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A van is towed on Leavitt Street in Brockton because of a winter parking ban during a nor’easter that dropped over a foot of snow in the area in December. MARC VASCONCELLOS/THE ENTERPRISE
Move over Spotify, here’s ... the library?
Neighbor hasn’t moved car in six months
Veer Mudambi
Shaun Connolly
Worcester Magazine
Special to Worcester Magazine
USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY NETWORK
When I was a kid, I remember picking up music — mostly CDs but also the odd cassette tape — from my local library. Free music has always been as much a part of modern library off erings as books and movies. When the Worcester Public Library launched the Freegal music streaming service in early February, it was the natural progression of things — from vinyl to cassettes to CDs to streaming. The pandemic certainly spurred things as they fi gured out how to meet their patron’s needs during the shutdown. Freegal is a service for libraries worldwide providing digital access to an expansive collection of music and audiobooks — 15 million songs with no commercials or skip limits. So library patrons can choose a song they want to listen to and listen to it now. I know I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on!
DEAR SHAUN: Our neighbors have had their car parked across the street for six months without moving it once and there’s no indication that it will ever be moved in the future. This arrangement eff ectively makes our street a one-way street, especially during snowstorms. I don’t think this is fair — why should we only get one way when we are paying for two ways? I waved at these neighbors once, so I feel like we’ve established a rapport, but I don’t know that I feel comfortable confronting them directly. How can I (tactfully) remedy this situation? — One Way DEAR ONE WAY: Great job establishing rapport. It seems like you are best friends now because of this. That’s good. When you are friends you can do things that may not be good for the relationship, but you have some leeway because
WORCESTERIA
The Worcester Public Library is offering Freegal, a service for libraries that provides digital access to an expansive collection of music and audiobooks. GETTY IMAGES
Libraries provide access to materials that individuals may not have, a varied choice which is curated to give a window into worlds that could remain closed due to many reasons. Among those materials are physical music collections. Jason Homer, director of the WPL, said the decision was See LIBRARY, Page 12
friends forgive their friends. In this case, your friend across the street has their car parked on the street and they have had that car out there for six months without moving it. This car is a metaphor for your relationship. This car is the immovable rock that is your neighborly bond. And you know what friends do to other friends? They pull pranks. Who is the defi nition of friendship in America? No, not the show, “Friends,” but the crew of “Jackass.” “Jackass” has warmed the heart of our country for the last two decades pulling pranks, doing stunts and laughing at each other’s misery. You, after waving that one time, are just as close to your neighbor as Johnny Knoxville is to Steve-O. A series of pranks to your neighbor and their car is just what this relationship needs. You can start small. The fi rst prank can be subtle. Maybe just write “wash me” with your fi nger in the dirt on the car (that always gets ‘em). Then maybe after that
you can set a fi rework off on top of the car. Make sure to run all the way back in the house before it goes off so the neighbor can run out and be all, “what the heck, who was that?” And you can giggle in your house. Finally to the coup de grace, is to enroll in the automotive program at Quinsigamond Community College. Then, once you learn all of the ins and outs of motor vehicles you can slowly, piece by piece, take the car apart, until, one day there is nothing left and you have rebuilt the car in their backyard. Your neighbor will think it is so funny, they’ll make a Tik Tok about it and it will go viral and then you two will be guests on the “Today” show talking about your amazing friendship. As I write this, I am jealous of how close you two are. Friendship is just so important. Worcester comedian Shaun Connolly provides readers bad advice in his weekly column. Send your questions to woocomedyweek@gmail.com.
