I had just finished my new post and then saw that someone left a comment on an older post of mine. Here it is:

‘“Most writers?” I have a sense of humor. You’re just not funny. You’re not even witty. Not a good writer either. You spend 20 minutes on these things? 100hookup : see what happens when you don’t pay your bloggers — or even read their posts? You get this.’

This review/comment was attached to a post I wrote titled, Real World, and it was admittedly a terrible post. I reread the post, and it is indeed awful. I apologize. I have written for this site for over two years, twice a week. For most of this time I have been overweight, single, and struggling with several anxiety-related disorders. Though I do like to think I am a decent writer, and occasionally funny, it has often been difficult to be consistent two times a week while dealing with my actual life.

So, Shannon November, while some of my posts are bad, and most aren’t at all about dating, and I certainly do not dole out advice, I apologize again. No, 100hookup does not pay me, and writing is not a full-time thing for me. However, writing here twice a week has been the only consistent thing in my life over the past two years or so. I actually didn’t think that anybody reads my posts, so at least I’m glad that somebody does. I know this sounds strange, but the opportunity that 100hookup has given me has honestly helped me point my life in the right direction, as every post of mine here, starting with the very first, chronicles this gradual change from who I was to what I am slowly becoming.

I do not know if you have read any of my other posts, but if you haven’t, you are more than welcome to. Chances are, you have, and you dislike them as well. In that case, there are two other wonderful bloggers on this site as well. If that isn’t good enough, there are millions of other free blogs on the internet to choose from, covering pretty much any topic you can imagine.

Really, my posts are just as much for me, maybe even more so, than they are for the readers. They force me to write. They give me a sort of structure that I desperately needed a few years ago. My life is completely structured now, thanks in part to this thing. So much so that I am completely rewriting this post after having read your comment, even though it is killing me that it is 10 pm, and that is the time that I need to be in the shower.

However, after reading that horrible past post of mine and leaving that comment, you’re probably never visiting my blog again, and are thus not reading this. If you do happen to catch this, leave a comment. If anyone else has read any of my posts, or are reading this one, please let me know how I’m doing. At least I’ll know I have a semi-consistent reader, because all I want is to be liked, and if not liked, noticed.

This happens to be my last post on JBlog. I have loved sharing the best of my dating stories, even the ones that make me cringe and want to move far, far away from NYC. But I’ve decided to take a break from online dating for the moment. And since my 100hookup subscription ends on October 15th, I have determined I have two solid options for how to use my last two weeks here. I could spend my time looking at profiles of guys I have previously seen, talked to, or maybe even dated. (Dude, do you seriously not remember the look I gave you when you ordered your second virgin Shirley Temple of the night?) Or I could offer up a date with myself and see who rises to the opportunity. Truthfully, the latter sounded like the more fun option…but don’t worry, I won’t blog about it (yet).

So if after reading the last 3 months of my dating stories, you have yet to find yourself running for the hills, battening down the hatches, or wondering what kind of guy would ever want to keep me around – this is your chance to ask me out. I should lay out some ground rules so I don’t find myself instantly regretting this offer. You must be: male, age 25-30(ish) and living in NYC. You must be kind, fun, silly, smart, and know better than to order a Shirley Temple without knowing that I will immediately text my friends about it. If that all of the above sounds like you, feel free to email me at [email protected] and tell me why you think we should go out.

To all of you on 100hookup, I wish you only the best of luck in your dating endeavors. May you always find humor in your dates, the good, the bad, and the hilarious. And whatever you do, don’t let the schmucks get you down.

xx

I have written about dating for 100hookup for about a year and a half. This comes out to roughly 150 individual posts that I have penned. I have been dating in real life for about ten years. This comes ouy to roughly 3 dates (depending on whether that blind date that said she was going to the restroom and never came back counts as a date). Based on these rough statistics, I should never be allowed to write about dating for a general audience. That would be like if a guy wrote an instruction manual on aviation after having seen Top Gun twice while drunk, which I definitely have.

I pray that nobody actually reads my posts for practical dating advice. There are genuine resources for this, including any other writer for this blog, Wikipedia, NBA.com, etc. The best resource, it seems though, is failure. Of course, I have been on slightly more than three dates in my life. All of them eventually ended in failure. If just one of them had ended in success, I would be married. After every failed date, I usually learned something important. For example, after the blind date when the woman went to the restroom and never came back, I learned that after four hours away, your date is probably not returning. After the evening when my date started making out with the guy sitting next to me at the bar, I learned that I should probably make sure that a woman is not married before formally asking her on a date.

In order to be validated, I have to go on a lot of dates. Either that, or I have to stop writing. I am not going to stop writing, because it makes me happy, and it’s the only thing that outweighs all of the depression of failed relationships. If you dislike my posts, I propose to you a challenge: Find me a girlfriend. It’s the only way to get me to stop posting here. I would start by browsing 100hookup. Once you’ve exhausted all of the contestants in Houston, you still have an entire world of women to introduce to me! Talk me up! Tell them about that 800 I made on the math section of the SAT in 2001. Tell them about my impeccable hygiene. Those two facts are both mostly true.

For all of you have been readers, questioners, and part of 100hookup, I would like to take this opportunity to bid all of you a fond farewell.

It has been a pleasure being a part of the JBlog. I have enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you for all of your questions and comments, it was always a pleasure.

Keep in mind when venturing out into the dating world your happiness is of the utmost importance.  Don’t settle for anything less than any of you deserve! I wish you all luck in your dating experiences and hope all of you find exactly what it is you are looking for.

Until we meet again.

Signed,

Gems from Jen