stymied by derailleur cable

• Stripped all the parts from the old frame.
• Used the handy-dandy parts washer at the shop to clean the cranks, chain, derailleurs.
• Overhauled the headset.
• Installed headset, fork, and stem.
• Installed new bottom bracket and newly clean crank.
• Removed bar tape and shifters.
• Blew grime out of shifters and reinstalled them on bar.
• Installed the seatpost, stem, and bars.
• Lubed and attached derailleurs and brakes.
• Cut and routed new brake cable housing.
• Cut and routed front derailleur cable and housing.
• Cut rear derailleur housing.
• Spent 55 minutes attempting to remove old derailleur cable from rear shifter.
• Searched Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance for pointers on removing old derailleur cable from Dura Ace 7800 rear shifter.
• Searched Google for pointers on removing old derailleur cable from rear shifter.
• Asked Miah for pointers on removing old derailleur cable from rear shifter.
• Cursed for about five minutes.
• Vocally lamented my distance from the snarky and reactionary brilliance of Andrew Wike, my old teammate and favorite wrench. 
• Patted myself on the back for helping get Andrew's girlfriend into Cornell Medical School.
• Remembered what I was supposed to be doing and cursed some more.
• Gave up in frustration and drove home.
• Calculated that the 6 hours of labor I've spent on this process, billed at $40 an hour (my approximate salary as a college instructor) has far exceeded the $100 this build would have cost me had I asked the shop to do it. 
• Tried to imagine what kind of beer Redemske and Jacob might like....

UPDATE: this morning, I:

• Finally found a .pdf of Shimano's instructions online.
• "Shifted" onto the outside position in the shifter.
• Removed the old cable. 
• Realized that I lost the cable I brought home last night.
• Resolved to work on the dissertation until the shop opens and then go scrounge a derailleur cable, wrap the bars, and beg George for advice on tuning the derailleurs.