How Online Dating Has Ruined My Love Life

I am an online dater, and I will probably remain one even though it drives me crazy.

I caught up with an old friend last week and she asked if there was anyone special in my life now. I said, "Oh, there are three or four. But there are always three or four." And then I realized how stupid that sounded.

Here's the nitty gritty on why I think online dating has ruined my dating life. Maybe forever!

Online dating makes it relatively easy to meet people, but it makes it nearly impossible to give one person at a time a true evaluation and shot at a relationship. There are too many backup plans.

I've met many great guys over the past few months of online dating, and a couple of real doozies too. I told you about the guy who tried to invoice me for past dates so he could recoup the investment once we decided we didn't like each other, right? Good riddance to that guy. I did buy a used Wii from him though. There was another guy who texted a really um....awful pic once I told him I wasn't interested. Ugh! And of course there have been guys that I've liked a lot that haven't been into me. The whole thing has been awesome at times, and disappointing too.

But the worst part of the process has been this insane new attitude that I've grown into, and that's the idea that there will always be someone better. I can go online and find someone else. If J doesn't text me again, I'll text C and see what he's up to. And if B asks me out for Friday night and the date isn't fantastic, I'll start thinking about the other dudes on my contact list and which one might be better at conversation over sushi. My attention is divided all the time.

My long-term relationship ended last summer and I started online dating last fall. Maybe I've needed to go through the serial dating process to get ready to settle down again. Or maybe I'll serial dating until I'm old and gray playing pinochle in the nursing home, sitting next to Henry one day and Ollie the next. OMG! Do you think we'll still text when we're 85?