Monday’s date didn’t really sweep me off of my feet. Prior to the date we were texting, and he brought up tickling. Why do guys think that the threat of a ticklefest is going to make me do whatever they ask? Tickling is not an appropriate form of contact for a first date anyway. Also, we’re not 16. Also, I’m not ticklish. Stop being a creep.

I might have four different prescriptions for my glasses, but I’m pretty sure that I’m not 5’10″. Why does this matter? Because J was ever so slightly taller than me, though his profile claimed he was taller. It is very awkward when I can look someone in the eye without standing on a chair. I don’t have too many musts when it comes to looks, but you must be taller than me. My mom warned me to be careful, so I made sure to let her know that I could take him.

When we arrived at the bar, he opened the door and went in first. I’m all for feminism and equality, but chivalry is not dead. He suggested we get a drink and then head out for a walk, but when I looked up I saw that the Bears game was on. Score! It’s fair to say that the date lasted until 11 p.m. because of the game. I had a PJ moment (from My Boys.) She’s the kind of girl who, if on a bad date, would find solace in a great tasting beer and a sporting event of any kind. So I kept one eye on the TV and another on my date.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t good conversation, but I was disappointed because the chemistry just wasn’t there. Apparently I was the only one who felt that way. I can carry on a conversation like no other because I’m a talker. But I don’t like when guys assume that just because I’m laughing and enjoying myself that it means I want to be kissed.

I thought my body language was pretty readable. I very rarely, if at all, turned toward him. So at the end of the night as we walked toward my car, he tried to give me an awkward “I’m the same height as you, lets bump noses” kind of kiss. I went in for the hug and he went in 90% for a kiss. If I’ve learned anything from Hitch, it’s that the guy goes 10%.

So to recap, J is: just about my height, renting the living room out of an older woman’s house and is the kind of guy who thinks comparing square footage of IKEA stores is interesting.

I’m sure he’s a really sweet guy, but I don’t see this leading to romantic anythings.

Want to make me feel better about my first date fail? Tell me about your worst kiss or most awkward date. In return, I’ll give you (well, one of you) a copy of seasons 2 and 3 of My Boys!

I mentioned above that I had a PJ moment. My Boys is one of my favorite underrated shows. PJ is a strong woman with a quick-wit and a love for all things Chicago. Plus she’s a bit of a tomboy who has only one fancy outfit and only uses the curling iron when she’s dating someone. That’s pretty much how I roll. The thing I love most about her is that she definitely doesn’t let bad dates get her down.

Which is exactly what I’m not going to do. In fact, I already have plans to meet another potential Mr. Jenn. We have a frozen yogurt date planned for next week. A is a photographer AND Beatles fan. I have medium-to-high hopes for this one. If we get to date #2 he might even get a blog nickname.

Disclaimer: While I received the offer to give away free copies of My Boys, that didn’t influence my opinion of the show. I have the My Boys deck of cards and Crowley’s t-shirt to prove it.

Originally I thought I was going to have a difficult time filtering out the lost causes from the potentials, but I think the guys are doing it for me. I got this gem of a message tonight:

“I noticed XYZsite keeps showing me your profile. Says your a “match” Whatever that means…. It’s constantly making you pop up in all my searches. Not sure who’s monitoring this thing, probably a robot. Anyway, said robot thinks I should at least say hi.”

Dear Sir: Heh, those silly, silly robots. I can’t think of a single reason why they’d believe we’re a “match.” Whatever that means… Obviously you lied while filling out your profile.

I can ignore the misuse of “you’re” up above, but after checking out his profile, I learned that he thinks of himself as the bad boy that every girl pines over and believes he’s funnier than everyone.

… Apparently he hasn’t read my blog.

Stay tuned for details about Monday night’s date with J!

I often share embarrassing facts about myself for the sake of my blog. With a title like “Bottle Up The Crazy” how could I not?

