Very interesting read!! I love how the OP has narrated and conquered his desire!! I wish I had your will power Clyde!
I went from a 11" >> 13" MBA >> 15" MBP [classic not Retina] >> 15" rMBP and now going back to the 15" cMBP again!
The 11" MBA's keyboard felt strange when typing.. Kinda like off-balance! The 13" is great, but is limited by the 8GB RAM as I started getting way too many Page-Outs running VMs!
Then, the 15" cMBP was perfect! Except the lure of a lighter, crisper, newer Retina MBP kept calling me

The fact that the Apple store is a 10 minute drive didn't help either!
So, I caved in and got the rMBP. Loved it, no denying that!! The screen is like visual computing sex!!
However, after about a week.. the honeymoon was over! Once again, I felt crippled by the 8GB RAM [ I know I can BTO a 16GB version but patience is a virtue I don't have!! ] running VMs and other stuff!
Also, like some have mentioned, the lag was kinda bothersome and so was using MS Office!
With much...much reluctance I returned the rMBP too!! God knows I really wanted to keep it... sigh!
Oh well, so now I wait [ arriving tomorrow ]with baited breath, for the 15" Classic MBP with High Resolution + Anti Glare screen!
Someone mentioned getting the Lenovo W350. My brother uses that [ with the FHD Screen option ] and it is gorgeous! Probably the only Windows laptop that works like a Mac!
I still can't believe I returned the rMBP though....