I don’t know if the changes I’m going through have anything to do with that funny little emotion called "love" or, I’m just getting old and have matured over the years to where I’m much more willing to compromise a bit more when it comes to relationships.

Back in 1999 I was having issues with Steve, the man I’ve dubbed "the one that got away", with him having reddish hair, his travel schedule, and the fact that his job and his home was down the Peninsula and not in San Francisco. I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to date someone who didn’t live and work in the "City". At least I remember thinking to myself, I didn’t have to cross a bridge or go through a tunnel. No B&T guys for me. And I’d really have to love someone to even consider seriously living anywhere besides city and county of San Francisco. And thank god at least Steve’s idea of a vacation from The Inn at Spanish Bay in Monterey, the guy was seriously Mr. Luxury Hotel guy all the way, and he didn’t drive a car on the banned list like an SUV (he drove a black lexus).

So flash forward to 2004, and now I find myself thinking I’m in love with someone who:
1) works in LA during the week
2) has double the travel schedule of Steve
3) lives in the east bay (a big no-no with a bridge to cross)
4) has absurdly reddish hair and yes it’s the real thing and not highlights from a bottle or from the salon.
5) whose idea of vacation is real outdoor camping like with sleeping bags and tents
6) drives a huge monster SUV
7) and, who I would seriously consider moving to Marin with only because he wants to move there (talk about a big no-no, we’re talking a bridge and a tunnel to cross.

As I read this I laugh at myself because I’ve always had to compromise about music tastes. Steve was into Andre Bocelli and red-haired guy has on his IPOD Bruce Springstein (okay not a bad choice but he wouldn’t be on my IPOD, Jackson Browne and Bryan Adams. Bruce Springstein I can understand, but not more than one song by Jackson Browne and Bryan Adams. I don’t even own any songs by either artist. I love Springstein’s ballad "Meeting Across the River", and the only Springstein album that I can listen to all the way through is "Tunnel of Love".

Okay, okay, I didn’t look through red-haired guy’s whole IPOD. I mean he at least had Elvis Costello’s greatest hits, but when I saw all those Jackson Brown and Byran Adams songs I was bit put off and didn’t want to freak myself out too much.