podjunkie

I just downloaded dayz last night. Only got to play it for a short period of time, but at least discovered some of the basics of the game. Had a difficult time figuring out how to equip things and switch between my flashlight and a gun I found quickly (Is there a way to keep the flashlight on and use the gun?). I'm confident I can figure out the rest of the controls of the game with more time on my own. It would be nice to play with someone though. What I would really like to know is how to get into a private server so I can save my progress and play with some of the same players on a regular basis.