In Chicago, I wandered around, found that my Philadelphia flight was not the Philadelphia flight announced by the cabin staff (I had selected my return flight to have plenty of time between flights, and the one the cabin staff announced was probably boarding as we were disembarking), and looked for something to read. I found a sit-down restaurant for breakfast, then bought a Mac magazine for the final leg of the trip.

That last flight, under 2 hours, was on a MacDonald Douglas Super 80. It was quick and easy, and I finished the magazine almost exactly as we landed. I quickly had my bags and was in a taxi going home. The trip did cost about as much as the arranged "limo" ride to the airport that had begun the vacation, though I would imagine that it is easier to get a pre-booked limo/taxi to your house at 3am (or whenever that was) than just cold-calling a taxi service.

At home, Chirp wasn't falling all over me quite like he usually did. Actually, he was sleeping - I had to go find him. He was glad to see me, though. I got my electronics up and running again, and did a little email reading, sending out two to announce my return. I then went to the post office to get my held mail, which included my suitcase in excellent shape. I went from there to lunch at the Olive Garden, did a little shopping at Acme afterwards (I had emptied the fridge before leaving), and returned home. I processed my book and magazine purchases into their databases, then balanced my books with Quicken, having to match my recorded transactions in "American" dollars against what was actually taken out of my checking account at the varying exchange rates. I still need to finish unpacking, and clean up the apartment a little, and I think I'll catch up on movies this weekend. As I said back in Waikiki, I still need to recharge for my next adventure.