Alright, so I decided that without a garage I should go with the path of least resistance (easiest/cheapest first and so on). So I took another peek under that radiator cap and it looked like it wasn't full all the way.

1) Is it possible to look one day and have it look full and the next and its not? Of course there could be a leak, but I've looked all over, dont smell antifreeze, etc. Would an air bubble support the fluid level so that it looked filled?

So I went and bought a bottle of Water Wetter and poured that whole thing in there. After that, it looked full. On the way home, the symptoms changed a bit. Now instead of heating up at a stop, it was perfect. Then it would raise when I started off the line and stabilize hotter than normal, but cooler than it used to go when it was at a stop previously. However, this was a short trip and the time between stop and go ~could~ have coincided with the period of time it took for the temp to start to raise at a stop...does that explanation make sense? Also, the temp was much more erratic this time. It was not a steady rise then a quick fall, it went up and down a bit more.

2) Could this have been due to the Water Wetter mixing in the system?
3) Could the Water Wetter have lubed up the thermostat or is it possible that the additive is just good enough to keep the system cool at a stop?

I'm at a loss guys. I'm gonna go out now that its cooler and add some distilled water if I can fit it in there. I'll keep updating on the progress.