Thanks, I'll look into getting one of those myself.

As for the blisters I'm pretty sure I'm already there, and I'd like to challenge anyone on bikeforums to come to my apartment and finish putting this thing on with their bare hands. ;_;

I'm going to try the soapy water thing though. That sounds promising.

Edit: Just to further specify, the new rim is a Sun ME14A. Not really oversided as far as I can tell.