With my impending 40th birthday, which I get to celebrate while deployed to Afghanistan... I have finally bit the bullet and purchased my first straight razor; A Hart Steel 6/8, Polished Finish, Square Point Straight Razor. I ended up picking up a few different types of soaps and creams... but most imporantly, I printed off the entire wiki here in order to read up before my Hart Steel gets here.
At any rate, thanks for all the help here on the forums. It's been extremely helpful in my purchase, and especially with my prep for the next evolution in shaving!

C.A.D.