tiempo. Absolutamente recomendable. Crítica de la sociedad americana en clave de humor negro del peor gusto. No se ha visto nada igual… ¡¿Cómo no la descubrí antes?!

Running with Scissors

Quirky scrie pe imdb, queerky zic si eu. Un filmulet nevrotic, cu un doctor psiholog – Carl Cox, the Patriarch – inzestrat cu un masturbatorium in cabinetul de lucru; cu o sotie domestica care maninca biscuiti pentru ciini in timp ce se uita la filme horror vechi; o fata mare care isi tine o saptamina motanul, Freud, sub un cos de rufe – fara apa, fara mincare, pina cind acesta moare; vreo doi homosexuali, citeva lesbiene, poetry reading sessions de tip: (Neil Bookman: “The Angry Nun” by Neil Bookman: “Bitch! Whore of Jesus! Dressed in black, you do not bleed, like a woman should bleed between the legs! But with your ruler, your crucifix of hatred, you strike my tender flesh! I bleed for you! Oh, mother.” And then I-I ran out of ink.) Pe corabie s-au strins prea multi nebuni si, in consecinta, filmul mi s-a parut nitel cam strident, dar umorul si neobrazarea il salveaza. Si, mai ales, dincolo de asta, prestatiile unor actori carora le-a placut sa se joace, serios, de-a nebunia: Carl Cox, Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin, etc. Asezati-l undeva intre un teanc de reviste porno, Happiness si Biblie.

Los lunes al Sol

Un film despre disponibilizarea muncitorilor de pe un santier naval, facut fara mizeria si incrincenarea filmelor est europene. Un film sensibil, cu oameni necajiti – patru prieteni, condusi de Javier Bardem, sub o barba si o burta de nerecunoscut – si nevoile lor: de a-si turna in cap pina nu mai stiu de ei; de a sti ca sotiile inca ii iubesc; de a-si vopsi parul cu vopseluri de femei, atunci cind incaruntesc. Filmul vorbeste prin gura lor de rezistenta unei clase, dar tonul socialist din el e atit de mild, 3 in 1 cu zahar si lapte, incit nu iti face gura punga. Nu sint un mare fan al realismului si, in nici un caz, al filmelor romanesti cazute in genunchi si cu miinile intinse la cersit, in timp ce ne spun o poveste. Am facut comparatia intre filmul asta si filmele romanesti doar pentru ca, tematic, ar putea vorbi o limba comuna. Numai ca filmele romanesti ramin un dialect exotic (pentru straini, in nici un caz pt mine) in timp ce un film ca Los Lunes al sol vorbeste deja in esperanto. Si, daca mai aud despre dialoguri bine scrise in cacatul ala romanesc premiat la Cannes, nu pot sa nu compar, iarasi, cu filmul spaniol, care isi permite sa vorbeasca despre fotbal, sirene, antipozi, gemeni, lumi cu fundul in sus, intr-un mod eclectic, organic si firesc.

PS: Daca scuturati bine filmul, o sa va cada si citeva bucati de Kaurismaki din el. Asta e inca un motiv sa imi placa foarte mult Los lunes al sol.

So I started to write the treatment last night, and I was quickly reminded of how hard this is. You think, “It’s only 120 pages, 50 scenes, that’s nothing.” etc… No, it’s not nothing, it’s fucking one hundred and twenty pages, fifty scenes! 10 in Act 1, 30 in Act 2, 10 in Act three, etc…. which leads me to my next problem. I NEED AN ACT TWO. This is why I gave up the first time around. Not this time.

I have an amazing hook, interesting characters, a location they can interact with. I know Act 1 like the back of my hand, the climax is all set.. parts of Act 3 are hazy but coming together overall… I will talk more about these in detail, but I was already getting ahead of myself in trying to write the treatment.

My favorite screenwriting book so far is “Crafty Screenwriting” by Alex Epstein. It’s concise, easy and fun to read, and perhaps most importantly, the author is masterful at walking the fine line between realistic and encouraging. At the risk of losing you, my single reader, I will refer you to his blog, aptly named Complications Ensue., for specific examples of effective hooks. He’s already relatively successful, though, and if you like to root for the underdog like I do, then you will stick with me.

Epstein says there are two tricks to coming up with a good hook. The first is obvious – to pay attention. The second – steal it. Stealing it requires using someone else’s story but making it more dramatic and cinematic, making it your own…

Paying attention is my preference. I love to people watch (sounds creepy when it’s written, doesn’t it?).. but what screenwriter doesn’t? It’s all about finding stories and painting them with words… The best part about writing is how the act itself is a complete inversion of those events… First you see something happen or someone interesting on the street. He/she/it, or more accurately, the fiction that you surround he/she/it with, elicits an emotion within you. The challenge is in finding the exact words and exact structure that will recreate that feeling that you’ve captured to your audience.

