One more clue

[David Abrahams <dave boost-consulting com>]

NM is commonly not connecting -- or taking forever to connect -- to my
network, especially after the connection is dropped (e.g. if I go out
of range).  However, if I'm lucky enough to have an unprotected
network nearby, all I have to do is try to connect to that unprotected
network and wait for the first "green dot" in nm-applet (I don't even
need a full connection), then switch back to my preferred network, and
everything connects reasonably quickly.

It seems as though the answer must be discernable from all the data
I've provided.  Am I providing too much data about my problem?

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com