Last weekend I joined a dating site. Part curiosity, part desperate attempt to prove that I’m over my ex, drove me to sign up. I figured if it was absolutely terrible, at least I’d get some interesting blog fodder out of it. One week in and I’ve already got stories to share!

This is my first time on a dating website and I expected the worst. I think I should have defined what “the worst” actually was. I assumed I’d get a ton of pervy and gross messages from old guys. I haven’t gotten a single pervy message yet – thanks for that bruise on my ego.  I have gotten pretty much everything else.

Stage 5 Clinger: The first night I got a message from someone outside of my “message me if” requirements. Being a n00b I decided to reply, even though I had no interest in the guy. BIG MISTAKE. My harmless and zero-level flirtation message must have read “OMG YOU’RE PERFECT NEVER STOP TALKING TO ME EVER FOREVEREVER!” Every time I logged on an IM from him would pop up almost instantly. If I didn’t answer the IM, he’d leave a message. And then another. And another. I set up filters for IM so only people between X and Y ages could IM me. SOME HOW HE GOT THROUGH! Needless to say after nearly a week of being profile stalked, I finally blocked him.

Mr. McCheesy: Subject line read “You and me.” Message read “Are meant to be.” Really? I let the cheesiness slide, but our conversations have been less than stellar. I half expected his follow up message to include “Is your daddy a thief?” It didn’t. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.

The Cowboy: This guy… has good intentions, possibly even great. However, his career as a karaoke DJ at restaurant chain just isn’t… I don’t know… cool? Not only did he “sing” the Rubber Ducky song to me in a message, he also has the worst grammar and spelling habits. He was trying to tell me that he was afraid of the number 7. Why? Because “seven aite nine.” Uh, you mean eight? Even if he was going for ate, the letter i isn’t near a, t or e on the keyboard. Le sigh. Also, if you can’t spell awesome correctly, then you’re not awesome.

A couple guys are enjoyable to talk with. I may or may not be arguing the finer points of being Scorpion while playing Mortal Kombat with one of them. Sub-Zero had wicked fatalities, but you really can’t go wrong with Scorpion. He’s like the green ranger. Pretty sure this is why I’m awesome.

One wants to meet for drinks tonight after work. What else am I going to do with my Monday night besides watch “Secret Life of the American Teenager?” I agreed in the spirit of being social (and an adult). He seems normal and hasn’t abused the “you have my number” privileges. (Just because you have it doesn’t mean you have to call/text every day.) Could you image how often my phone would buzz if Stage 5 Clinger got a hold of it? That’s scary…

So yeah, this is going to be an adventure!

Please feel free to share any embarrassing dating horror stories you’ve experienced. You can throw in some good ones too (for motivational purposes.)

I am the worst kind of procrastinator. For two nights I said I would work on my article for Today’s iPhone and for two nights I played video games for hours. “Just one game” easily turns into “Okay, if I beat this one I’m done.” And then I beat it. “If I wrap up this level and the bonus rounds, then I’m done.” And then I wrap it up. “Oh, but a new level just popped up! Okay, just one more game.” Before I know it I’m falling asleep thinking about 3D puzzles and that article? Yeah, it’s still not written and obviously not on my mind at all.

Thanks to Brand About Town and Nintendo I have been on a Picross 3D kick all week. I seriously have the hardest time putting it down. Dare I say, I think I have more fun playing this than Mario Kart. I KNOW!!! That’s a HUGE deal right? Well this game is awesomely addictive.

What is Picross 3D?

It’s a puzzle and numbers game. It has over 350 brainteasers! Each cube has a number on it. That number represents how many cubes (both vertically and horizontally) should remain in that column or row. It’s pretty easy until the square is 5 x 5 and only 2 cubes remain in certain rows. It’s all fun and games until you destroy the wrong one cubes away from completion. You chip away at the outer layer to reveal a shape inside. Of course there’s a time limit and a 5-mistake maximum for added pressure.

