I’m a bigger fan of online romance than most (it’s how I found The Nymph, after all, or how she found me, if you want to be a stickler for accuracy) but like any other method of finding true love, it has its unique painful pitfalls. The much-spanked Librarygirl acutely summarizes one of them:

X had been having an online/telephone relationship with a man. They were good friends and had known each other for a little over a year.

They both decided that they would meet, and see if they enjoyed playing. She decided that she would fly out to meet him. So she bought her (non-refundable) ticket and they made plans.

A week ago, they traded pictures. He sent her a picture of him, and she decided it was only fair to send him one of her.

And then he dropped off the face of the planet.

Grrrr. Why would a man of goodwill spend a year in online flirtation if he’s holding out for Pamela Anderson? (Or, even: if looks are a controlling variable in his romantic calculus?) I say again, grrrr.