I appreciate the sentiment. I'm already in a pretty rough spot as I'm "mature" (which makes the idea of another year particularly bitter) and trying to start over on a PHD abroad that I had to abandon partway through due to family circumstances. I'm confident the publications I am working on now, if accepted, will make me an exceptionally strong candidate next year, though; it's just the idea of completing them without institutional support that scares me. Huge congrats on your successes!