Wow, I didn't realize it was *that* bad in some other places, especially SFO! I applied 5/24, received conditional approval on 6/12, and was able to immediately schedule my appointment at LAX TBIT on 7/7. I fumbled a few minutes and the early afternoon slot went away quickly, but I was able to book a late afternoon slot. For what it's worth, I showed up about 15 minutes early, and they were able to take me then. It seemed like they were busy, but not too busy to turn walk-ups away. [A snarky statement on government efficiency has been redacted here.]