Bray, thank you for sharing your art with us.
Mark, I hear what you're saying about batteries, but my experience has been absolutely great with the little rechargeable battery pack on my Canon. It holds a charge REALLY well (I've never had a problem needing more juice), it is extremely light weight, and it has saved me probably hundreds of dollars on batteries. I was skeptical before I bought it, but my experience has convinced me that it is a viable approach. Of course, you could mitigate some of that by getting a good-quality rechargeable AA setup as you suggest.
I'm not trying to argue, because I think the points you raise are completely accurate. I just wanted to share my perspective.
