Book Stuff...

So this would be the working introduction to my book...

So first, a little about myself. I'm not a doctor or therapist or any sort of 'expert'. As Gwen Stefani once said, I'm Just A Girl. A girl who has had the good fortune (misfortune?) to have met some truly wonderful guys who just happened to live anywhere from 1000-5000 miles away from me. Since I was 20 years old, I have been in....count them....FIVE long distance relationships, four of which initiated through the internet. The trials and tribulations of all of them will be recounted in this book along with the countless tips and lessons I've learned along the way.

It's a brave new world out there. An age where people text each other from two rooms away and where meeting over coffee has turned into instant messaging from internet cafes in different time zones. It's a cyber world of chat programs, social networking, message boards and dating sites 'promising' to find you a soulmate in 30 days or you get the next month free! But it's a double edged sword. Sure, there's the instant gratification factor and the chance to get to know people on the other side of the world you probably wouldn't otherwise but the price for that has been the personal experience. Yeah, it's nice to be able to look at your potential dating options in one neat, tidy inbox or buddy list. It's also nice to meet face to face, to feel that immediate tingle of attraction and that vibe that tells us if this person is a potential mate. Is one better or worse? Right or wrong? That's up to you to decide. I'm just here to tell you what I did in those situations and hopefully inspire a laugh, a tear or a 'whew, sure glad that wasn't me!'.

I've never dated a guy or been in a relationship where at some point I didn't say to myself, "boy, it would be nice if someone wrote a handbook about this stuff". Even more in long distance relationships and even more in internet relationships. Well, someone did. Like, I said, I'm by no means any sort of expert. Just a girl who's been through it all more than a few times. I may not always know what to do, but in a lot of instances, I've sure learned what NOT to do. It took me twenty years to learn from my mistakes. Maybe someone reading this will be a quicker study than I was.