(last updated: 08/31/2008)
After spending the "big bucks" on some professional astronomy gear (OK, I spent $277 but in my book that qualifies as "big bucks") I started looking for an easy way to pick up the skills needed to see what was up with the "big show in the sky."
I cover this very short story in my Astronomy On-The-Cheap site. <-- that's a link
The easier way was to join the Escambia Amateur Astronomers Association <-- that was a link by the way.