It was last New Year’s Eve. I was reflecting over the events that had made 2010 the memorable year that it was. I resolved to make 2011 just as fresh and opportune. My first step? Move out of my parent’s place, where I had set up camp almost two years earlier having graduated from university.
   
I first needed to find a roommate. So, I did what any 21st Century city gal in search of the perfect find would do: I hit up Craigslist. This is the story of the special encounters I made throughout my travels in the world of online classifieds.

My first bizarre online experience came early on in my roommate search. I posted an ad saying I was looking for a female roommate, and a potential candidate responded to my query. She was my age, had a similar work schedule and an interest in languages. But when I requested a visit to the locale in question before signing a lease, like any sensible house-hunter would, an e-mail with the subject, "You sound sceptical" was returned to me. My potential roommie suggested that because I wanted to see the place where I would be living prior to handing over a significant portion of my paycheque, I must not trust others, and therefore not trust myself! Err…time to take my bedroom furniture elsewhere.

Next, I received a response to my ad from a self-described "Carrie Bradshaw of Canada." As a Sex and the City fan, I asked for more details. A mid-twenties, Glee-loving, self-described textaholic is what I got. After several e-mail exchanges, the only minor detail that was missing was the girl's first name, so I asked. The next time I opened my inbox, there laid the answer.
 
"Matthew," read the response.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against guys who love Sex and the City and Glee, just Internet users who respond to a "seeking female roommate" ad without specifying that they don’t exactly fit the description that was requested. Weirded out, I was ready to abandon my quest altogether.
   
Having put the hunt in the back of my mind, less than two days later I got a room offer from a potential roommate who had fallen off my radar in the midst of things. She and her roommates seemed honest, clean and considerate, and have proven to be so.

I finally got lucky, but did you? Have you ever had a strange encounter using an online classifieds service?