Oh, please help, I am confused!

Oh, please help, I am confused!

I was able to install my wordpress software successfully today. I am using dreamhost for hosting. But I certainly don’t like the default wordpress theme. I do have my very own design in mind. Must I learn CSS, HTML/XHTML, PHP to set up my very own design (theme)? But I don’t want to waste too much time learning. I would rather get right on to blogging. Is learning CSS only sufficient or must I learn all of them (css + html + xhtml + php)? I have read a little on CSS AND HTML. ( Thank goodness that I used to be a programmer, otherwise I would have simply given up and resorted to the free blogging sites such as blogger). But I do like having my own domain name and I do like having my own unique design. I don’t like the “free” blogging sites, they really are not free since the ad revenues flow in the direction of the site owners (yahoo, blogger, etc).

I was looking at this link https://www.alexking.org/software/wordpress/theme_browser.php
and it mentions wordpress 1.5 for the themes. Since I downloaded my wordpress today, I believe it is a more recent version. Will those themes designed for wordpress 1.5 work for the current version of wordpress?.

I think all this frustration is going to lead me to grab the blogging coding books (css, html) and learn them on my own and design my own site. What do you suggest I do? I am truly frustrated.

Any reply would be considered a generous gift. Thank you. When I do become good at this blogging business, I will be helping others with their questions as well.