These are some of the less than romantic encounters I've experienced in the not too distant past. In no way am I suggesting that there aren't women out there who have tried many of these same tactics, because there are some that do. But this is from my point of view and these are things that have actually happened to me. So here are a few funny, awkward and maybe cringe-worthy situations I've been in that I thought I would share with all of you. Names have been changed for privacy's sake.

1. The "I have a girlfriend, but I do not want to mention it" guy

Let's call him Ron. Ron and I met on Tinder and five hours into our conversation, he was already saying that he wanted to date me and potentially go even further. He wanted to meet. I felt like I had to know more about him before accepting such a request. Well the second day of us messaging, he asks what I was doing. I responded with "Oh, just studying. What about you?" He replies with, "Just watching videos on Facebook." Watching videos on Facebook. On Facebook.

*gives Ron the side eye*

So I ask, "Oh, what's your Facebook?" His reply was, "Oh, I don’t have one," followed by another message, "Well I do have one, just that I don’t get on it much." So instead, he gives me his Instagram username for me to follow him. I follow him, but I guess he didn't have enough time for him to delete the incriminating evidence, so I saw he had a girlfriend. I asked him about the girl and he denied it. I go back to check his Instagram to get screenshots for proof and the pictures are gone. I ask again because it's so obvious, and he says, "We are pretty much over. I just didn’t want to tell you about her." Yet I continued to see new posts of them being a happy couple. Kind of strange for a relationship that was "pretty much over." "Pretty much over" does not mean it is over. So my advice is if you are in a relationship and you are trying to talk to and/or find other people, end the relationship immediately. It's not healthy and not fair to anyone involved.

2. The "I know what is best for you" guy

This guy, let's call him Eric, mentioned something about Bernie Sanders a few weeks ago. Me, being a Sanders supporter, responded by saying "Oh! You're for Bernie Sanders?" Of course I tried to say it in a "Wow! That’s cool!" kind of tone, but text messages are often misread. Eric, instead of asking me about my political preferences, chose to respond in a condescending manner by saying "Let me help you decide! Are you a multimillionaire?" Not once did I ask for his guidance. My question was more rhetorical than anything. A simple response of "Yeah! How about you?" would have been perfect. It was not a plea for his enlightenment on which candidate would be the best choice for me. Just a tip, guys. Next time you're talking to a girl you're interested in, or even one you're just friends with, don't assume anything about her views. Rather, ask her and get to know her. You just might find that she can think for herself.

3. The "I have no filter" guy

Oh, the stories I could tell you about the many, many guys I've encountered who have no filter and no respect. We'll just leave it at that. Friendly reminder, guys: women are not here for your satisfaction.

4. The "You did not respond, so I turned into an asshole" guy

We'll call this guy Adam. Adam messages me and the conversation is going fine, but then he mentions height. As some of you may know, I am 5'10. 5'11 on a good day. Whatever. Point is, I'm pretty tall. He was not. I didn't have a problem with this at all, but he did, and that's where it all went downhill. He started attacking me for being tall, as if I stole height from him, as if it's my fault that he has height issues. Instead of getting into a confrontation, I choose not to respond primarily because I'm not obligated to. He proceeds to message me repeatedly. And some more after that too. And after that. And there was more where that came from. The content of these messages were increasingly derogatory. If I were a betting woman, I'd say it was because he was insecure about his height. I wasn't hurt or angry or upset. You know what I did? I laughed and ignored it. Ladies, if you learn nothing else from my experiences, learn to laugh it all off.

5. The "You are the sweetest person I know, but I will randomly stop contacting you for no reason at all" guy

This is a story about a guy that we'll call James. James is the type of guy that will get you all caught up in your own feelings and then suddenly have you thinking you've been punched in the gut. He was probably the only person that has gotten even moderately close to having a relationship with me, which is pretty surprising because well, I'm admittedly weird and I usually avoid emotions like the plague. Anyway, we went out about 16 times. Of those 16 times, 13 were movie dates. We ate out the other two times and watched my friend's play the last time we went out. After that, I honestly have no idea what happened. He stopped messaging me and I got worried. The last message was something along the lines of "you are the sweetest person I've ever known." That was it. That's all he said before he never contacted me again. Oh, he also blocked me on Instagram. My life is weird. I don't have any tips or wisdom or valuable pieces of information for you.

I would like to point out that as I share these instances in my life, I don't do it to make myself seem better than anyone else. Everyone has a story and I'm sure that at one point or another, I was the girl that some guy used as an example of how not to act and I do apologize for that. We all have crazy, awkward situations like these and the best we can do as twenty-something's living in the world of Tinder and DM-sliding is find someone who's just as crazy and awkward as we are. Here's hoping your luck is a little better than mine!