MC #10: See this, talk more

I always go for the weird ones. Adrienne introduced us but you remained quiet for at least an hour around that table. And when you finally spoke it was monosyllabic for at least 30 minutes.

“Where are you from originally?” I inquired.

“Flint.”

“Why’d you move here?”

“Work.”

“What do you love to do for fun?”

“Walk.”

You were possible the most uninteresting person I’d ever met. So I ignored you and cherished my conversations for the next 20 minutes.

Then I noticed the stareing. You were piercing my soul. Oddly enough, I enjoyed it. Already we seemed intimate.

Fast forward and I got a few more details from you and a “yes” when we went upstairs to my place.

After it was over I began to yearn for details, satisfaction, and verbal companionship. I drilled you verbally and made you weep. I apologize. Maybe it was verbal abuse but I look at it as therapy.

You told me that you were afraid of being corrected during a conversation so much that you stopped speaking. Terrified of a corrigendum, you drifted through interpersonal interactions without connection or without enjoyment.

I hope I fixed you. I hope you read this. I hope you talk now.

***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.

2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.

MC #9: A Moment Amidst

Life happens in moments. We shared a moment. So in that moment our lives were truly connecting. I wasn’t going to get on that car. I avoid the back of the train. I like to be towards the front. Maybe it’s an OCD thing or maybe I just am prejudice and believe the back of the train to be a nidus of delinquency. But I got on anyway. Because I saw you. Blonde, sweater, green earrings, and a plain green bag -- grocery?

I almost fell on you and excused myself. You said, “Hang on to something.” Was it condescending or flirtatious? I’m here to find out.

Meet me same time same place. This time fall on me!

***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.
2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.

MC #8: Scarves and Art

I think you had no fewer than eleven scarves on. Seriously, it looked a little ridiculous. But that seems to be who you are. Ridiculous? I mean ...fun. Cute. Spontaneous? Random. I usually hate you people. Should I say you people? Is that classist or something now? Political incorrect for sure? Regardless, too many scarves but it was cute. There. Okay. Combat shoes and braids, tank top and sweater, ...plain blue jeans. If I would have seen you anywhere else I would have been offended by you and your niche. But it was the combination with the stellar personality that made me stop and say, “Wait. I enjoy this pastiche.”

Let me know the gallery and my name. You know. Also, maybe how many scarves you actually had on.

***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.
2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.

MC #7: Ambivalent Fantasy

I almost left two drinks prior. I didn’t even bother putting on a dress. Funny how that works. I saw you from across our happy hour. You were wearing a really nice suit. Like I was really impressed. The shoes, the tie, the belt ...the form just mesmerized me. I caught your eye a few times. You seemed ...distracted? At a loss? Depressed? ...lonely?

You drank two old fashioneds in solitary confinement ...not even staring at your smart phone. Just existing. It looked so freeing as my friends continued to drag me into the monotonous conversations and remarks about work, work, and play. I saw this vision of a version of myself that could be with you. Fantasy morphed into stupidity and that is what gave me true happiness. I am now incarcerated by your love within my own fantasies.

I hope you saw me. I hope you recognize me. I hope you go again. Frontier. Do it. I’ll be there. Gazing and studying you again from afar.

***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.
2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.

MC #6: Hey let me hear you again

It was that you were an enigma that my eye was captured. It was the red hair. It was the massive law book. It was the generic macbook. It was the air of nonchalance. The coffee. The ability to focus for so long! I was intrigued before you spoke. How strange it was to my ears! How pleasing! How peculiar! You reminded me of an Israeli friend I had long ago; yet, it was not Hebrew that I eavesdropped upon. Mildly Spanish but slightly French -- perhaps Portuguese? Or, perhaps you are a polyglot beauty?

I just want to live inside your throat and become your words.


***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.
2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.

The First Five

The first five missed connections are up on the blog.

Be sure to read the first post, it explains everything: Beyond Reading: A Guide to an Interactive and Collaborative Experience

MC #5: You Are Still Here

Sixteen years have passed since I killed you. When I returned home the wax was grasping at the remnants of the fire, the pot was simmering for what must have been a soup’s eternity, yet the lilies and carnations were absolutely the most beautiful objects I had ever seen. Few memories are allowed to pierce that foggy, numb antistectic. No emotion can successfully capture the alien feeling of sudden loss, regret, and remorse. Part supernatural, part earth shatteringly human. You only exist now because of the years spent bittersweetly obsessing and sleuthing. I sealed your scent away in small, vacuum-packed bags, which I open one per birthday - a celebratory occasion I count the days until! I researched for fourteen months trying to find the right lotion ...it was no longer in production. I still have half a bottle hidden under the sink. In the time between I have rescued, raised, and said goodbye to three dogs, including the breed you always wanted. I’ve taken up your hobbies, I learned your dreams from your journals, and memorized your childhood paintings given to me by your mother. I would say I planted a tree for you, but, every single thing I do I still do with you in my mind. My activities are merely placeholders for our conversations, flirtatious shoves, and relaxing peace. My activities rebuild you, my thoughts project you, and my dreams become you. It’s the only way I can hold on to you.  


***

(to respond email missedconnections@gmail.com)
(feel free to use the comments below for general comments, etc.)

(How to Interact) (see first blog post for more details)

1. A Missed Connection is posted on this blog.
2. Reply to the post via email with the intention of either 1) assisting the character-author in his/her search, 2) determining if you are the subject of his/her search, 3) general commentary about his/her post or search, 4) anything else you deem possible.
3. Receive a personalized response from the character. You may choose to continue the conversation. You may be the person he/she is searching for. The possibilities at this point are unknown and uncharted.
4. Responses and personalized conversations are posted on the blog at the discretion of the author.