It's midnight in September. You lay in bed and pull your two thick blankets up over your chin. 'Man, it's cold out there," you think as you stare at the furnace, not sure if its even slits mock you or invite you to try and turn it on.

''Don't do it," you implore. "I'll blow myself up. The stove I can handle but the furnace? What about the dust? That stuff burns man, it burns!" You roll over and curl up tight in the fetal position.

Mental note: "Get the landlord to light the furnace tomorrow."

Sound familiar? Let it go. The fear is a myth. Forget your landlord and empower yourself to empower your furnace.