for those of you in long distance relationships.....how do u deal with it?

some of you know that i was dating a new girl in the summer, and we got together about a month ago i knew she had to leave for san diego for grad school, but we liked each other a lot, so we said we'll give it a shot. the distance is about 450 miles...an 8-9 hour drive, or an 80 minute flight.

anyway, we had a little time together up here, before she moved down. we get along great, and i feel this is relationship is going somewhere. but the distance is really killing me...we talk on the phone every day, and AIM each other when we can. it's just not the same as person-person contact though.

i helped her move in two weeks ago, and i just visited her this past weekend. each time i left, it was agonizing. i hate to sound like a wuss, but the drive home was horrible (i flew home the first time). i basically had 9 hours to sit in the car by myself, knowing that i wont see her again for 3 weeks. i'm normally a very laid back & level-headed guy, but i cant stop thinking about her/this situation.

i was in a semi-long distance relationship before, but it was only a 2 hour drive. it was far, but close enough to drive up there every weekend and spend the night. with my hectic schedule (50 hr weeks are normal here at work) and the time i need to give to my family, it makes it really difficult to see her often. on a side note, it also gets pretty expensive. i cant really expect her to come up here too often, because she's a student w/o a job (airfare) and doesn't like driving long distances.

i dont really know what the point of this whole post is, or why the fuck i'm typing this. i guess i'm just confused on how to deal with this shit.