AfricanusCrowther

Are you not taking classes this year? I understand the worry then (I am still paranoid about languages—if I don't read Latin for so much as a weekend, half of me starts fearing that the next time I pick up Tacitus or whomever I won't be able to understand a word of it), but reading papers sounds like it will keep you sharp. 

In between terms at my MA I read journal articles or the New Yorker, helped me stay sharp. Now I have a shit ton of research so that keeps me plenty busy. There's always lots of secondary lit in your major field that you can pore over as well.
Don't stress...it's like riding a bike, you may be rusty at first but you'll get it back with some practice in no time.

No idea, but do you know how much I enjoyed Penn's 10-page maximum?

I'm applying this season so my advice might be useless, but I adapted my emails from another, highly successful applicant's. The format generally followed ashiepoo72's. I personalized my emails, altering my academic interests depending on the particular focus of the POI. You might want to retype every email if you're paranoid about making a mistake, like I was. I also had different constructions prepared depending on the occasion (if I was being referred to someone else by the first person I emailed, for example). General email advice holds, I think: keep it brief, be polite, etc.

Nearly all the programs I applied to sent the LOR link to my professors when I entered their emails, not when I submitted the application itself. I would do it as soon as possible to give them more time. 
500 words is hard, but doable. Be concise, cut out extra words, write in active rather than passive voice. No fluff. No fancy introduction. Get right into the meat of the essay. You need to think about the essence of what you're interested in, the most important experiences you've had and be to the point when it comes to fit.