I do appreciate the advice and it's good to see that it has created a dialog of some sort (even a viola picture!).
  I'm sorry if you thought I was bitching.  I certainly wasn't but maybe I was just whining a bit in hindsight due to being sober and sleepy perhaps.  My mistake.
   I'm beginning to think that a too-high cis concentration may be involved. 
   I truly do appreciate the feedback.  Thanks.

Synthomatic:  Washing the flask with mineral oil immediately after cooling from rearrangement and distillation will get rid of most of the black gunk.  If you wash it with ANYTHING ELSE first, this trick will not work and that black gunk will stare at you with hatred in its little black gunky eyes until you scrape it off.