Parting Thoughts on Trip 1 of 2

Two long round trips to Northern California this week, and now that trip 1 is done, a couple of parting thoughts:

1. The XM radio in the rental car (a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV/minivan) was pretty handy. The channel dedicated to Los Angeles traffic and weather was very helpful, and the all-Christmas song channel kept us entertained for hours. I wish, however, they'd run more sacred stuff rather than just the pop stars singing pop Christmas songs.
2. Everybody who's anybody has recorded a Christmas album. Some shouldn't have. Michael Bolton shrieking through "White Christmas" comes to mind. A pleasant surprise: Jewel. We heard several of her Christmas songs and she does a very nice job. She was especially good on "O Holy Night", a song you don't expect to hear a female rocker sing. She's got a quality voice.
3. Sunday morning my wife put a little sign on the bed (provided by the hotel) that told the maid that we would be willing to save the world by not having our sheets changed. I objected. I believe in the Glenn Reynolds rule:

   "I'll believe something is a crisis when the people who claim it's a crisis start acting like it's a crisis."

   The hotel tells me we need to save the world by sleeping on previously used sheets, but if they really believed it was a crisis, they'd offer a few bucks off my room rent in exchange for my world-saving efforts. Instead, they don't offer any break but get to benefit themselves from not having to change and wash my sheets. They also offer the same deal on towels. It's a direct appeal to liberal guilt, something with which I'm not acquainted. I turned them both down. If I'm going to pay their going rack rate, I'm getting clean stuff every day.
4. Taking Hwy 101 instead of the I-5 adds 60 miles and 90-120 minutes to the trip. It may be more scenic, but I don't like it. On I-5 I can set the cruise at 80 (+or-) and leave it alone for 250 miles without much trouble. You sure can't do that on 101.