I feel kinda stupid asking this, but in a few tutorials on how to do inverse kinematics, it will either tell me to go to add=>IKA or it just tells me to make an IKA. I don't know if this is just me, but I can't seem to find the add IKA anywhere in blender 2.26, and armatures don't seem like the right thing. If anyone could help me find it, that would be great. Thanks in advance.

IKAs were replaced by 'Armatures' quite some time ago, so those tutorials must be out of date. There are a few tutorials on armatures around the place, and there's also some official documentation on them here:

http://download.blender.org/documentation/html/chapter_character_animation.html

I have been rabidly trying to figure out blender since i got it a few weeks ago...Though a total neophyte in 3D modelling, I have managed to familiarize myself w the basics for the most part. I can model a realistic head. I can make it move around, or emit particles or whatever in roughly the way I want it to. I can even get it to distort, or have a number of other characteristics. I can add video to it's faces, or to the background. For the most part, this has been a process of beating my head against the thing over and over, until a light finally goes on. following tutorials, experimenting, whatever. It's usually just when I am about to turn in for the night, or have done so, when this occurs. haha. (must.....BLE-e-e-ennnd....<insane look in eye>) But, the thing that completely eludes me is armatures. I mean,...I can do NOTHING with them. *sigh* (must....kiillll......a-r-m-a-tuuuures...@#$%&!!.) This last comment by broken seems to be key though..... " IKA/Armatures = not same thing "!!! This must be where I have gone astray. Yes...thank you.

This appears to be a good tutorial on "bones". ===> http://members.yourlink.net/gruff/bones/

I did it! I made a 'slug'!