Going to Tucson is in fact correct. What happens if I don't get in (highly unlikely, but I won't rule it out until I have paperwork in hand) is way up in the air right now. But I am planning for my most likely situation because that's the best use of my energy; I have a little bit of thought about what happens if things explode, and that's all I need.

I'm not super worried about the writing tics. Even if I don't catch them in revision, someone else will; I generally have someone go over my papers and I can just select for folks who have a good eye for that stuff. :) I'm just not sure if they're something I've always done and I only noticed recently, or if they're something I've picked up recently.