Yea the interface can seem a little intimidating at first. I am still finding new buttons, and still don't know what alot of them even do :)

  I would suggest sticking to an area that you enjoy and are interested in. Everything else will be easier to learn once you have a feel for one part. As you progress, you will begin to see that the interface really isn't as bad as you at first thought. Really it is designed in a way to allow the artist to create what is in his/her mind very quickly. With a huge list of tools literally at your fingertips. Sure there are Hotkeys on top of Hotkeys, but you will learn the tools that you like the best, and the button will remain in your mind. So instead of clicking through 3 different submenus, you can access the tool with a buttonpress. With one hand on the keyboard and one hand on your mouse, you will soon be waiting on your masterpeice to render, while the "other guy" is still looking for just the right tool in his $3000 application.

  The link at the top of the forum is full of awesome stuff to get you started. Here is another list of excelent Blender-specific tutorials. I hope to see some stuff from you in the Blender gallery soon!