For my fellow photography dorks- Nikon FA lenses, digital recommendations, camera bag?

I'm an aspiring photographer and I currently have a Nikon FA 35mm film camera that I usually shoot in black and white. I was doing a shoot this last weekend in Maine, and I realized that, with my current 35mm lens, I can't get a shot in focus that's any closer than about 18 inches or so. Does anyone have any recommendations on lenses I should look into? I do tons of portrait shooting and it'd be nice to have something reliable.
I'm also looking into getting a nice digital camera for my birthday (I'm talking Canon Rebel nice), if anyone has any recommendations on what I should consider, since I'm really into portraits.
Lastly, I have a camera bag right now that, while I love dearly, is getting pretty shredded from all of the use. Any ideas where I could get one big enough to hold a considerable amount of stuff (ie a digital and film camera, a few lenses, several rolls of film, and perhaps my portrait makeup collection) within a reasonable price point?

Read more: For my fellow photography dorks- Nikon FA lenses, digital recommendations, camera bag?