Why do we still let people smoke inside?

Location: Seattle, WA
Miles traveled since leaving Mpls: Somewhere around 2,309.

I'm sitting in a Days Inn just south of Seattle, WA tonight. Did you know they still have smoking rooms in hotels? They do. I thought we had effectively shipped all those people to an island somewhere, but apparently they still contaminate the indoors in parts of the country. Zac and I were looking for a relatively cheap hotel to stay at. I went to Travelocity looking for a hotel that had wireless internet and allowed pets. The Days Inn fit the bill, so we reserved a room for two nights. We got to the hotel today and lo and behold they only allow pets 1.) If they are under 10 lbs and 2.) If they are dogs.

Hmmm. A couple of things are wrong with this situation. 1.) My dog, as 95% of dogs are, is more than 10 lbs. 2.) I'm pretty sure the word "pets" usually includes other domesticated critters including cats, hamsters, parakeets and pot-bellied pigs. So perhaps, maybe just maybe the website should have been a little more explicit with its restrictions. Like instead of "pets allowed" it should have said "only prissy little dogs that would be entered in the 'Toy' division at Westminster are allowed."

So the lady at the front desk wasn't happy that we wanted to bring our 40 lbs dog in to the hotel. (Note that I lied about the dog's weight, about as much as I lie about mine. We're both about 5 lbs lighter when I have to say it out loud to someone that might be judging us.) The lady seemed to ignore the weight violation but informed us that we would have to stay in a smoking room with the dog. And so here we are, the three of us in a room where apparently the Marlboro Man had his last family reunion. We have the windows wide open and the air conditioner is on "Fan" and is blowing across an air-freshener in a desperate attempt to make it bearable.

I've got other things to say, to update. 2,309 miles has a lot of stories in it. But it's going to have to wait. We fly out the day after tomorrow. Hawaii is almost in sight. Bizarre.