Jess - thanks! no need to apologize for a long post; that kind of info is golden. I'll give bleeding the cooling system a shot when I have time later today.
Anyone needing further info, this thread has a pretty straightforward how-to re: bleeding the system:
http://318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=22203 (again, kudos to Jess)
James - thanks man, I appreciate the input.