I have angered the petty and vituperative gods of travel. For the second time in less than a week, I am delayed in an airport late at night. Last Sunday, storms in Shanghai resulted in a six and a half hour wait and a 2:00 am arrival in Hong Kong. Now I’m in Ordos, and if the time finally posted is accurate we will take off at 12:25am. That means getting into my Beijing hotel room at… 3:00? A shorter delay tonight, but the same result, and I can’t find an outlet for charging my computer, so I am reduced to thumb typing a blog post on my phone.

Look, I am aware that in the master list of complaints this is low indeed. As the Book of Common Prayer says, blessed be all those who work, or watch, or weep this night. But it’s human nature to dwell on what I don’t have (a bed, power, my family), rather than what I do (an iPhone with GPRS service, Civilization, and the news from Lake Woebegon, mediocre ice cream, my family.)

The roar from outdoors of a plane landing - the one before ours. Fifty minutes more to wait.