Chris Brogan Understands Meteorology

On Monday, my brakes failed. Fortunately, I noticed this within a few blocks of my apartment and was able to apply all of my pressure to steer the car to a stop along the curb.

After checking online and with a few mechanic friends, the consensus seemed to be that brake fluid doesn't normally freeze below -70 degrees. I feared the worst: that I'd have to pay through the nose to repair some obscure portion of my brake system.

However, brake fluid CAN freeze if it's old / low and water gets into the line / reservoir. So, after I waited for the temperature to rise above 0 degrees, I warmed the car up for a few minutes. That was enough to unobstruct the line and enable me to drive to Jiffy Lube, where I had most of my fluids flushed / replaced.

Total cost? $284, and I didn't even touch the fuel line.

Meanwhile, Network2's Chris Brogan calls me yesterday from Los Angeles, where he's traveling on business. He was wistful because the last time he was there, I was with him, climbing trees on Rodeo Drive at 3 AM. So he sends me the above photo of him sporting his STBD shirt and blazer in Beverly Hills.

I checked the weather in the USA Today. At the same time that we're enjoying sub-zero temperatures here in Pittsburgh, it's hovering around 80 in LA. Clearly, Chris Brogan knows a lot of things that I don't. One of them involves hopping a plane to warmer climes come winter.

Speaking of which, I noticed a gaggle of robins at the side of the road yesterday. Perhaps Chris Brogan should give them a call, too.