Now that I'm situated at college with an internet connection, I haven't been able to access any IRC. I've tried going through SK, MIRC, even the little java applet link from the forums. It seems every time that I try to connect, it times out, leading me to believe that the issue is with the university's network blocking access for some reason.
For the time being, until I get this figured out, I'll still be available in-game and on MSN. I just thought I'd explain here why I haven't been around and open up the floor to suggestions from people who know what they're doing.