The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
Peter Robinson ·
Aug 3, 2010 at 3:12pm
In the conversation about Bill Clinton, Ricochet member Paules just told me how to fix a refrigerator. (You'll have to see for yourself how the subject came up.) Impressed by Competent American Males (I'm always trying to figure out how come other men learned how to fix refrigerators, or clean a fish, or throw a curveball, when I remain so utterly clueless), I just checked Paules's profile--and found several paragraphs of really engaging prose, telling a really engrossing story. An excerpt:
My life has been episodic, so it's hard to know even where to start. I ran away from home six times during my youth to see the world.
See? I defy anyone to resist reading what comes next.
Man, am I ever liking Ricochet people.
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Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
Clearly the accidental pimp part is the most intriguing, right? A few weeks back, I was going to suggest that Paules's life story serve as the first member post. Or, if not his life, the story of the accidental pimp. I mean, try and figure out HOW this could happen? How could one become a pimp without knowing it? So many humorous and bizarre tales swam about in my brain! But then, somewhere, hidden deep in the recesses of another's post, Paules expounded before I could suggest it. I don't remember which post or all the details, but I think it involved a motorcycle -- stolen? -- and a gang, I think, from another country. Help me out here, Paules ...
Jun '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
I'll tell you about my adventures as a reluctant pimp another time. What I want to know is did Peter fix the fridge?
Jul '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
We academicians have to keep a lid on it. Even after tenure.
May '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
Peter, I've found that you pick up skills like that (fix refrigerators, or clean a fish, or throw a curveball) just by being there. You hang around with men, like your father's friends, while they talk about things they've done or especially while they are doing something. I learned how to use most power tools by spending hours in the backyard while my dad and the neighbor built an addition and a deck on the back of our house. I learned to reload shotgun shells by popping my head into my dad's workshop at the right time to see what he was up to. I learned how to back a trailer by "helping" him do it so many times. Just following him around allowed me to absorb so many lessons.
May '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
I think that's one of may favorite parts of participating in Ricochet - reading stories of peoples' lives.
Jun '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
Okay, guys and gals, I'm going to walk Peter through this one step at a time. My inner Allen Edgar Poe has agreed to join "us." Gothic literature and fridge repair are not unrelated. Peter, are you ready? You need first to understand that going behind a fridge is ghastly business. It's a place like a crypt where only the brave or the foolish will go.
Gently pull the refrigerator back on its fulcrum. That would be the two wheels located at the front. Pull the device back about six inches with care. You don't want to rupture the waterline. Now comes the hard part. You need to convince your youngest son to slip through the gap between the fridge and the wall. If he starts to whine, grab him by the scruff of the neck and pitch him headfirst into the hole. Kids are agile; he'll be just fine once he rights himself.
Throw in a towel and a flashlight. Tell him to sop up the water beneath leak. If you get no response, throw a wrench through the hole (he'll need it later anyway). If you hear bells or a muffled groan . . .
Jun '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
. . . then the fridge needs replacing. If not, have your boy locate the brass, conical nut where the waterline meets the fridge. My bet is that it's probably loose. Have your boy turn off the main which is probably located just behind him on the wall. If your boy doesn't comply, inform him that you'll take the cost of the repair out of his allowance. If that doesn't work, begin reading to him "A Cask of Amontillado." He'll get the message.
Pay attention. The nut needs to be secured with a delicate twist. If you cross-thread the connection, you're screwed. A proper connection will run up the threads until it's finger tight. Brass is soft. Another 1/8th or 1/4 turn should seal the deal. Have your boy turn on the main. Test by by placing a glass underneath your fridge's water dispenser. No leaks means your done.
Male bonding, appliance repair, and literature all in one easy lesson. What's not to like?
May '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
You are quite correct Mark, by being there and doing, one learns much about common sense repairs. I have learnt how to get a car engine to go when the starter motor is stuck on and won't release (pull the fan belt and hence turn the engine over to pick up the next part of the ring gear assembly), check the automatic transmission fluid (lots of girls and some guys I know mistakening thought it was the engine oil level). All stuff to do with watching as a kid when my dad/uncles (I have 6 at one stage) taught me to fix/hunt/plant a garden etc. Also often it was the only way to get some of my Dad's time.
Congratulations to Paules and Peter for fixing the fridge
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
˜Paules, this is nothing less than a masterful short story.
Would someone please call 911 in Palo Alto? I have a feeling one of Peter's sons is trapped behind the refrigerator.
Aug '10
Re: The Man Who Knows Refrigerators
"Clearly the accidental pimp part is the most intriguing, right? A few weeks back, I was going to suggest that Paules's life story serve as the first member post. Or, if not his life, the story of the accidental pimp. I mean, try and figure out HOW this could happen? How could one become a pimp without knowing it?"
I don't know... But I did once apply for a job as a bartender without knowing it. In my case, though, once the establishment realized that I thought I had been applying for a job on a part-time repair crew, they weren't exactly eager to employ me, which suited me fine at the time.
Though I sometimes wonder... would I have made a good bartender? I don't drink much myself, and rather dislike drunkenness, which could be considered assets at reputable establishment...