Welcome to FT!

OK, let's keep this simple. If you think FF programs are confusing and/or daunting, pick one FF, one hotel, and one rental car program as your go-to programs and use them whenever you have the choice. US Airways seems like the obvious FF program based on your preferred route and interest in domestic awards.

Get the 40K US Airways card from Barclays (as noted above). Look at the Grand Slam promotion in the US Airways forum and gear up for next year. Consider churning the Barclay's card. You can probably get 200K+ US Airways miles a year without a lot of effort and without stepping on a plane. Figure out how you can get status on US Airways so that it makes your flying more comfortable.

I've always been fond of Hilton and their program has a lot of properties in a variety of styles and price ranges. Marriott, Starwood, Radisson, Hyatt, and IHG all have good programs and depending on where you stay pick which seems to best meet your needs. Pick up one or more of their CCs.

I really like Hertz, you can get #1 Gold for free. Or go with National or Enterprise if you prefer.

Go to the individual forums for your preferred airline, hotel, rental car and read up on what can be done. You DO NOT need to do everything at once or try to score every possible deal. Start small and see how quickly the miles and points flow in. Once you become more comfortable, look at joining other programs, working Alliance partners, etc.