Contrary to the impression that you might have from the deafening silence here over the past week, Jess and I have made it home in one piece, though not without another series of dramas at the one airport to rule them all, LAX.

Our 7:30PM flight out of Reno was delayed by about two hours due to fog in San Francisco that morning. Rather than loosening the purse strings to put another aircraft on the route, United instead allowed every flight that plane had to make that day to run late. As a result, we had 60 minutes from touchdown to takeoff to make our connection in Los Angeles, and Jess got to experience the one piece of the international air travel puzzle she had yet to savour: the desparate run through the terminal to make a flight.

And make it we did, although we had to barge through a TV news crew (preparing to go live with the sizzling story of JonBenet Ramsey's supposed killer's arrival at the airport) to get there. Did anyone happen to see us dashing in front of the reporter in a live cross on CNN? I'd like a copy for my scrapbook.

Although we made the connection, our baggage didn't, so I've been in fuzzy-toothed, unshaven, bottom-of-the-closet mode all day while picking up the piggies from Auntie Patti's. I didn't mind so much, as my outward appearance (not-so-)neatly conveyed my inward state as the jet lag set in.

Back to work tomorrow. Many trip photos to come.