Gosh, letsriot-- I am glad you survived high school.
Probably the best way to learn astrology is to head for your nearest New Age book store, or go to an on-line bookseller like amazon.com. The book I would most recommend for beginners is Stephen Forrest,
The Inner Sky. His sun is in Capricorn and he looks like an old hippy, so I don't think you will find him talking about Capricorn as the grey-suited businessman.
One problem that I have personally with a lot of intro astrology materials is that they basically treat human beings like a collection of static personality traits and stereotypes. Forrest has a much more dynamic approach.
If you'd prefer on-line sites, I recommend the articles on this site, and at Astrodienst, where you got your chart. Learning astrology requires a lot of time and study. Also, if you are still in the NYC area, you should be able to find some introductory classes in astrology.
Other on-line sites pitched to beginners are:
www.cafeastrology.com
www.bobmarksastrologer.com
With so many planets in Capricorn, however, you might feel more at home in traditional astrology. Try:
www.skyscript.co.uk . Many articles there.
The way you've described yourself sounds very Aquarian (rebel), but Capricorn may show through more as you age. This sign rules old age, whereas your Aries moon (also very independent) may be more prominent now while you are young.
Saturn is a very strong planet in your chart. His best lessons are perseverance, patience, learning to get by on very little, and resourcefulness. If people don't mind him, they wind up wondering why they can never pay their bills-- or can't focus. Saturn can show where and how we feel disappointed, frustrated, and not good-enough. But really he just runs a diagnostic on our lives, sometimes showing where we need to shore up our behaviour. Saturn doesn't sound like a heap of fun (compared to skate-boarding) but he helps to build a solid foundation for our lives.
You asked about the nodes. The NN shows where your growth lies-- and it may or may not seem comfortable or in-character for you. Your NN closely conjuncts Saturn in the 2nd, so it would seem that learning to handle money well is important for your personal progress.
The SN is your comfort zone. With Saturn opposed to it, you don't get to slack off much!
There is a lot of past-lives material available on the nodes, but I am personally skeptical about it. Either way, the NN shows where you need to be going (like it or not!) and the SN shows where you've been, and where you could stagnate.
With your sun quintile Pluto, I suspect that you are actually very ambitious!
Think of yourself like a committee, not like a unified individual. Some of the committee members may say a lot (Sag rising), others are more quiet, but they still have a powerful contribution.
People do act a lot like their ascendants. Your rising sign and any first house planets basically indicate how you come across to other people. It is your body, outward personality, and essentially the medium through which you express the rest of your horoscope. With Uranus and Neptune in the first house, however, it may be hard to establish a consistent self-image.
One other thing I might mention is that your sun makes an exact trine to Mars. Lucky you-- this should give you a lot of energy to achieve things in your life.
But maybe think more about money and investing. Or maybe something to do with other sorts of valuables. One personal finance guru whom I just love is Suze Orman: she's got several books out, a TV program, and a website at:
www.suzeorman.com .
May I ask what field you're most interested in now? It would help me understand your chart better.