So the previously mentioned 3 months is just a guess? It is random? Like it could be "tomorrow" or "next December"? I am sorry if it is an idiot question... I am trying to figure all this out myself...
It is random. Generating a block is like flipping 500 coins and having then all come up heads. Every attempt has an equal chance of success.
I started out joining a pool about a week ago myself. I have netted about a whole BitPenny so far... so, at the rate I am going, will have a whole BTC in about a year...
That doesn't seem right. You should be making a bitcoin every three days or so. How quickly were you generating shares? Were your shares being rejected?