Ford Fusion

I've been hoping to get a Ford Fusion rental car and finally did this week. I think it was a base model because there weren't too many bells and whistles.

I really like the look of the car. First thing I noticed is how comfortable the driver's seat is and it sits fairly high which I like. The instrument panel is well configured with the steering wheel so you can see all the gauges. It is surprising how many cars don't have the steering wheel and gauges lined up right.

The climate controls are way too low. They are below the radio which is kind of low. The climate controls end up at the same height as the gear selector and so are not easy to get to. There was a pretty bad rattle in the dashboard. I think it had something to do with the storage compartment on top of the dash.

For some reason in Dallas they don't grade the road surface before putting it down. They just put the road on the contour of the land so there are all kinds of bumps and humps and curves and dips. It can be kind of fun to drive but anything loose in the car shakes, rattles and rolls.

The transmission is not as smooth as the General Motors ones I have had recently. The car is fun to drive but I think the weak point is the transmission. The sound proofing is excellent though. I was trapped between two semi-trailers and did not have that level of noise I thought there would be.

Result is a mild recommend.

Road Weary

Boy, am I tired. This week after week of travel is wearing me down.

I'll be glad when the summer travel time is over. The airports are crowded. The planes are crowded. The roads are crowded. And I'm crabby.

:-0

Soneone's lost luggage?

When we landed at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), I think we must have actually landed on the Fort Worth side. We taxied forever to get to our gate passing by several other terminals along the way.

As we're finally getting close to the gate, I see a piece of luggage out on the tarmac. It is along the "road" marked for vehicles. I figure it has fallen off one of those luggage wagons. I'm watching and we pass within a few yards of it. The guy guiding the plane in is fairly close to it. He doesn't touch it.

A few luggage wagon drivers sail right by it. A pickup truck or two zoom on by it. One luggage wagon cart driver actually stops and reads the tag. Then he goes on and leaves it there.

I'm thinking about the poor passenger who is either going to be missing their luggage at their destination or they're standing at the baggage carousel wondering where their personal belongings are. Then I get to thinking isn't it kind of security issue to have this piece of luggage sitting out on the airport tarmac? What's the thing they announce about leaving your luggage unattended?

A beautiful night for fireworks

Last night was the end of the Minneapolis Aquateneal - "the best 10 days of summer" - festival. Target sponsors a fireworks display on the Mississippi River.

Christine, Kay, Rachel, Tom and I went down to the Stone Arch Bridge at lock and dam #1. This is the best place to view. And there were several tens of thousands of others who also thought so.

The fireworks are shot off from the next up river bridge. It was a cool, clear night with a slight breeze. The fireworks were crystal clear.

Its back to Dallas this week.

Cat check

Well, it finally happened. I got home last night to find Uno in the upstairs closet. She must have gone in when I was getting dressed Monday morning and I didn't see her. She was shut in there for four days!

She seems okay. She drank a lot of water and the bedroom closet is kind of a mess.

I'll be checking for both cats before I leave in the future.

John Arnone's cousin

Turns out that my friend John Arnone (check out his website: John Arnone Design) has a cousin that works at the client I'm consulting for in Irving, Texas. He is the Vice President of Human Resources. We went out to lunch on Wednesday and had a good time talking about John and especially about John's family and boyhood.

It was nice to spend some time with non-IBMers and not have to talk about the project.

This week's car - the Nissan Altima

Got a "foreign" car this week. It has fairly standard equipment so not too luxurious but very comfortable to drive.

The brakes are very very sensitive though. I was lurching out the Hertz parking ramp trying to get used to them. I don't know if the pedal is further out than I'm used to or what. I finally got used to it by the end of the week.

The radio was tricky to figure out. I think I had that comment about the Cadillac. Manufacturer's seem to try to make these fancy controls and it just ends up being complicated of busy. The Altima also had the keyless start like the Caddie. I just don't get the advantage of that. You still have to carry the fob to unlock and lock the doors. And it is so easy to just get out of the vehicle without turning it off.

The Altima does drive nice and has nice power though so I would recommend it.