Ryan ChartrandHave you ever had a flirtatious encounter with someone and then kicked yourself later for letting such a golden opportunity slip between your fingers? Yeah, me neither…
But let’s just say that you did have one of said chance encounters and you never used the opportunity to make your move. Short of watching “Hope Floats” and crying into your Care Bear pillow, there isn’t a whole lot you can do … so you thought.
You might attempt to stake out the location of your first meeting (what are the chances of him rear-ending my car with his Tacoma again?), or you might try Craigslist. I’m serious. Of course I don’t mean the “I’ll trade my mattress for your old English papers” kind of Craigslist; I have found a whole new world just suited to your passive-aggressive romantic whims. It’s called “Missed Connections.”
Sandwiched between “Casual Encounters” and “Rants and Raves” in the “Personals” section, “Missed Connections” is a safe place for creepers and hopeless romantics alike. Depending on your preference(s), you can post a listing on “men for women” and “women for men” as well as “men for men” and “women for women.” Or you can simply be mildly amused (and amazed) by what people are willing to put on the Internet.
Although lately I have been disappointed in the volume of postings, a few individuals made up in quality where quantity was lacking. For example, the poor man looking for Tara (the girl shoe shopping at Ross with her mother that called his shoes “neat”) will probably not hear back from her. Not because he compared her to a thimble, button and a baby spoon (small, attractive and useful), but because his post looked like verbal diarrhea. (Note to man seeking Tara: on your keyboard, probably on the right upperhand side is a “delete” key – maybe you should consider using it next time.) That’s what the Internet is for: pretending to be socially competent and avoiding phrases like “it was great that you paid with cash” and “despite my occasional aversion to feet…” Thank God for anonymity.
By writing about “Missed Connections,” I hope to spread the awareness of this social phenomenon. Not because I hope to one day get a post about me (a girl can dream), but because I hope to see more postings in general. They are usually somewhat creepy, sometimes sweet and always pretty funny to read aloud to your roommates (especially when you’re pretty sure the “hot brunette walking chocolate lab in park on Sunday” is your roommate). Do yourself (and me) a favor and post your own “missed connection” so I have something to do tonight while I’m watching “Hope Floats.”
Allison Baker is an English senior, Mustang Daily columnist and pop-culture enthusiast.