Once you’ve completed all the levels and earned as many bonus stars as possible, you can create your own puzzles. I haven’t gotten that far yet. I knocked out the Beginners’ section in no time. I’m now on level 5 of the Easy section. Fun fact: “Easy” doesn’t always mean what it says. Take Rock Band for example. Sometimes the easy setting is harder than medium — I always play to the beat, which the colored-tabs don’t always follow.

Wanna play?

You can check out a pretty simple a demo here! Or if you ask really nice I might let you borrow mine (once I beat it!) Woo DS game trade! If you can’t wait, I recommend picking up a copy of your own – it’s only $19.99!

Giveaway

Picross 3D is not available on DSi Ware yet, but maybe you’ll find another fun title to download. I have a Nintendo Points Card worth 2,000 points to give away. The points can either be used for the Wii or DS. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite Nintendo moment. Was it waiting in line for a Wii? Beating Bowser for the first time? Or maybe it was your first time (and probably only time) beating Mom in Real Life at Mario Kart (that’s mine!) Whatever it may be, I want to know!

Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. (PST) on August 20th.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to squeeze in one game before bed.

Disclosure: As a Nintendo Brand Ambassador, I received Picross 3D for free. I wasn’t asked to blog about it, but the opinions above are my own and not those of Nintendo or BAT.

I have a weird relationship with coffee.

When I was a wee Jenn, I liked to pretend that I was much older than I was. Every morning I saw my grandpa dip his jelly bread into a cup of coffee. So, like him, I would dip my piece of bread into either his or my mom’s cup of coffee. I didn’t care much for the taste, but the lack of crunchiness was nice.

Fast forward to the teenage years. If we weren’t celebrating a birthday, graduation or anniversary, we were celebrating coffee. Without it, there is no family gathering. My cousin (who is the same age as me) would grab a styrofoam cup, add some coffee and about 8 tablespoons of sugar. The idea of having that much sugar at the bottom of my cup freaked me out — much like in cereal bowls. Some cereals need sugar, but if I get a spoonful of sugar, well, it’s just like drinking OJ with pulp (I feel like I’m drinking sperm. You can quote that.)

I didn’t have my first cup of coffee until I was in my twenties. It wasn’t even black coffee. The only way I can drink it is if it doesn’t taste like coffee. You’d think I’d have to pour 12 tablespoons of sugar in there for that not to happen, but we’ve already been over that. I can’t. So I drink those fancy drinks, like caramel macchiato, and I kind of feel pretentious.

Nearly a year ago I bought my first coffee maker. I knew I needed a boost of something in the mornings, but I justified the purchase by saying it was for when my mom visits. It took me 7 months to use that coffee maker. I make exactly one cup – god forbid I should waste something I don’t really care for – but I use a big mug to make room for the caramel macchiato flavored creamer.

As I took a sip this morning, not only did I determine that I hate how heavy the creamer makes the coffee feel, (That’s a weird statement) but I really don’t like hot coffee. In fact, I don’t even enjoy warm coffee. I absolutely don’t care for cold coffee. So where does that leave me? I make the coffee and let it sit for 17 minutes (I may or may not time it) — if I’m in a rush, I stick the mug in the freezer — and that lukewarm coffee, yeah, I dig that.

All that for a cup of coffee that I really don’t like and probably won’t finish? Yep.

As it turns out, I really don’t like the after taste, or the fact that I have to brush my teeth after drinking it. And still, I drink it. I don’t even know why.

P.S. I made a new category for this post: quirks.
P.P.S. I just thought you should know that.
Amendment XXI: I really have a problem with P.S.s
Section B: I’m looking for a new therapist.
#40: I just dumped out the rest of my coffee.

I have been in LA for almost 10 months. Holy crap.

For the last two months I’ve been fighting with the idea of moving to another apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I love the apartment I’m in. I have a super spacious balcony, a roomy living and bed room and a ton of counter and closet space. And lets not forget the pool, reserved parking and on-site laundry. However, my rent is already at the top of my budget and it’s getting raised in November. So for two months I went back and forth with myself trying to rationalized paying the extra money.

