I'm not addicted, I'm not

So I'm reading craigslist again...but this time I Know When To Stop! It's almost immediately, before the poor grammar or misanthropy get to me. I thought I would love the missed connections section, as that's a favorite of mine in the Reader, but no, somehow today it doesn't strike me.

I love Missed Connections. There's something so desperate, yet so hopeful, about it. I doubt anyone finds the person they are looking for, partly because I suspect most missed connections are completely forgotten by one of the parties said to be connecting. If you're as hot as the ad claims, are you combing ads to see if someone noticed you? Do you remember the geeky guy/girl that tried to catch your eye but was TOO CHICKEN to say anything?

But if you come across the Missed Connections section, there's a part of you that can't help looking for yourself, to see if you made an impression on someone.

I used to laugh at the ads that gave very little information, as if the connectee were fortune telling, keeping the edges vague to ensure the info could be interpreted multiple directions. "We were on the El, I wore a black jacket, you had on a hat. Call me." ?? But it occurred to me that many people don't even mind if they find THE person (there might not be a person), they're just looking for people, casting their fishing line out upon the waters, and missed connections is their excuse.

The most memorable one I've yet read was a study in transparent pretense. "I missed your ad a few weeks ago. You said you look like Juliet Binoche but what really interested me was that your favorite movie was North by Northwest." Riiiiiiigggghhhttt. So if she'd said she looked like Ann Widdicombe* or Janet Reno but still liked NbNW, you'd still be trying to find her?

The ones I love the best are so specific that either the writer really did see someone or they're working really hard and constructing their perfect person, either of which I can appreciate.
"We met at a party - you were wearing a purple ribbon on your belt loop, I asked you what prize you had won. I wore glasses and a shirt that said "What Would Jesus Do for a Klondike Bar?". You told me your favorite flower was daffodils; I grabbed some out of the neighbor's yard for you. We talked about Jack Russell terriers and Jane Russell, but I was distracted by the shine of your green eyes. You rushed off at midnight but lost one of your sandals. I have it. Wanta talk some more?"

You can believe in an ad like that, that indeed, a connection was made, and that maybe both people wanted more and didn't get it, and perhaps this ad will be the way that they find each other and regret will shift to elation.


* As I researched Ann Widdicombe to make sure I had spelled her name right, I see her image has improved vastly. So this seems a touch unfair. Apologies to you Widdicombe fans. The blonde hair is quite attractive.