This is even more fun than that "No Blood For Oil" graffiti debate in that bathroom stall in the English building!* It's "Missed Connections"** on Craigslist!
You: Astonishing young lady in "LOVE" t-shirt and "Death or Glory" sneakers. Brown eyes, and a penchant for bright minty-green colors.
Me: Tall blond guy in the row behind you, across the aisle
I noticed you at the Vegas airport, and thought you noticed me. I nearly sat by you on the plane but then got sidetracked across the aisle and a row back. I am not looking for anything interaction-wise, but I wanted you to know that you are probably the most attractive woman I have ever seen. Just perfect, really.
I noticed that you are a nervous flier. I used to be one, too, but reading the novel "Airframe" by Michael Crichton really helped me with that. You might try it.
Thanks for making the flight more pleasant.
*I used to check in every Thursday afternoon between American Lit and my creative writing workshop to see what someone had written. It must have been 2003, just before we got into the war and Tyson and I were like the only people on Earth who thought that was a bad idea, and I have to say reading that bizarre, vitriolic conversation scrawled on the bathroom stall was the most entertaining part of my week.
**Yes, I know I should have started following these after reading Ghost World. But it takes me awhile sometimes to get on the bandwagon. (It's quite a big decision.)
7 comments:
If you think "Missed Connections" is great, you really should be perusing the "Tranny for Man" or "Man for Tranny" section. ( that would be "M for T" or "T for M" in the "misc romance" )
Show me some awesome examples, you say?
http://austin.craigslist.org/msr/738599324.html
http://austin.craigslist.org/msr/750795282.html
I really love the pathetic factor of Missed Connections. Whatever happened to regular people, just, you know, talking to one another? The ease of internet communication just gives an excuse for lots of people to avoid real interaction in favor of things like "Where's George?", mass emails, social networking, and those "abandon a book then go to a website and comment on it" things.
I thought it was sweet and sort of romantic.
But, I agree. Technology has impeded personal interaction. There was a time when moments like those had to be capitalized upon or they were lost. Somehow, the loss of the moment made the action important, and people said those things to one another.
I have made it a point to voice a thought or two. There have been a couple of times when the effort was made toward me. Nothing earth shattering in either case, but it was so nice. The brief exchange of an enchanted moment or feeling. I enjoyed hearing I caught someone's attention much more than reading about it online... or reading about someone else. And, I know the guy from our mortgage company with the sexiest phone voice ever enjoyed my compliment. God how I prayed for "re-fi" mishaps so I would have to talk to him.
I don't know that I've ever had the guts to say things like that. But once I was shopping at Trader Joes in PJ pants and a ratty t-shirt, and my hair looked awful so I'd covered it with a bandanna, and this guy stopped me and said, "excuse me, you have really beautiful eyes." Cheesy? Yes. But even like six years later I walk out of the house to get the mail in nappy, slept-on-in-the-humidity hair, PJs with holes in them, sporting 20 more pounds than I'd like, with a greasy forehead and sleep-wrinkles all over my arms, and think, "enh. At least my eyes look OK."
Yep. It's great.
I was able to manage telling that guy is voice was so sexy only because it was over the phone and NOT in person.
When I said "It's great," I meant both your story and the feeling one gets when someone says something like that.
I usually keep up with the Rochester "Missed Connections," (because I mean, who doesn't read them without hoping for an unexpected comment that could be aimed at you or someone who looks like you, playing flute in the Eastman Wind Ensemble concert last weekend) but of course can anything really compare with Vegas missed connections? I feel an exciting APM coming on this week....
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