This is kind of what happened to me, only it was after I left university. That time was pretty much the height of my tabletop gaming. I would still play today if I had a crowd of folks that were willing and able to play occasionally on days that I didn't have to be at work. Every now and again, I'll look around online for board game events nearby, but they are usually over an hour away, and sure enough, take place on nights that I have to be at work, 9.999 times out of 10. Guess playing them online is the next best thing I can do, but nothing can beat playing them in person.
That's pretty cool about how your U/N came to be. I've wondered about that at times. At first, I thought the "Ardvark" part was the skeletal horse's name from Skyrim in the Soul Cairn. After checking, it appears I was mistaken. The horse's name is Arvak. Fairly close, but not quite.