At the time I moved here, I had two days to find an apartment or I’d have to choose one blindly from Chicago. I didn’t know the different areas around LA very well, so I went with my gut and grabbed the safest (and biggest) apartment I looked at. I should have went with the high rise in Hollywood. Rooftop pool what?!

I’m SO tired of moving. I have moved every year for the last 8 years. Sometimes more than just once a year. I’m finally getting settled and decorating.

With that said, I can’t enjoy my super spacious balcony because I’m right by the front entrance gate so I have absolutely no privacy. Originally I thought it would be nice to see who’s coming and going, but now it’s annoying. I hear every phone call, honking horn and drunks. I can’t lay out in the sun comfortably. I can’t sleep well when people are drunkenly stumbling through the gate at 4 a.m. I also get to hear the jackass who stands outside of the gate yelling for “Sharon.” There’s a phone there for a reason sir.

Needless to say, I think I’ve made my decision. I was willing to work around the increase in rent. But paying an extraordinary amount for interrupted sleep, loud mornings and nights and absolutely no privacy? That’s not going to sit well with me. And so I’m moving. Again. If I were speaking this, you’d be able to hear the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. I’m really not happy about it, but if it means getting away from this and saving a couple hundred, then fine.

This also gives me an excuse to move a bit closer to work. I’m pretty close now, but if I could find something within walking distance, well, I just might puke a rainbow out of excitement.

Let the apartment hunting begin!

Have any grievances with your apartment, landlord or neighbors? Feel free to vent!

Story time.

That’s me in 2004. Still a nerd-loving dork (my shirt says so). Obviously a painter. I was really into art at the time. I lived in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City. It sounds like some type of prostitute town, but I can assure you it was full of creative minds, musicians, artists and free spirits. Okay, there were probably a few prostitutes too, but come on, it’s Utah. Despite what this picture shows, I think I was unhappy. I was living in another state, far away from my family, for the first time. I only had a couple of friends, none that I was very close with. I was working at a movie theater and spending most of my free time at home, in front of a computer (not much has changed!) I felt no connection with anyone at a time when a lot of my happiness depended on others.

Months before this I broke up with my high school sweetheart and, then, college boyfriend. I left WIU and Illinois and moved out to Salt Lake City for, what else, a boy. It was the first time that I really put a lot of trust into my feelings and went for something. After only months of long-distance dating and a couple of visits, I packed up my belongings and moved across the country. If given the opportunity to do it all again, I know I would. Even though I wound up unhappy, I’m kind of envious of my former self. I was chasing after love and I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t worried. I loved with all of me and for a while I was so incredibly happy.

The Boy

R and I met online when you still had to make up a story about how you met (at a friend of a friend’s party while he was visiting his cousin.) It was becoming more common, but was still looked upon as sad or creepy. Back then I lived with my dad when I wasn’t away at school. I’d spend all of my time on the computer chatting, discovering some of the first social networks (anyone remember You Been X?) I found that I had more connections with people online than I did off. Ours was instant. The months leading up to my move were some of the happiest I had at that time. Looking back and remembering what was happening around me, it’s not hard to turn something good into something great.

I really thought I loved R. When we were together I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t upset with my dad or afraid to talk to my mom. School wasn’t a concern. I didn’t care about my broken home. He made me happy. During one of our visits, I remember he woke me up with apple-cinnamon Pop-Tarts — a man after my own heart! Being the easy to please kind of gal, I was touched by his thoughtfulness. And even though we were two 20-year-olds in a hotel in the middle of Salt Lake City hiding the fact that the other was there from our parents, we had the most amazing time together. For the first time in a long time I felt like me, whoever that was. I was still figuring it out.

