diarrhea of the mouth. or, rather, of the fingers.

For the love of all that is holy, would someone please stop Tom Cruise and wipe that goofy, shit-eater grin off of his face? Enough already -- how much longer is he going to keep these shenanigans up, huh? He's really messing up my reading all of my silly celebrity gossip magazines b/c his ridiculous antics are taking up article space otherwise reserved for other, more interesting stars and THEIR ridiculous antics, which I actually would care about reading. I wish upon him a hefty dose of postpartum depression -- he deserves it. And to think, I used to really like Katie Holmes. Now she's just tainted.

Okay, so I am an overly sentimental person (read: "packrat") and hold onto objects other, more normal people would have trashed long ago (I recently moved, and my new garage STILL looks like a Salvation Army drop-off station after months & months b/c of all the junk) b/c they are dear to my heart for one reason or another -- not always because of what they are, but because of what they represent to me, memories they evoke, who they remind me of, etc... That would also explain my penchant for pictures and pulling out photo albums at the most random times just to take a gander & wallow in nostaliga... That being said, I decided to make a little list of some of my favorite things in the whole, wide world [people & animals not included]. So, without further ado, drumroll please, here they are, for your boring viewing pleasure (in no intentionally significant order):

My Bible; my quote books & photo albums; anything that my grandmother gave me; party & wedding invitations that once resided on the fridge, held in place by various pieces of removable clothing from the Dress-Up-The-Statue-of-David magnet set (including, but not limited to: a leather jacket, whitey-tighties, scuba flippers, goggles, etc. -- clearly David was a real fashion plate ripped straight from the pages of GQ magazine when not standing around in the buff... oh, and the magnets are not included in the "cherished" category of my belongings...); cards & letters received from people who I love & care for, including the longest letter anyone has ever written to me (50+ pages); old drawings & paintings done by my dad & other friends & relatives; my iPod (gimme a break -- a hell of a lot of blood, sweat & tears went into compiling such a delicious library of music & sound clips!); 2 very loved pairs of pajama bottoms that I could not live w/out -- one pair is flannel & the other is like a pair of scrubs -- yummy!; my burgeoning little art collection (see painting above right); various & often random-as-hell whatchamacallits & thingamajigs that found their way home w/ me on trips around the world -- Italy (see photo to the right), Prague, Belize, British Columbia, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Thailand, Germany, France (see Pere Lachaise Cemetery above left), Great Britain, Mexico, Nova Scotia, Singapore, etc. (I love to travel and the fact that I have been lucky enough to have the opportunities to make these trips is not taken for granted -- I've been a lucky girl, well beyond anything I deserve!); various things that people have made or built for me (a dollhouse, jewelry, artwork, a doghouse, things that were sewn for me by my mom or grandmother, etc.), the list could go on for ages...

BUT! Because I am the sweetheart that I am, I will spare you, Dear Reader, the pain of any more endlessly prolonged rhetoric... If you made it through this post, you deserve a big, fat GOLD STAR slap-dab in the middle of your forehead... Bravo, bravo...