  Can't live with 'em, can't bury 'em in the backyard. It seems like many of the women in my life are experiencing some interesting phenomenon in their respective love lives. I'm not sure if it's the season for strife and fluctuation, or just a coincidence, but I'm leaning towards mere chancery simply because each person is having highly different experiences. The only common bond is that there is a guy involved in all of them (my lesbian friends are pretty content right now). Needless to say I won't be getting into any specifics, but from my own perspective I find it odd that there are so many different kinds of guys out there, and they all seem to be matched with women who are a) smarter than they are and b) better equipped to deal with relationships. There are guys who are moving too fast, guys who are weaseling their way back in, guys who were never in to begin with and are delusional, and of course guys who are moving too slow.
It may be that my perspective (as friend and brother) is skewed, but it seems like most of these guys are barely able to figure out how to work these relationships correctly. Some are better at it than others, but in some ways it almost seems like they're matched up incorrectly. If I could just play God and rearrange the relationships so that neuroses matched, would that be better or worse? Is the guy who refuses to commit better suited with a girl who is the same way, or is that part of his appeal that would be lost on someone of the same mind?
Similarly, is the guy who wants to settle down better suited to a girl looking for marriage, or is the mix of opposites what provides that oh-so-crucial spark? They say one woman's stalker is another's prince charming, and right now that seems to be very true. But I think that analyzing these behaviors is a little bit like seeing shapes in the clouds; it's fun, but ultimately useless to do so.
The bonds between women and men, in all relationships from the serious to the casual, go much deeper than can be studied with a macrosociological-type approach. But that forces us to deal with each relationship as it exists, and while not having any sort of manual or guidelines may be frustrating, it's probably the best way to live. I'm pretty lucky to have so many female friends, I think, because it gives me the opportunity to reflect on my own behavior, past and present (though present is mercifully drama-free right now). Whether this "insider information" will ever prove beneficial while in the throes of a difficult relationship remains to be seen, but for now I'm pretty content to just listen, reflect, and offer to beat the bejesus out of anyone who hurts the people I care about. 
