> > In fact, my Vanagon is currently registered to someone 
> >named "John Brange". Argh!

> If I had a nickel for every time that someone decided to 
> truncate my last name by shorting me a "t", I'd have enough 
> money to . . . uh . . . buy something or do something really 
> cool or useful.

I can relate!  My full name is Ron, and I constantly have people "second
guessing" me and changing it to Ronald on titles, insurance policies,
medical forms, etc. even though I wrote Ron on the application. (As if I
didn't know what my own name was! :-)  And of course my last name becomes
Salomon, Solomon, Solmon, etc. ("Like the fish! Like the fish!")  My wife
has a somewhat similar problem. Her name is Evon - spelled just as it sounds
- which results in telephone salespeople asking for Evan. At least it makes
it easy for me to immediately identify the sales calls.  :-)  She thought
her spelling was unique, until I found a package in the grocery store of
"Evon's Nuts."  Oddly descriptive. I had said that about her often. 

But that's nothing compared to the town I live in.  There are more ways to
butcher the name Perkiomenville than there are residents of the town!  I
especially like the CSR's whose computers prompt by zip code.  "You live in
Perki ... Perki ... What town do you live in?" My favorite mispronunciation
was "Perky-Old-Men-ville."  When asked, I tell people that Perkiomenville is
Native American for "impossible for the white man to pronounce." :-)
(Actually, it _is_ Native American, with a "ville" thrown in for good
measure because apparantly someone didn't think Perkiomen was long enough
already.) 

My poor 7 year old. She's been working on spelling her address for a year
now  - Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania! 

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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