You know, since you brought it up, I've received a few PM's where people refer to me as "somebody" or a "vet" but in truth, I feel as new/noob as the day I joined. Well, okay, maybe less so, but not by much. It took me a while to speak up, too. I was really intimidated by certain people and I still am, not because they're aggressive or mean, but because they just know so much more than me about everything keyboard related. In any case, I'm not sure if I can help, but if you ever want a sounding board or a second opinion asdfjkl36, shoot me a PM.
Your entry is pretty badass, btw.