Any relationship conducted for longer than 2 months, over a distance of 200km or more. 

pro: less bugging by girlfriend

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Just to quip... Why 2 months? Why 200km? Sounds like a ZeroOneInfinityRule problem to me. -- CodaHighland

''200KM ~= 150 MILES. Any further than that and visits are likely to be infrequent and an event. Depending on transportation options, available funds, and time available, it might be somewhat more or less. For example, New York City to Boston (220 miles) might work. New York to Los Angeles much less likely.''

* You're right. "Any relationship conducted for longer than 0 seconds, over a distance of 0 inches or more." :-)

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I hadn't given it much thought, but I have an enduring relationship (generic meaning) with several people over a period of years.  One of the crucial elements of this relationship set is that all the people involved are at such a distance from one another to make it inconvenient -- even prohibitively inconvenient -- to visit in person or call by phone.

Bonds of similar composition formed with locally accessible individuals often don't survive such things as prolonged no-contact or moving to a distance that would now satisfy the "inconvenient" criteria.

I have friends that I've "known" for more than 5 years at distances of a state, a continent, or an ocean away, and we're always pleased to hear from one another, regardless of lapsed time.  We've never met, we've never spoken, we've never even exchanged pictures.

There's something significant about that, and it's right on the tip of my brain, but it won't coalesce.

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If you believe longdistance relationships work for any length of time in this day of FragileRelationships, you believe in SantaClaus. 

I have seen young girls coming from overseas, with a photos of truelove boyfriend on their keychain, turned into wild animals two weeks later, after two nights of clubbing.

''You're a cynic. Obviously they're more difficult than short-distance relationships -- and they always have been. But they never were impossible, and they aren't now, either. Nor are short-distance relationships easy, nor have they ever been.''

''Societies everywhere have problems, but they aren't 100% different than those faced by our grandparents, and the problems shouldn't be exaggerated.''

''And if '''that''' doesn't convince you, don't forget that cynicism can lead to despair.''

[And just exactly where are these clubs that the young foreign girls frequent?  Inquiring minds want to know.]

''Demand. Inquiring minds in a frenzy demand to know. :-)''

''Testimony, I met my fiancee 4 years and 1792 miles ago.  We are now less than 90 days from her graduating and closing the remaining 258 mile gap.  SantaClaus is going to bring us some nice presents in December.''
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'''Comparison to Software'''

In software, when two items are separated by distance, we say that coupling is increased and cohesion is decreased.  In a long distance personal relationship, however, cohesion must be high while coupling is reduced.  ''I'd say coupling remains the same, it's just more sporadic and much more dense ;)''