Congrats!
Describe your paint/finish condition.
If you want a general guideline on washing/drying check
here
I would forget about the business about using a waterblade on your paint and the talk about chamois. Stick to a good quality sheepskin mit and good quality waffle weave microfiber towels for drying.
Wax procedure depends on what you want to acheive. Very general info can be found
here.
I use a variety of carnubas and sealants on my cars.
If your car is a daily driver, I would go for a durable sealant such as the new Z2 pro by Zaino, FMJ by menzerna, etc.
If you car is a garage queen, try carnubas. Don't as durable, but can look great.
To me 90% is in the prep of the car (claying, washing, removing swirls, etc).
I really enjoy detailing, so I don't see it as hard work.
Have fun and HOW ABOUT SOME PICS? :wink:
PS Here are some good sites to check out:
http://detailingdynamics.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=DDOS
http://www.detailcity.com/index.php?
http://autopia.org/