5 pages! You MUST be an expert!

I'm sorry if some of my sex behave in such a way. I know from experience that it can be difficult to have feelings for a guy that aren't returned and to try and maintain a friendship. I suppose that the aggresive attitude is really a defence against hurt feelings - even if there was no real reason to believe that there was a possibility of anything further. Sometimes both men and women read into perfectly innocent attitudes something more - because we so want it to be more.

As for control freaks - tell me about it! Male or female they're real trouble - and it starts from the first time that they 'suggest' that you might change something about yourself. I have a friend who is going into a new relationship and the bluebirds are tweetering around her head. From the outside I can see that this man is going to take her over (and no, it's not jealousy on my part - he's already suggesting that she buys new, sexier underwear and persuaded her to drink beer, which he likes, rather than wine, which she likes) but I can't say anything for fear of upsetting a now rather delicate friendship because he is starting to go toward exclusivity.

I can't say that I'm an expert on men - if I was I probably a) would be in a good relationship now or b)would be steering extremely clear of rather than looking for one. Reading some of the threads (especially this one) gives a little bit of an insight into attitudes and motives but it's so difficult, when somple friendships with the opposite sex seem to be a minefield, to really get a handle on their behaviour. Maybe that's a good thing!