So, you SEE something happen, it makes you feel a certain way.

Find Words, put them down.

The film is a recreation of the event, dramatized in order to let the audience feel the exact same emotions that you had when witnessing it originally. Of course, the director can turn your Picasso into a Homer, or vice versa, but that interpretation is part of the beauty as well.

It’s like letting the audience inside your body, seeing through your eyes and hearing through your ears… except you can make up whatever the fuck you want, and if you do it well enough they might even give you the benefit of the doubt and believe your ridiculous story. Not only will they believe it, but they will almost certainly sit there for two plus hours and just take it in, no matter what it is. You can do anything, like give them the ability to read lips as with an extreme close up, or allow them to be invisible in the living room where Hank and Leticia are having sex, or put them in a public park and force them to watch Bill Maplewood go on a murderous rampage with an assault rifle. Granted, Todd Solondz probably didn’t see this happen and think, “I am going to turn this into a movie anc all it Happiness!”. Milo Addica and Will Rokos probably hadn’t seen Halle Berry naked before they saw it at the Monster’s Ball premier. Writing a movie takes imagination, but it shouldn’t be so hard to find irony or imagine Halle Berry naked… maybe I can have her be my bankable element? Epstein would be proud.

It’s time to use some of that imagination to iron out some of those kinks in Act II…

Side note: Exactly 1:48 into “You Get Yours” from Bright Eyes and Spoon’s collaboration, titled: Home, Vol. 4 =Amazing… Even better is the last song, “Let the Distance Keep Us Together”… just buy the album. Right now. Side, side note: By far, my favorite two bands to play randomly in the background while writing are My Morning Jacket (thanks Danielle) and Sigur Ros (thanks Alyssa).

Hace unos meses mi ánimo era

mayormente nublado con probabilidades de tormenta électrica
y un amigo me recomendo que viese “Hapiness” de Todd Solondz.
Hace muy poco, en el mismo asado qué les comentaba de las apariciones de duendes,
yo recomendé esta peli
y alguien recomendó “Dias de Perro”, de Ulrich Seidl,
(otro director felicísimo con la sociedad y el mundo que le tocó vivir)

truco y quiero retruco!!

Pensaba, claro, y le comentaba a http://ubbiar.fotolog.com/jorisday/,
¿porque nos recomendaremos estas cosas??

La vida nos vuelve complejos y nuestros dialogos específicos.

Con el tiempo las elecciones y selecciones,
el humor, los gustos,
encuentran cordenadas específicas,
lugares de encuentros en espacios de charla que son como esas playas bellísimas a las que no vá mucha gente porque queda muy lejos o cuesta llegar.
(y amamos a aquellos que nos acompañan allí y cantamos una que conocemos!)

Libros, películas, teorías, filosofías, software, música experimental, compositores contemporáneos, marcas de pinceles,
el gusto de charlar apasionadamente y
de jugar con esos temas específicos.

Y de boludear boludear de lo lindo con ellos también, cómo llamar “Heidegger” a la “Heineken”
o armar un seleccionado de fútbol de artistas plásticos vanguardistas riendo mal como se supone que uno debería reír solo con los Simpsons.
( si me decís que nunca has hecho este tipo de chistes o juegos o construido códigos freakies de cualquier tipo me mentís o te la perdiste, volvé a participar!)

Las campañas por hacerme sentir un bicho raro nunca han tenido éxito.
Más bien logran un fracaso escrepitoso.

Ser coherente es un trabajo gratificante.
Y aunque cueste es el más relajante y feliz!!!!!

Ofrezco esta playita de interrogantes para encontrarnos un poco.

En que te gustaría ser más coherente???

besos al ritmo de http://ubbiar.fotolog.com/jesusycleopatra/ !!!!

la acción MTV del día!!!

Rosarinos, esta noche, miniclub en Planeta x!!!
Pulmón en vivo/ Martim Arce fluxus en youtube
y etc etc….

ver : http://www.pxweb.com.ar/sitio/index.php

libro de visitas

cargando el libro de visitas…

falsocomienzo @ 2007-02-02 14:30 dijo :

“Y saber que ser feliz es un trabajo de relojería sumamente delicado y complejo….” rosachina dixit

mi papá es relojero y no sé si es felíz… sabiendo lo que es un trabajo de relojería

P. d.: hace días que intento escribirte

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vinkbeatle @ 2007-02-02 14:40 dijo :

me gusta mucho lo que escribis y me siento identificada (no en todo, porque debe haber muchas cosas que sabes que yo no) y leo en tus palabras muchos de mis pensamientos, que nunca sabría como mierda traducir en letras.
hoy no voy a responder la pregunta, soy así de rebelde.
contame como es lo de esta noche, que no entendí muy bien que onda. No se si voy a poder ir, pero por lo menos…

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sibillla @ 2007-02-02 14:41 dijo :

me gustaría ser más coherente con mis palabras y con mis deseos…

(lástima que la heidegger no venga negra, que paradoja ine!)

