the 10d is about a 5-6 year old body, that really isnt a great deal. i see deals on XTs in the $500 range.

IMO a SLR isnt something you jump into without knowing what you want to do

grab a point and shoot for now to get your feet wet and then see if you grow into an SLR camera. no point in spending that kind of money if you arent going to use the features

if you have particular questions drop me a line, i worked for canon usa for 4-5 years.

if you do a search you can find some informative posts ive made in the past regarding some of the cameras mentioned in this very thread

good luck and post pics when you get said new camera