Mazer, between your HT and espresso machine if you ever need someone to house sit just drop me a line
MinusTheBear, check out
http://www.coffeegeek.com/ for some good info. What grinder do you have or what are you planning on buying? If you use a blade grinder or cheap burr it's going to severely limit your ability to produce a good espresso. Personally I have the Maestro Plus which most folks consider the minimum for espresso.
A couple makers to consider in your price range: Gaggia 35008 Carezza and Breville 800ESXL
I fully agree with Dan about SweetMarias, great coffee and good info.
Personally, I find grinding my own beans to be a much bigger factor in taste than home roasting. BUT, I'm still a novice so perhaps it's just a matter of my skill (lack of) than what home roasting can unlock. Local roasting is becoming much more popular so if you don’t want to take that plunge try finding one.
/Just popped a few beans from my batch yesterday…hmmm nutty coco
//am I weird for eating them???
///I love a site where I can agrue about AV and coffee