Last thing I noted from your post that I'd like to talk about...
At the risk of flooding your blog like the melted ice cap on the rest of the world as we know it (Oh god, Japan's gonna be f---ed!!! >_<), feel better with allergy. I can't stand TX air because my nose will keep acting up the whole night. It's happened... East coast air is crispier. You should apply somewhere east coast for grad school