The e-Boo

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Ah the e-boo. Part crush, part long-distance boyfriend, part ridiculous fantasy that makes you feel like you've regressed back to your teenage years. If you spend anywhere near as much time online as I do, sooner or later you will probably find yourself in some kind of e-boo relationship. This is both a blessing and a curse.

But first for my three-dimensional people who are looking at me like I'm nuts, allow me to explain what I'm talking about.  Your e-boo is someone you met online when you weren't looking for anyone. This isn't someone you met on match.com or POF, it's someone you "met" in the comments section of your favourite blog or who caught your eye on twitter. Or maybe he's a blogger whose point of view you find intriguing or a dude in a mutual friend's Facebook photo who you wanted to get to know.

Wherever you find him or her, the e-boo relationship is ideal because of its ability to seamlessly integrate into your "real" life...it's a fun little distraction that can pick you up on a bad day and entertain you when you're bored. For the most part, an e-boo is a safe bet...you're unlikely to get your feelings hurt by someone who you're not even completely sure really exists.

On the other hand, because your "relationship" exists exclusively on the internet it can be hard to gauge just how much importance you should put on it. I've seen people take their e-boo relationships way too seriously and start to get jealous and feel a way when they find out that their e-boo is actually attached in real life. Then they feel dry and rejected and the worst part about it is that they're feeling that way about someone they've probably never even met.

The best thing about an e-boo relationship is that the delayed nature of online communication allows you to put your best foot forward at all times. If you're like me, you do your best flirting online where you a) have time to think about what you want to say and b) the object of your flirting cannot see you getting all sweaty and shaky.  Your e-boo can make your spirits soar as a flurry of suggestive tweets fly back between you...until you creep his timeline and realize he's been simulatneously exchanging dirty tweets with @RealTalkSuki three other girls. Once again, you end up feeling dry.

Having an e-boo can take the sting out of being single just by the simple fact that you have something to distract you from your loneliness...until you're on twitter at midnight fighting with @RealTalkSuki a bunch of other girls about who claimed him first and you realize that while you're doing that he's off in the 3-d world getting his. Then you feel silly.

But hands down the absolute best part of the e-boo relationship is the e-sex...with the right e-lover it's epic. And you have a written record of it that you can carry around with you and read when you're bored or horny.

Yes the e-boo relationship has its ups and downs, but if you're going to undertake it, please remember to keep it light. I am never in favour of psycho-bitch behaviour, but if I find out you've gone nutso on your e-boo for any reason, I will block you from my blog!

But what about you guys? Anyone out there have an e-boo? Does s/he lift you up or take you crashing down? Share your e-love stories in the comments.