In an era where dating sites like Match.com and eHarmony saturate cyberspace, love-based reality shows run rampant (from "The Bachelor" to "Flavor of Love"), and speed dating has become mainstream, it seems the lovelorn have their fair share of unorthodox opportunities to meet the “One.” But what happens when a young woman wants to find love taking the traditional route–- with a twist?

Tamara Duricka -- a 31-year-old, New York City-based TV writer for "Good Morning America" -- recently challenged herself to a dating adventure: a project to date 31 different men in 31 days – and document every minute in detail on a blog. As if that task weren’t daunting enough, she added the vital guidelines that each date must last at least 31 minutes, cost no more than $31, be in a public setting, and omit drugs and alcohol. Duricka’s dates ranged from bowling, indoor rock climbing, a Knicks game, tacos in Spanish Harlem, dumplings in Chinatown, the petting zoo, to playtime in FAO Schwarz–- and were with men aged 21 to 40. At the end of her month-long project, Duricka chose an auspicious second date via online poll–on Valentine’s Day.

Now in the process of transforming her dating project into insight for the masses-– writing a book to come out later this year, and in movie talks-– the blogger joined psychoPEDIA to talk about love and marriage and why she’s fine with breaking The Rules:

What made you decide to do this challenge, and put it on the Internet for the whole world to see?
I was looking for a project to get me out of my schlump of break-up after break-up. I couldn’t keep trying to reassess what I was doing wrong in my relationships without starting at the very beginning. I thought, what could happen on first dates? I didn’t anticipate the emotional side of it at all. Unfortunately, I fell in love with half of them! And there were times during the dates where I’d think, I could seriously fall in love. And with a few, I thought, I could marry this guy. I get into these dates, and no matter how bad they are, I believe there’s something great about every one of these guys.

Do you think the guys were on their best behavior realizing you would write about them?
I hope so. I say that with regards to regular dating. If we treat our dates with respect and demand respect for how we’d like to be treated, our best will come out no matter whether we’re writing about it or not. I’m taking the time and energy to get to know you, so you should at least respect that: that’s Dating 101. If dating serves a purpose, not just to meet the love of our lives, but for our friends to, it’s worth the investment of a few hours. One of the guys I went out with has already met someone from being on the site.

Have you read He's Just Not That Into You or other dating books?
When the book came out and women said, “It’s so right,” I was appalled at how women viewed themselves. I’ve read The Rules, and I’ve broken all the rules. But some of my girlfriends live by The Rules. One of the guys from my 31 dates said, “This isn’t the best way to look for the love of your life,” and I was heartbroken. I guess telling the entire world how you feel isn’t the way to go. Guys will know exactly how I feel about them. I have no game, but I just need to tell the truth. If nobody wants to date me after this, I have to deal with it. I don’t go by any rules, but I’m not a forlorn woman who can’t get a date.

Do you watch any dating shows?
My girlfriends and I used to have "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" parties! I’ve really got to hand it to these guys. On my dates I think, “I’m really lucky I’m not on one of those shows.” I think you can find love that way, but I don’t know if I’d recommend it.

In this day and age, do you think finding love the 'traditional' way is still possible?
I took a lot of elements out of my dates that are regular now in society. And some people suggested I should speed date, but it’s counter intuitive to what I’m doing. I don’t want someone to judge me based on looks and resume only. I want someone to open his heart and try to look at me for who I really am, because those are the things that you base life and true love on. Internet dating is fine for introduction and to find common links. But you still have to do the investment. And if you’re invested in just meeting and getting to know someone, you have to do some sort of ‘traditional’ dating. Just because your profiles matched, you’re not going to live happily ever after. That’s where magic plays a role.

Have you gotten negative backlash from readers of your blog?
Yes, but most of them have been from perverts who critique my looks. I’ve had some people leave comments saying I needed to be honest about how I didn’t like some of the guys. But dating is about finding the best in everyone. Each one of these men has his own fan club. I’ve had women message me about every one, saying, “If you don’t want him, I do.” Who am I to judge just because he’s not my Prince Charming? I also got comments that I was narcissistic-– that the project was just about me. But instead, the guys I went out with commented back and fought for my honor. It really showed their character.

As women constantly complain that 'all the good ones are taken,' do you still feel this way after your challenge?
No way. I’m fascinated with people that have wonderful marriages, though, and I always ask them how they met. With marriage and love, a lot of it is magic, but most of it is choice. We choose to be with these people and to continue to be with them.

What’s the best response you’ve gotten from the project?
The feedback I’ve been getting from a lot of women is that they’re now giving more guys a chance. And if that’s all it is, I think that’s great!

~Leann Peterson


All photos courtesy of Tamara Duricka