2 posts tagged “driving”

My last day working at the shoe store was on Sunday.  Yes, that's right, my last day just had to be on tax-free weekend.  Actually, the tax-free weekend really wasn't that bad...it certainly wasn't as bad as it was at the Lakeline store the previous year (having one register certainly didn't help).  I am going to miss my coworkers (but not really the job itself).  Of course, it's definitely time to move on.

Anyway, most of this week was spent getting my things packed up so I could move into the dorms.  Yes, I'm finally back in school full-time after taking a two year break.  I arrived in Denton on Thursday afternoon around 3:30, got my parking permit, then finished unloading the car by 6pm.  It feels weird driving up on my own to the dorms...I've always had my parents drive me up in the past.  Hell, I wasn't even driving until earlier this year (no comment on how I didn't get my license until after my 22nd birthday...that's a whole post in itself).

So far I'm adapting to campus life pretty well...seem to get along with the roommate okay, I've gotten everything somewhat organized, I'm getting used to the chow halls, I now own a map of Denton (useful if I end up going around in circles like I did last night!), my father bought us a fridge today (he drove up to drop off a few things I forgot), and I even went to a party my first night in town (no, there wasn't booze...it was a civilized gathering of adults).  Now if only I can unloft my loft bed, I'll be set (this is the point where I make the shameful confession that I've been sleeping on the couch because I just can't cope with the loft bed).  Otherwise, life is pretty good right now.

Let's see if I still feel this way when classes start on Monday. ;)

Okay, granted, my car has only been in the shop since Monday morning, but I still miss it.  You may not think there'd be much difference between a 2006 Ford Focus sedan (my car) and a 2007 Chevy Cobalt sedan (the rental)...after all, they're both about the same size and price range, but believe me that there is all the difference in the world.  The comparison might not be completely fair since I can't remember if keyless entry is standard on the Focus or if it was an upgrade (but I know cruise control is standard, which makes it all the more absurd that the Cobalt doesn't).

First thing you'll notice are the controls--the lights on the Focus are controlled by a dial on the dash, not combined with the turn signal lever on the steering column (well, save one very minor control), while the Cobalt has them on the same lever as the turn signals, which makes it considerably more difficult to handle (I had to consult the manual to figure out how to turn off the high beams--it's not intuitive at all on the Cobalt).  I won't touch upon the manual controls for locks, windows, and side mirrors in the Cobalt, since I think those features might have been an upgrade.  Then there's the stereo.  The factory stereo on both cars has the volume knob combined with the power button, but in the case of the Cobalt, there's several knobs that look like they could be volume knobs and none are clearly labeled as such.  Overall, the controls are much more intuitive on the Focus than they are on the Cobalt.

It's not that I'm against Chevys...my family owned two Cavaliers when I was a kid (1989 and 1991), and the controls didn't look as convoluted as they do on the current models (granted, I never got to drive either Cavalier, since we got rid of them in 1993 and 1998, respectively).  I think they made the controls on the newer models more convoluted because they thought it'd make it look more modern and 'high-tech'.  Ford on the other hand, seems to understand that good intuitive interface design involves less clutter, yet still leaving enough discrete buttons to avoid confusing the user (in other words, simple like a Rio Karma, not oversimplified to the point of the iPod's controls...I don't care what anyone else says, the iPod's controls are not intuitive).

Ranting about interface design aside, let's get to the the important bit...handling.  I find that the Focus is a lot easier to control than the Cobalt.  Try doing a really tight turn onto a frontage road (i.e. Merrilltown Road to southbound Mopac) and see how fast you can get up to 50+mph...the Focus is just so much better at rounding the corner and accelerating quickly.

One way or the other, I'm glad I'm getting my car back tomorrow (or rather later this morning since it's past midnight at this point).