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Great Late-Night Dining! A town without pity Desperate bachelor finds scapegoat for constant rejection—Novato
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Tuesday-Sunday till Midnight
- Great Atmosphere - Full Bar - Take-Out - Banquet Services Lun ch
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Come Taste What Decades of Devotion Can Do for a Burrito R U FO K YO S #1 N A H U T NG VOTI ITO BURR BEST 01-2003 20
12 Bay Area Locations 1 Locally Owned 1 www.hightechburrito.com
Windsor 1 Petaluma 1 Mill Valley 1 San Rafael 1 Terra Linda 1 Novato
Eat...Drink...Surf...
302 Bon Air Center, Greenbrae 415-461-7400
Monday = a Draft Beer & a Burger $10 Tuesday = Kids Eat Free*
*With the purchase of each adult entrée. Kids 12 & under only.
Must be ordered from the kid's menu.
Wednesday = Any Pizza $5 Thursday = All 14 oz Draft Beer $2.50 Friday = Ribs Galore! 1/2 Rack $10.95 Full Rack $16.95 Double Rack $28.95
Showing All 20 PACIFIC SUN OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 5, 2009
Football Games
by N ik k i Silver s t e i n
L
et me point out that I think the city of Novato is a fine place. They have the only Target in Marin and that quaint red church off the DeLong exit. What’s not to like? So, I don’t want to cause a mass exodus, but if you live in a Novato condo and are having trouble getting more than a second date with a potential soul mate, I may have identified your problem. Apparently, condos that far north of the Golden Gate Bridge just aren’t sexy. My cousin’s wife’s best friend’s brother Patrick is a striking man. His soft, loose blonde curls, green eyes and hard body send my heart and other regions fluttering. A job in the wine industry, a nice sense of humor and the gift of gab make him even more attractive. At 36, he finally decided it was time to settle down. For almost three years, he tried to find the right woman in the usual ways. Internet, introductions by friends, bar hopping. Several times he thought he might have found her, but he couldn’t get beyond a couple of dates. He called his sister Adrienne frequently to discuss his woes. In her opinion, Patrick is emotionally and financially ready for a fulfilling relationship leading to marriage and children. (Oh, if only I were a few years younger or had cougar tendencies.) “He’s a sweet guy and has a healthy respect for women,” Adrienne told me. “I really couldn’t figure it out.” Good thing Patrick did. He claims that as soon as women found out he lived in a condo in Novato, they became disinterested. They would all say the same things: “It’s so far from the city.” “There’s nothing to do in the suburbs.” “It’s kind of like Fresno out here.” A few accepted another date after actually seeing his place, but always ended up canceling. “I guess they decided it wasn’t worth it, since I was geographically undesirable,” Patrick said. After a great second date with Jeannie, the two texted, communicated on Facebook and chatted on the phone. They made plans to get together again, but she was going out of town for the weekend, so the next date was two weeks away. Patrick was thrilled when Jeannie called that Friday to say she was on her way from the city to Sea Ranch and wanted to stop by to say hello. When she arrived, he gave her a tour of his two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse and thought she seemed impressed. They spent 30 minutes relaxing on his balcony with a couple of cans of Dr.
Pepper and then she was back on the road. Despite his calls and e-mails, Patrick never heard from her. That’s when he had his eureka moment. “I have to move out of Novato,” he declared. He hit craigslist and found an apartment in San Francisco, the Marina, of course. Then he rented out his condo in Novato to another poor, single sap who will probably never get a third date. No more homeowner’s tax deductions and no more ample parking for visitors— all for the sake of dating. Patrick doesn’t care, because he claims his love life has vastly improved. “I tested it,” he said. “I posted on Facebook that I moved to the Marina and own rental property in Marin. Jeannie and another woman that stopped seeing me both called.” I ask if his apartment is more tastefully furnished, but it turns out he brought the condo stuff. Perhaps he’s more confident, believing he’s now geographically desirable. He says he feels the same, only he has more dates. Are some women truly that shallow? He’s a homeowner for goodness’ sake. Is it that embarrassing to tell your girlfriends you’re dating someone in Novato? Petaluma maybe, but Novato is still Marin. Digging deeper, I discover that Patrick, though 39, dates women in their 20s. His reason for dating younger women is that he watched his sister and friends marry in their mid- to late-30s and believes they were immediately under pressure from the ticking biological clock. He’d prefer to spend his newlywed years having fun. Nice rationalization, cradle robber. I grant you that younger, single women tend to choose the city as their playground, but I’m still not convinced that a Novato condo is the reason they stopped dating Patrick. I also found out he’s never had a long-term relationship. Maybe these young women sensed his inexperience or eagerness to dive right in? All of you single, 30-something men living in nice Novato condos, don’t follow Patrick’s lead just yet. Try dating women closer to your own age. I think you’ll find they appreciate your homeowner status. San Francisco is an amazing city, but there’s a reason we all ended up in this paradise called Marin. < E-mail nikki_silverstein@yahoo.com
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