AmusingMuse, i really enjoyed reading your post. Not because I enjoyed hearing your anguish, but because it was well-written, entertaining, and hey, I can relate to a few things you said. (perhaps you should write about your own life and overcoming struggle??)
Perhaps this will make you feel a little better:
I was at a writer's fair over the weekend selling my (university press published) book and this old guy was set up beside me selling his self-published book. The old guy out-sold me 3-1!!! And his was cowboy poetry!
anyway, hang in there. I truly believe that sooooooooo much of the publishing world has to do with luck, and soooooo many of us just have bad luck. But sooner or later, everyone wins a little something, even if it's just out of the gumball machine.