It definitely looks like I am going for the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. Based on my needs and the way it sounds this would be the better choice for me. I do plan on buying a FF maybe in a year to a year and a half from now. I'll be taking many photos in the meantime. Your advice is definitely solid so I'm going for it!
In the meantime I have one more question:
When looking at a lens sometimes they say "35mm equivalent". What exactly does that mean? Also what is the difference between an EF zoom lens vs. EF telephoto zoom lens?. I'm asking because I cannot seem to understand the difference between these two lenses other than the $1000 difference (I was originally going for one of these but realized that 70-200 is not smart for general purpose for obvious reasons):
<h3 class="name" id="name_1218182821141"][url="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Canon+-+EF+70-200mm+f/2.8L+Telephoto+Zoom+Lens+for+Most+Canon+Digital+SL R+Cameras/9839236.p?id=1218182821141&skuId=9839236]Canon - EF 70-200mm f/2.8L Telephoto Zoom Lens for Most Canon Digital SLR Cameras[/url]</h3>
<h3 class="name" id="name_1218057059470"]
Canon - EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras</h3>