Nice words from ATC when filing /g

So here I am cruising back North from Lancaster, CA at 10,000 ft above a low overcast that went as far South as Bakersfield and as far North as Sacramento. Life is already pretty good since I was wheels up before 7:00, I was cruising in the sunshine at a cool 4c and my IFR clearance was pretty much as expected.

I get handed off to Fresno approach and after I check in with them, the controller asks "Is this Mark?". Mark is one of my airplane partners and knows just about every controller up and down the Sacramento valley. "Nope, Mark is home wishing he was flying today" is my reply. Five minutes later, I hear "Arrow xyz, you can put that GPS to good use, cleared direct ". A quick glance at the GPS tells me I'm 181 nm from home. The amended clearance likely didn't save me more than five minutes from my original routing but it was very cool to realize the advantage of being able to file /g

As a side note/PIREP, should you need to stop in Lancaster, KWJF is a nice airport and the folks at the Oxford suites will come and pick you up. I had to stay the night due to some pretty strong winds over the mountains. I really didn't feel like surfing the mountain waves in a P28R only to deal with single pilot night IMC in the Sacramento valley so I spent an unplanned night in Lancaster. As the saying goes, "got time to spare, go by air".