Personal ads

I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds personal ads fascinating. It's not that I read them on a regular basis, but when I now and then stumble over a newspaper with personals, I find it quite intriguing to read and try and figure out what kind of person that hides behind a certain kind of phrasing.

Sometimes the ads are so boring, impersonal and seem to be taken from a Personal ads phrasing-collection, option A. But who knows, maybe phrases like walks in the woods, evenings in front of the fireplace, cooking, sailing, well-trained and fit, good-looking, kind and love children are the ultimate ones for getting loads of replies from other love-starved seekers?

If I was searching for love in the personal section of the local newspaper, I sure wouldn't go for that. I'd look for the thought provoking ones. The ones in which you might detect a hint of personality, a hint of layers, a hint of something, someone worth knowing and exchanging thoughts and ideas with. And I'm sure that someone would be capable of writing a more interesting personal ad than a fit, wood-walker with a passion for sailing and fireplaces.

Some ads are just rather repulsive, others completely sad. Both somehow can leave a feeling of I really should answer and state my opinion on the matter. But instead I just hope the senders get all they deserve in life...

Some ads are just hilarious, completely unique and well-written, interest-rousing and probably makes a very good beginning of a book. One day...

So what of interest, if any, did I find in today's newspaper? And I'm skipping the completely uninteresting, the majority, ones, the ones with bad grammars, too many, and end up with these;

Father of three children looking for a new girl. My children think I work too much and that I need someone that makes me slow down - um, I wonder if that should be considered charming and appealing or possibly too much work...?

Beautiful, whole-formed nurse looking for older financial independent man who can stabilize my economy and future - yes I know, it actually says whole-formed and not well-formed, makes one wonder if there's such a thing as half-formed women too? And well, the words nurse, older man with good economy at least stir my imagination...

Frenchman with houses in Sweden, France and Spain is looking for a cultural woman to share his life - that one will most definitely get a lot of answers...

Man who likes trotters seeks woman who likes animals, trotters and cosy evenings at home - another imagination stirring one...

Single guy seeks female 35-55, you can most definitely be overweight or immigrant - somehow this one does leave me with a very sad feeling...

I'm especially fond of the ads searching for someone you've lost contact with or have seen on town, in the supermarket etc, like;

I saw you at the subway 22/7 between 3-4 pm. I got on at station Odenplan, you had a large mug and got off at the Central station - ok, but who are you behind the ad, male or female, and is it a man or female you're looking for? Purely statistically, how many people with large coffee mugs in their hands can be found at the subway...

And this one is my happy favourite this time around;

Blond amazon with a magic smile, frontmost in the no 2 bus, July 17th, 5.45 pm. You wore a pink blouse and had princess feet in flowery sandals - I so hope you find eachother!