I've found a new solution to the little problems life throws in your path: ask someone who might know the answer. But, get this, they don't even need to answer and yet the problem is miraculously fixed.
Yesterday morning, I awoke to a cold house and, yup, the brand new furnace wasn't firing up. Checking the codes I saw the pressure switch was the issue, so I went outside -- as I had done twice the previous evening -- and removed snow that collected near the air intake pipe.
But although that should have fixed it, we had no heat. I called a friend who works in HVAC and the minute he picked up the phone, the furnace kicked in. Kind of like Arthur Fonzarelli fixing the jammed jukebox with a well-aimed fist. But without the fist.
Ayyyyyyyyy.
This morning, the heat and fan in my car weren't working. As my toes froze and I craned my neck to see out the windows I was unable to defrost, I called the mechanic husband of a co-worker. He asked what the problem was and before I could even answer, the fan whirred into action and blew warm air on my frigid digits.
Ayyyyyyyyy.
A few minutes later, after replacing the battery in my wife's car, a neighbor suffering similar issues asked if I'd listen while he tried to crank his car's ignition to see if it sounded the same as our car did, pre-battery replacement. He'd been trying all morning with no luck.
He hopped in, turned the key and the car started right up.
Ayyyyyyyyy.
Bronze or otherwise, the power of Fonzie was in the frigid, post-blizzard Milwaukee air. May The Fonz be with you.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
