So in short, I can't breathe, I sound like an 80 year old smoker, I'm exhausted, I'm sore and I have the constant taste of lung-taint in my mouth from hacking it up.
I'm done with this, yanno?
On the other hand, I've had plenty of time to play "Assassin's Creed 2" which is far better than its predecessor, and includes beautiful and detailed virtual recreations of Carnivale in Venice. Best game I've played since Arkham Asylum, basically - there are some control irritations that irk, but it lacks the repetitive missions of the original, and has a far more rich set of tools and tactics to use.