Only married people think dating is fun.... You have a sweet nostalgic notion that dating is happy and charming, and fluttery first-date feeling. In real life ... dating is like playing Russian roulette with humans. You could meet a nice guy who doesn't want to tie you up (much), or you could meet that crazy guy who secretly posts ads on Craigslist looking for a woman to pee on him.

Dating isn't fun. It's not always awful, mind you, and sometimes your date will do something unexpected and lovely, like open the door for you and pretend that he likes cats. But the most valuable reason to embark upon a dating spree is for the wisdom--and the great stories.

Online dating is just as murky and full of lemons as finding a used car in the classifieds. Once you learn the lingo, it's easier to spot the models with high mileage and no warranty.