Mission accomplished (sorta) ... I did get the coinbase and the bittrex accounts set up... got the coinbase funded and bought the ETH... I have to wait 6 days for the funds to clear before I can transfer out to buy steem, but heck that is far closer than I have ever been!

Thanks to you and @themanwithnoname and all the others that have commented, I have learned their is a much more efficient way to buy and sell that doesn't take a 10% cut off the top!

Thanks Asher! (now I hope the price stays down for a week) ;)