Dewd! you can not go wrong Eric know his 'chit
Since you asked I'd pick the DA if you've got a choice.
You can use blue loctite since it is a weak compound and acts as a lube during assembly..however I'd skip it for your first wheelbuild because you will make a few mistakes and dry loctite makes it more diff. to spin the nipples. Old school boiled linseed oil takes a few days to setup so may be a better choice for your first build.
Def. start with the front wheel and don't be shy about manually setting the spokes...grab the (most) parallel spokes on opposite sides with the wheel in your stand and flex em' hard!
HAHA, when I was building wheels I'd lace up one wheel / 1/2 of a football game while drinking a couple beers....I'm sure you can beat that