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posmonauta @ 2007-02-02 14:42 dijo :

imagina q hubiera un noticiero personalizado donde t informara sobre el estado del tiempo de tu ánimo… ‘hoy se pronositca lluvias eléctricas y una corriente de aire frío en el corazón…’

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roli82 @ 2007-02-02 14:45 dijo :

Yo no se si quiero ser mas coherente en algo en especial,de hecho preferiria estar mas de la cabeza

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marian80 @ 2007-02-02 14:49 dijo :

La coherencia es algo que no hay que perder.
Me gustaría que haya más coherencia en mis impulsos.

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marian80 @ 2007-02-02 14:52 dijo :

Es el río de Ramallo. La isla me gusta más porque no hay tanta gente.
Ine me gustan mucho tus reflexiones.
Beso.

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retroproyector @ 2007-02-02 14:56 dijo :

a mí ser coherente me asusta, porque supone actuar de determinada manera…prefiero en cambio echarle la culpa a la incoherencia, por ahora, porque soy miedoso.

el otro día vi que hay un seleccionado de fútbol en el que los jugadores son todos ciegos menos el arquero:
¿puedo atajar en el equipo de los artistas plásticos vanguardistas?

La Heidegger ahora la fabrican acá, con razón!!!

besos!!!!

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disamor @ 2007-02-02 15:02 dijo :

“Dias de Perro” me aburrió bastante, lo suficiente como para pararla y volver a reanudar al rato…

Llamar Heidegger a la Heineken y demas idioteces que uno hace con amigos es lo que hace un poco linda la vida (tambien demuestra cuan ñoños somos al hacer chistes de esa “calidad” jejeje)

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leonorsilvestri1 @ 2007-02-02 15:04 dijo :

vamos por partes dijo jack
yo me quiero descomplejizar
ayer alguin me hizo un chiste sobre los soviets e igual me puso feliz saber que podiamos entendernos en eso
para encontrarnos
por aca tambien vale leocatlove@hotmail.com
y coherencia me gustaria encontrar entre lo que pienso y me sostiene, mi ideologia, y mi manera de vivir la vida
religar el arte a la praxis vital
una vida sin ideologia no e suna vida

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andresalbertopis @ 2007-02-02 15:34 dijo :

tormentoso aca

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andresalbertopis @ 2007-02-02 15:34 dijo :

el anterior fui el /patopetreo
perdón

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javiercarricajo @ 2007-02-02 15:39 dijo :

no, mas coherencia no…, por favor

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xorman2k7 @ 2007-02-02 15:55 dijo :

como me gustaria vivir cerca de un lugar asi y pasar todas las tardes de mi vida echado asi….

apareci despues de que me raptaron los ovnis!

besos

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chicabellon @ 2007-02-02 16:12 dijo :

warstainer = George Steiner = Horkheimer

Coherencia? no mi vida, paso….. soy incoherente, me contradigo bastante seguido. Pero no lo escondo, eso me hace más libre.

Estoy con poquito tiempo. Unque no postee siempre paso a leerte.

besos

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nushimuntaabski @ 2007-02-02 16:25 dijo :

en mi idea del matrimonio.

Querida Rosita: la verdad que el bolso es otro, más GRANDE, ya que una semana es una semana, y a pesar que voy en plan relajación, también puse unos lindos vestidos, unas lindas blusas, esmalte de uñas, lazos para atarme el pelo…en fin, quiero estar linda, para mis amigos, para mi, para que me vea el mar…para sentirme linda.
Cosa que últimamente, vengo media capa caída, bolso abandonado.
Te mando besos, brindaré por ti el año nuevo (5/2) y espero que el yodo, la sal, la arena y la paz, me haga desencontrame menos contigo y conmigo.

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cursimelancolico @ 2007-02-02 16:35 dijo :

que seria del mundo sin freakies!… un lugar muy aburrido estoy seguro

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confesionario @ 2007-02-02 16:36 dijo :

che esta noche quiero ir a planeta

es en 3 de febrero?

mandame un msje con mas datos plis

anduviste de retiro espiritual?

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v4mp1r3pr1nc3ss @ 2007-02-02 16:39 dijo :

sos budista?

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paolavega @ 2007-02-02 17:50 dijo :

en mi idea del amor…

lamento ni ser rosarina, ni estar por rosario. Pasenla genial.

miles de besos de pos pileta!

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