Why, part II

1. Why aren’t there alleys off of every street in every neighborhood in Madison? They’re all over the place in the Regent Street area but over on my side of town we have none. Alleys are sensible–your lot may be a bit shorter if you want a garage but you can build a wider house since you don’t need a driveway. Alleys free up the streets for kids to play in since folks will store their cars behind the house, not next to it. I’ve had dreams where Madison Kipp (my neighbor on the other side of the fence) goes out of business and the city creates an alley for all of us on the already paved lane that borders my yard.

2. Why is my name so hard to spell? I think I’ve been around and doing music for long enough (and had enough press coverage) that the misspellings would cease. Years ago I was interviewed for an article (one of the first about me) and during the face to face portion, I saw the interviewer write my name down correctly. He also had one of my cds in his possession which he also had in front of us at the interview. Yet the article arrived and there it was, that extra “t” that seems to follow me everywhere. I’m not offended anymore when folks get it wrong but just curious as to how it happens over and over. I figure once I got http://www.aaronscholz.com my troubles would be over. I used to tell people that Tom Scholz was my uncle but that confused most folks and did not assist with the correct spelling of my name.

3. Why do some people get mad about cabs? If I do not have a call in front of me–and even on the busiest Saturday night that does happen–and someone flags me down, I will stop. Picking up a flag is good business and I do it as much as possible. But sometimes I work only the calls that come through our dispatcher and cannot pick up folks who hail. Most people just wave until they realize I am not slowing down and leave it at that. Other people do stupid things like jump out in front of me or shout insults. Once in a while–this happened twice on Halloween–folks actually come up to the cab and pound their fists on the windows while I am cruising by. I’m baffled by the anger–the insinuation is that I am the only cab available and the fact that I didn’t pick you up is an insult and also means I am a stupid motherfucker. But in reality, isn’t it the other way around? If you’re rude and stupid I’m definitely not picking you up.

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