Aren’t we all sick of the laundry entry? I know I sure am! So here’s what December was like:

Went to really bad karaoke with Chris at the LuLu Lounge.
We thought we'd try this place out because it has karaoke from Wednesday through Sunday, 8 p.m.-4 a.m., and their site boasts a collection of more than 10,000 songs. But okay, first of all, it looked like we’d walked into a “USA Up All Night” movie from 1993. The space was large, low-lit, and trying hard to be swanky, with its stiff lavender wraparound armchairs (the arms and back were formed using a single half circle shape -- totally sleek, right?). There was a two-drink minimum to enter. There were big bouncers dressed in black. We knew immediately that it wasn’t what we were looking for, but that drink minimum turned the place into karaoke purgatory. The song selection was strange, for being so large. The worst, though, was that the karaoke girls brought the microphone to each singer in his or her seat, thereby making it impossible for large portions of the crowd to see who was singing! Rarely did anyone clap after any performance (Chris and I tried to make up for everyone’s silence). The crowd was racially mixed, but most people were singing kind of dirty hip-hop songs. I did a bad job with “Careless Whisper,” Chris gave his all for “Enter Sandman,” and no one cared either way. I may eventually write a more extensive review of this place, but I’d want to give it another shot first. The thing is, though, I DON’T want to give it another shot.

Bought a new laptop!
My desktop machine is dying, and I’d been wanting a new laptop for ages, so after extensive research at CNET and elsewhere, I went for it. It’s a Toshiba. The screen is beautiful but has a funky aspect ratio (1280x800). But I wanted one that would be wide enough to design with, and it is. I wish I had a couple hundred more pixels length-wise, but I’m managing. It’s also much faster than both of my other computers.

Worked on the painting for my living room.
I have avoided painting for most of the year for various reasons, but in the past couple of months, I’ve finally felt like I can devote time to my own projects. Acting on that feeling is a great feeling.

Attended a couple of office holiday parties, even though I don’t work in an office anymore!
At my dad’s office party, someone said to me, “So you were acting for awhile on the west coast and now you’re in IT?” It struck me funny that he thought I looked like a failed actress. But I think he really just had me confused with someone else.

At my brother’s party, I met many nice people who get/have to deal with my brother every day. All of his coworkers seem intelligent and kind; they also seem to like Chris a lot. He steered me clear of a woman who had blown up at him earlier in the day, however.

Had a lovely gift exchange with Andy.
We mixed Christmas and Hanukkah, exchanging eight gifts in one night. Except we each ended up buying more than eight things for each other. He gave me, among other things, a really nice copy of Swann’s Way, a couple of cool CDs, a well-researched cookbook, and Season 1 of Home Movies.

Sent out lots of Christmas cards.
I had fun writing Christmas cards for people this year, sitting with a glass of wine and listening to holiday songs in the glow of globe lights from Target. I missed a few people who were on my original list because I didn’t have new addresses for them, however. To make up for it, I planned to send e-cards to those people and never did (Sorry!). I ended up only receiving half a Christmas card myself, though (one addressed jointly to me and Steve), and by the time I left for home, I wasn’t feeling quite as spirited about the holiday, in part because it seemed like no one else was.

Spent Christmas at home.
I didn’t feel well on Christmas day, and to compound that, I ended up having to open a lot of gifts that were meant for Chris, because my mom mistakenly thought that a lot of things she’d gotten for him were actually for me. And then she thought that she had too much for me, so she got more for him. So he got a lot of stuff! And I felt unappreciated. The lesson of the year for me, I think, is that I have to give more to and do more for myself.

Went to the annual ABC (Aileen, Becca, Chrissie) party.
To the chagrin of but a few, Chris couldn’t attend this year. I brought Andy with me instead, and he endured our silliness with grace. It was nice to see everyone and fun to exchange presents. I will soon post unflattering photos of myself from this event.

Coming soon: the year in review (with pictures!), 2005 resolutions, and more, more, more!

File under DAILY. Posted at 03:33 PM