Decade of Stupid: How a Quest for Love Online Turned Into an Epic Fail

Initially, looking for love online had been fun. There were no butterflies in the stomach at catching the eye of an attractive stranger from across the room or trying to gather the courage to walk up and say hello. But what the Internet dating scene lacked in quality and excitement was more than made up for in quantity.

After a decade of playing hopscotch in the minefield known as online dating, I had decided it was time to call it quits. For no other reason than to preserve what little patience I had left. I was one step away from issuing high school equivalency exams and lie detector tests to all potential suitors who had opted to contact me through any of the dating sites I had frequented on and off.

Following are some of the people I encountered in my quest for love online.