Here's what I did. It made a slow day into a fun day.

Decide to build a fresh kernel, download all requirements
Decide to up the ante and build a fresh kernel with a release candidate compiler
Download all requirements, build compiler, install compiler

Configure kernel, build kernel, attempt to install kernel
File system complains that there isn't enough space on /boot
Remove 1 of the 2 existing kernels, the older one
Attempt to install kernel
File system complains that there isn't enough space on /boot
Remove the existing kernel, as I have a dvd if I need rescueing
Install Kernel, make modules, install modules
Reboot

Watch fun colors all over the screen after grub.
Manage to get to run level 1 (or is ctrl-alt-f2 RL2?)

Log in as root
Find ONLY the /boot partition, no /partition
Realize -now- the sata drive must have been registered as a scsi device, which I removed support for
Pick up dvd off desk
Leave the dvd write-layer on the desk
Find soda had spilled and dried overnight, gluing the dvd down, and its now destroyed

Re-download and burn a new image (thank god I set up dual boot, still have Win7 bootable)
Spend 6 hours trying to avoid it, and never recover the drive … and …
Reinstall linux

Not a whole LOT lost. Most of my 'precious cargo' is on another disk. But all the tweaking, and building things, and overall improving my system over my two weeks into my switch was lost. Valuable lesson learned.