[ march 28: where i got my buddhas ]

As I've mentioned before, I collect Buddha statuettes. I've been collecting them since I was about 15, and now I have sixteen of all different sizes and colors. One is even an incense holder! And here is where I've gotten them all, in absolutely no particular order, with stories if they have a fun one:

• Cape Cod, MA: This is the largest one. It's actually a garden statuette, and I got it at the Christmas Tree Shoppe! If you know what a Christmas Tree Shoppe is, you know the amazingness. If you don't, I am so very sorry. Get to Massachusetts quickly and go to one!
• Siena, Italy
• Newark, DE / UDel (2): My friend ML gave me one that is multicolored, and kind of looks like it's humping a fish.
• San Gimignano, Italy
• Phoenix, AZ (2)
• Barcelona, Spain: The incense holder! Which I've never actually used as an incense holder.
• Vittoria, Spain
• New York City (2)
• Connecticut
• New Zealand: I actually got this one for free! I found it in a store in a teeny tiny town, and it was supposed to be part of a set that was maybe $2. Someone had pulled apart all the sets, so they were all scattered around the shelf. The guy who owned the store couldn't remember which ones made up a set, because there were a lot of different kinds. And since one of them would have been about thirty cents, he said "Merry Christmas!" and gave it to me! Nice guy!
• Raleigh, NC
• Rome, Italy

My goal is to get one wherever I go. It's a fun challenge, although you'd be amazed how omnipresent Buddha statuettes are!

[ march 09: things i collect ]

I was going to be all good, and photographer-y and actually take pictures to go with this post, but the day got away from me, so all you get is the text. My b.

Things I Collect:

1. Cameras: I guess this one is kind of expected. I just love cameras. I have a couple vintage ones, some of which actually still work, and a bunch of newer ones. It's just so fun to have so many.
2. Buddhas. Buddha statues of all sizes, shapes and colors. I started the collection in Nice, France, when I was 14 or 15. I was in Europe with my soccer team, playing in two tournaments (one in Rimini, Italy and one in Vittoria, Spain), and we drove from Italy to Spain. We stopped in Nice for a night, and went to a street market, and one of the tables was covered with Buddha statuettes. I don't know what drew me to them, but I ended up buying a black statue that had blue glitter on the cloak. After that, I looked for them everywhere I went, and now I have a couple dozen.
3. Ampersands. This is a fairly new collection, if you can call two a collection. I remember vividly how excited I was when I could finally draw an ampersand correctly, without looking at one. For years and years, I always ended up drawing cursive capital S's. Once I finally was able to draw them, I basically became obsessed... hence the name of my blog!
4. Sharpies. I love them. I have probably a hundred or so. I have just about every single color in every single thickness that is produced. I just love 'em to death. They're fabulous.
   

What do you collect? For any particular reason, or did it just sort of happen?