I haven’t had too many romantic evenings, but something he did that night has stuck with me throughout the years. I’m sure it’s nothing special by anyone else’s definition, but it was to me. We were listening to music on my laptop and I was starting to feel down. I had to go home the next day; back to reality. He pulled me up and we danced to Passenger Seat by Death Cab For Cutie. What can I say? We were both kind of emo! As we danced, he let me cry. To this day, I’m not sure what I was crying about. Leaving him? The realization that it wouldn’t work between us? My life back in Chicago? It was the first time I felt so comfortable being vulnerable. I don’t know if it was him or me, but I found strength that night.

Looking back, I know that what I thought was love was really an escape. I think I realized it that night we were dancing. But for that night, maybe longer, I felt connected to someone more than I had in a really long time. It was naive and innocent and that made it beautiful. Today Passenger Seat popped up on my Pandora station. Immediately my mind went back to 2004 to that moment when we danced. And as much as I wanted to cry, I didn’t. By the time I moved to Utah, R and I had broken up. I knew it was inevitable; I knew it that night. But I was committed to moving. Salt Lake City was my escape.

R, wherever you are, thank you. I hope our paths collide again one day.

…

So… I can’t decide which is harder: admitting that I miss Blog Crush or that I miss phones with buttons.

Do you remember Blog Crush? I never really wrote much about him, but I mentioned him a lot toward the end of last year. I don’t even have any posts worth linking back to. Boo to the urns. Well anyway, I miss him. I don’t miss the crush, but I miss the fun and random conversations, our shared love for all things Beatles, and the most ridiculous emails you’ll ever read. Of course, after the whole “my heart needs time” thing, I’m feeling a bit sheepish about writing or calling. I’m too proud. Damn you pride. I guess I should probably stop referring to him as Blog Crush before I reach out, eh?

Yeah, I miss the conversation. Also, that phone seriously looks like guts.

And while I’m at it, I love my iPhone. If you ever lose me, just look for the iPhone because my hand will be attached to it. With that said, I miss buttons! I miss pushing them down and hearing the soft “tick tick tick” that comes along with them. The iPhone has a sound effect, but it’s annoying so I turned it off. Stupid button-less phone!

… Don’t tell it I said that.

I’m drawing on my iPad tonight. I can’t wait until I get one of those fancy-pants stylus things so my fat fingers don’t destroy my stick-figure face. I like drawing on the iPad much better than with Paint — thank you Adobe Ideas!

Wait. Is it bad that I just sort of compared missing a person to missing a phone?

Things I like:
- Pineapples
- Bow ties
- Jokes on popsicle sticks
- The words “jejunum” and “duodenum”
- Mark Ruffalo
- Hand-written letters and cards that say hello

Things I don’t like:
- The cost of airfare to Chicago
- Jersey Shore
- Earthquakes
- Headaches
- WordPress thinking I spelled WordPress incorrectly
- Stupid boys

Things that bring out my inner gangsta:
- Burritos that lack guacamole
- Cats that wake me up between 1 and 7:30 a.m.
- When people call me big poppa
- People who invade my personal bubble and stand inches away from me while I’m in line

Back the eff up off me yo.

Word.

Lately I’ve been focusing on a lot of negative, and I hate when I turn into a gloomy Gus (yes, I’m six). The last few weeks have had a lot of downs, but there have been some ups too.

Like the nice walk I took last Saturday to the Vista Theater. I passed a really nifty looking house, and the theater was old-timey and beautiful.

I even found love in the middle of the road.

Today I’ve decided to focus more on my accomplishments and less on the people or situations that are driving me crazy. Despite a few negatives, this week has been full of positive.

• I decorated my apartment with some really cute cork boards and dry erase boards. I feel more organized already!
• I received another post card (that makes five!) from Lacey.
• I got a raise.
• I met my weekly goal at work and even put together a pretty good case study even though I’ve been swamped.
• I had the best night of sleep last night — seriously the best I’ve had in at least 10 years.
• Psych is back!

So what about you? What made you feel happy this week? What accomplishments or goals have you reached so far? What’s making you smile? Lets focus on the good stuff! [Feel free to brag]