Pre-digital, I only used primes as well. When I went digital, I bought 3 "L" zooms right off the bat hoping that the advances in lens design and manufacture were sufficient for me to leave primes behind to enjoy the conveniences of zooms. I must admit that these lenses provide image quality that surpasses what I was getting with my medium format equipment as well, but...

...I'm back to using primes. I hardly ever use my zooms (I don't shoot much sports). As you know, good quality primes are still sharper, lighter, faster, cheaper (usually) than even the highest priced zooms. Of course everyone uses equipment differently and for many the conveniences of zooms greatly outweight its compromises.

Having said all that and knowing that you have an appreciation for primes, I would highly recommend the Canon 28mm f/1.8 USM for your use as a "standard" lens with an APS-C fitted dSLR. Built well, sharp, fast focusing, and it's f/1.8.