I figured I have done enough 'fun' stuff and need to get adobe after effects basics down.
The particles that come with AE cs4 are pretty impressive. My biggest obstacle right now is how to move the camera around quickly and 'ease'ily. I am doing better. I figured out that if you attach a camera to a null object it removes the complexity if you simply move the null object around.
Video Copilot Basic Training
This may look really simple but it took me 2 hours. :