Next month I turn 27, which is definitely not an abnormal age during which to be single, but a lot of people in their late 20s are in serious relationships. Many of them are married and own homes and have created children. So people sometimes want to know why I am still single. And why I have been for the past six and a half years. “There are so many potential reasons,” I say, then sigh before going back to whatever it is I’m doing that doesn’t involve kissing, hand-holding or sex. Here are just a few: I don’t necessarily enjoy dating at the beginning. First dates are awkward and I often avoid them because it’s difficult for me to sit anxiously through an entire day, looking forward to meeting someone, knowing that it’s probably going to go badly. Maybe I should start doing breakfast meetings for first dates. That way I can get it out of the way. I have this really tough-to-control tendency where I come on way too hard way too early when I like someone, because I’m a dumb asshole who trusts his instincts instead of keeping a level head and engaging in the strategic battle that relationships are, especially in the early stages. Then, when these women distance themselves from me I take it way too seriously and personally and…  read on >