So here's what I do: I squeeze toothpaste tubes from the middle. I don't start from the bottom, and I sure as hell don't roll the tube as I go. I go right for the middle, well, maybe a little closer to the top than the actual midpoint, but pretty much the middle. I realize this is very annoying to my poor husband, who shares a tube of toothpaste with me but who now is considering leaving me to my lawless ways. My mom tried to correct my deliquent toothpaste techniques at a young age, but to no avail. It's just who I am. I think my entire identity would crumble if I were to try to change my squeezing location now. So I'm not gonna.

My job is still very silly and excrutiatingly bad, but I've already uncovered some leads for new stuff, so maybe there is hope. And where there is hope, there is the ability to go just a little longer without taking a crap on the boss' desk and getting myself fired.

I think this New Year's Eve will be a fairly low-key one. Just a couple folks coming over, maybe some fondue, definitely some drinkin' and who knows what other form of reveling. A far cry from the wild Anderson parties of olde, but I won't get started on that. I wouldn't have minded going out on the town, but most restaurant/bar options here are super expensive, and my favorite concert venues are letting me down by offering poor choices for musical celebration. The 9:30 Club, for example, tempts me not with its $50 tickets for "The Neal Diamond Experience." Atlanta gets Drive-By Truckers, Knoxville gets Scott Miller and the Commonwealth, but nay, no good shows for our nation's capital. For shame.

Now I would like to discuss my albums of the year. I wasn't able to come up with a pat Top 10 list -- I made one on WNCW's Web site, but this year they let you choose only stuff played on the station, which cut out a few that would have made the list. So, without silly limitations, here's my list of favorite albums that came out in 2003, which has no precise rankings (but my tippy-top favorites are closer to the top, so kind of think of it as being in order) and is not limited to 10:

Jayhawks -- Rainy Day Music
Kathleen Edwards -- Failer
Jay Farrar -- Terroir Blues
Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- Fever to Tell
Lyle Lovett -- My Baby Don't Tolerate
Warren Zevon -- The Wind (rest in peace, Warren)
Scott Miller -- Upside Downside
Stacey Earle -- Never Gonna Let You Go
Lucinda Williams -- World Without Tears
Robinella and CCStringband -- self-titled
Damien Rice -- O
Drive-By Truckers -- Decoration Day

The trouble with these lists is I know there's stuff I'm leaving out through forgetfulness, and then there are CDs I "discovered" in 2003 but that really came out earlier (like Carrie Rodriguez/Chip Taylor's "Let's Leave This Town," Neko Case's "Blacklisted" and Hot Hot Heat's "Make Up The Breakdown" all outstanding records that actually came out in 2002). Also, there's stuff I know full well is good but just haven't bought yet, like Del McCoury Band's "Just the Night." But you get the idea.

Any suggestions for tunes I should check out in 2004?

Happy New Year, everyone. Be safe and don't drink liquor before beer, no matter what anyone tells you.