1. Making out in totally non-romantic places.

If I see the two of you pawing each other at the Trevi Fountain in Italy, I’ll forgive you. Now THAT is romantic. But seriously – to the couple who gets on the dirty, overcrowded subway and feels the need to look into each other’s eyes, whisper sweet nothings, and make out for all of three stops – save it. Same for the couple who starts going at it in the checkout line at Rite-Aid. Unless you’re buying condoms, why are you so worked up already? And if you are buying condoms, then save it for the bedroom.

2. Sharing a calendar.

Just because you’re a couple doesn’t mean you can’t be individuals. I hate the girl who’s there for you every time… as long as she’s single. Once the “relationship” label gets slapped on some people, they have to synchronize their scheds, and like, can’t even go to the bathroom without making sure it won’t disrupt Date Night (the third one this week). It’s great when a girl can bring her boyfriend out with her friends, and vice versa, but if it’s a “Girls’ Night” and Henry’s trailing behind… it’s effing annoying.

3. Lame-ass Pet Names

Seriously, I’m not really opposed by the use of “Baby” or “Babe,” that is, when it’s used in a nonchalant way. As in, “Babe, I’m going out tonight, I’ll call you later.” NOT “Babyyyyyy I wuv you thiiiiiis much!” But other petnames are semi-obnoxious. If you do have cute names for each other, it should be your special secret. I once dated a dude who actually suggested we do nicknames. I promptly started calling him “Snuggles” in front of his coworkers. When he put up with that stuff, I knew it was time to go.

4. Fighting in public.

This actually might be worse than PDAs. You know THAT couple who’s throwing beers at each other at the bar? Who break up about 5.4 times a day and then go back into cuddle-mode for the ten minutes prior to the NEXT fight. Seriously, girls, he DIDN’T mean to call you fat, he WASN’T checking out the waitress, and just because he wants to watch sports instead of go shopping with you it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. And guys, STOP inadvertently calling her fat, REFRAIN from checking out the waitress, and if you’re going to hang with the boys, just TRY to do something for her to show that you care in the meantime.

5. Becoming a biographer.

It’s a group event. Everyone’s meeting for drinks/dinner/ whatever, and of course the significant others are invited. There’s often that couple… the one where one party decides to relay everything he/she knows about the other to the group for the entire evening. It’s usually the partner that doesn’t know the rest of the group. For example, Johnny brings his new girlfriend to meet his friends at the bar. While everyone else tries to talk about class, politics, last week’s episode of Lost, whatever, Johnny’s girlfriend can only contribute, “So, Johnny and I met at….” “I know Johnny is the one because….” “Did you know that when Johnny was in high school, he…” ETC. She’ll probably also comment on Johnny’s every move, like, “Ohhh, how cute does Johnny look when he orders a beer? Stella is his favorite!” Let people get to know you and your signif for who you are. They can figure it out on their own without a picture being painted for them.

If I sound like a bitter old hag, that was not my intention. I was very happy in my last relationship, which ended quite smoothly. And I’d love to be in another relationship, once I find the right guy. In the meantime, however, I’ve been nixing the dudes who seem like they will either follow the aforementioned patterns, or expect ME to follow them. That’s too bad, because I’m just not that type of girl. Anyone else have any pet peeves from the dating world? We’d love to hear ‘em!

Do you embrace it, or bemoan it? Is it exciting, or just exhausting? Are you here by choice, or because you just can’t seem to land a good partner?

Society would like us to think that there’s only two ways to feel about being single; awesome and shitty. Either you’re a flirt who has no intensions or settling down or a depressed cat lady lighting shrines to the dating gods.

But maybe you’re both. Maybe there are times—watching couples fight on the street, cuddling up in a freshly made bed, spending a day shopping—when you’re completely fine with and happy about being alone.

Other times—finding yourself without plans on the weekend, seeing couples kiss on the street, sitting alone in your living room on a rainy Sunday—being single sucks the big one.

Switching between moods can even happen over the course of a single day.

So why do shows like Sex and the City, Grey’s Anatomy, and whatever reality dating show is popular now do their best to make the idea of “singleness” something to be picked apart and obsessed over?

Why do we care if Scott Baio is 45 and Single? Why is it so important that Carrie find a man? Why is hooking up with your best friend in a hospital storage closet more important than saving lives?

In our quest to calm ourselves down about being alone, I think we’ve actually heightened the panic and fixation. Love stories have always been a big part of our entertainment, but constructing entire franchises based off of which celebrities are hooking up with each other and who’s going to have that baby first, creates the illusion that if we’re not constantly preoccupied with our dating status—something is amiss.

Is life really only about finding true love? If so, why is America so set on embracing the idea of individuality? Does it often feel like these two polar ideas are ripping you in half?

What do you think? Have we put so much emphasis on finding a forever partner that we’re letting it take over our lives?

Do your single-status feelings change often? Or are you one of those people who are single for a black and white reason?

Are you okay with being single?