current block count is 152083 I have 11 connections
And the number is still not going up?
Do i type that in my command prompt? it says that bitcoin is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file
Yes, you can type that at command prompt, but for that to work, bitcoin would have to be in your path. The easiest way is to make sure you're operating in the same directory as the bitcoin executable. Do you know how to change directories? What OS is this?
would putting a copy of my wallet.dat file on a USB be considered backing it up?
Yes, that would work. Anywhere that you can keep your wallet.dat so that it is redundant enough to be replaced in case of hardware failure without considerably increasing the chance of an attacker stealing it is a good backup. Just make sure you back up often enough, based on your key pool size.
The same directory that has your wallet.dat also has the blockchain. The files should be .dat files that are already properly named.
also where is the bitcoin.conf file?
It isn't created by default, but it will be in the same directory as your wallet.dat file. You can use it to specify options that you want to always use instead of specifying them every single time at the command line.
man i feel like an idiot not knowing these simple things
Don't beat yourself up. You have to learn sometime, right?