Sunday column: Classified love

I think my love of classified ads was born in the Laundromat.
During the many, many years in the not-so-distant past when I did not have a washer and dryer of my own, a trip to the Laundromat was part of my weekly routine.
As a Louisiana Tech student, I spent many hours and even more quarters at Skip Russell's washateria on Homer Street. Even today when I pass by and see those washers chugging and dryers tumbling around the clock, I have to smile as I remember lugging my bookbag and my laundry basket in there to settle in for an hour or two.
My post-college years also saw me toting laundry in and out of various Laundromats. Big, small, safe, scary — you name it and I probably washed my clothes there. That's when I discovered the classified ads. Once I was finished with college and had no more studying to do, I was at a loss for Laundromat reading material. I tried bringing along a novel to read, but that didn't always work due to all of the various laundry-related distractions that abound in washaterias.
So, what with me being a newspaperwoman and all, I read the paper — cover to cover — as I waited for the washing machine to finish cycling and the dryer to stop spinning. Never before had I realized the information and sheer entertainment value of reading the classifieds, but now it's something I try not to miss.
When I moved to a city big enough to have an entire publication of nothing but classified ads, I was in heaven. And best of all, it was free.
The Quik Quarter provided hours of classified ad reading and ran the gamut from pets for sale to job want ads and personals. It's where I found the listing for the part-time job at the grocery store where I met my husband.
I also spotted the ad for the car I would eventually buy in the QQ, along with several different apartments I inhabited through the years (none of which had washer/dryer connections).
You can discover all kinds of interesting things in the classified section. For example, right here in Ruston not too long ago, someone had an ad for spider monkeys for sale.
See what you're missing by neglecting the classifieds?
I know I'm not the only devoted classified ad reader. Whether you're in it for the garage sale listings or the legal notices, reading them usually pays off — if you're patient.
I read the classifieds faithfully every day for months before finding the just-right house when I first moved back to Ruston. The wait was worth it.
Some of the most entertaining classified ads I've ever seen are the ones labeled "Missed Connection." These are usually in larger market papers and grouped with the personal ads, and they can be a hoot.
These ads go a little something like this: "Me: Blue scarf. You: Black cap. You opened the door for me at McDonalds on Arizona Avenue. Our eyes met and you smiled. Call 555-1234."
But of course, that's a very bland, basic example. Just imagine all the possibilities of two souls hungry to find that "missed connection." Who knows? Maybe some couples have a really cute story because of an ad like that. At least, I hope someone out there does.
Even though I recently (finally) got my very own washer and dryer and a house where I can hook them up, I'm still a classified ad junkie. But, I'll admit, I do get a little nostalgic from time to time when I pass by a Laundromat and catch a whiff of that distinctive smell — laundry detergent mixed with a slightly singed odor produced by those heavy duty dryers.
The time in my life when I'd spend a Saturday afternoon combing through the classifieds as I counted out quarters and waited for machines to shutter off is over. At the time, I never dreamed I'd look back on it with fond memories.
It does make me appreciate the convenience of being able to throw a load of laundry in the washer anytime I want, regardless of how many quarters I can scrounge up.
And while the circumstances may be different, reading the classifieds is still something I look forward to, because you just never know what you'll find in there.