Tag: 2016

Car Review: 2016 Ford Focus SE

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All over the net I’ve been seeing glowing reviews of the Ford Focus RS and other models. So yesterday I had the opportunity to drive a Focus SE.

Things I like about the car:

  • Decent seating not totally comfortable as the lumbar supports are too weak.
  • Sync has improved dramatically making Bluetooth integration nearly effortless.
  • The central info window on the dash has easy to navigate sub-screens.
  • It has decent power in it’s normally aspirated form.
  • Tilt and telescoping steering wheel.
  • All bluetooth controls on the steering wheel.
  • Headlights are quite effective on this car.

Now what I dislike:

  • The transmission at low speeds hunts an awful lot. It’s pretty annoying
  • Engine revs pretty high. That surprised me especially since I could easily get the car to red line.
  • Minor peeve – the location of the trunk release. In many cars it’s right toward the bottom left of the dash. Ford in their wisdom chose to put it up by the headlight control.
  • Headlight control isn’t on the stalk, it’s on the dash. That once disturbs me.
  • Seating could be improved dramatically.
  • The transmissions sweet spots seems to be at  35MPH and 85MPH, but at 65MPH it hunts like crazy.

My overall judgement – the Focus SE may work for you, but it doesn’t work for me. Ford needs to put a little more effort into the car. I’d say two major areas of improvement are the transmission control and the seating system. I bet there’s an upgrade package for the seating too.

 

 

Diana Ross 2016-04-14

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Day before tax day (Mine are done already) and this evening we went to see Diana Ross. The opening act was Rhonda Ross, daughter of Diana Ross who btw if you didn’t know spent four years here in Providence going to Brown University and also has a six year old kid making Ms. Ross the elder a grandmother.

One notable thing – it was definitely an older crowd at this concert. Really older – for instance we saw one guy with a walker, one who was wheeled in a wheelchair, and I was fully expecting to see an oxygen tank or a stretcher at some point. Alas no such came to pass.

And girl sitting immediately to the right of us let one fly – god damned it’s true. They say women’s farts smell worse and this one was pretty ripe.

And Keyron swore he smelt Ben Gay on someone walking by us. Too funny. But I guess if you do the math if the elder Ms. Ross is 72, then some of the crowd might very well be in their 80’s. I feel like a fucking youngster in a crowd like that and I’m in my damned 50’s.

And you could spot the ‘sisters’ in the crowd – when a couple of what I’d call Ross’s gay anthems played they were up and dancing away, making spectacles of themselves. Keyron spotted it right away.

Diana-Ross-2016-Providence

And here’s the divine Ms. Ross in action – well a still of her.
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Got to say it, for 72 years old she puts on a hell of a show. Alas I wish I had seen her in the heyday of the 1980’s. But my musical tastes from them were more P-Funk and Jazz.