Any tips for a noob? (in tabletop RPGs and d20pro!)

Does anybody have any tips for somebody completely new looking to start playing - not just on d20pro, but tabletop RPGs altogether.

Some background:
I've been a fan of the genre for years, but never found the opportunity to play. Most of my gamer friends are scattered across the country, but we meet up every year for PAX. At this year's PAX East, two things stirred my interest - the 2-hour "Learn to play D&D" session which was as basic as it gets (but great for what it was) and the d20pro demo in the expo hall. We decided to give it a go since our group consists of several players and DMs, but as these things normally go, time and life ran interference and the game itself never materialized.

What I'm looking for:
Well, when all is said and done, I'd like to find a game. I'd go straight to the lobbies and start emailing people, but I'm not sure if people are looking for level 1 nobodies to fill their open slots. (But hey, I'll find out!) All that said, if anybody has any tips on how to start up - in both the d20pro community and tabletop gaming in general - I'll appreciate any feedback.

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