End-to-End steps: sub-theme not showing 3 columns

Hello, I am in the zen. The problem I found is two-fold:
1. I am not seeing any columns, only content block
2. Everything is overlayed on each other which tells me that the CSS isn't being referenced.

SO, here is my steps so far:
1. installed Zen theme and tested it. Only one column shows, no left nor right column. But at least the css works because everything shows sequential.
2. followed the zen tutorial: http://drupal.org/node/1010576, create a sub-theme by copying STARTERKIT and renaming it.
3. followed the zen tutorial: .info then refreshed the registry, set as default, then search-replace in files in template.php, theme-settings.php
4. copied over all of the zen template files into /templates just for completeness and coverage
5. read the Zen pages on stylesheets, got confused with the message there... left it alone to return later. (somebody was talking about the purpose of the orientation of the CSS declarations, but didn't answer the direct message regarding layout methods, there was no actual steps on a layout method - for example, there should at least be some examples)
6. created some content, nothing worked
7. Went back to the Zen theme, it was still showing up fine, but still one column
8. back to the new sub-theme, all text overlay each other possibly a css conflict of some sort.
9. search all zen documentation. Talks about what it does without any examples. Installation was straightforward, but no real information on how to use it.
10. looked all around drupal, not really finding anything about how to do something, everything is convoluted on what it can do, but not really doing it.

Any ideas how to get three columns to work in Zend according to these steps? Is there a page I missed or an inbetween step that the Drupal sub-culture might know?