Hi Jared-
Nice to know someone reads the blog!
I tend to use the -T2pial option with Freesurfer 6, which seems to do a pretty decent job handling dura for me. This has been true whether I'm using a standard T1 MRPAGE or a MEMPRAGE. You could collect just one T1 (MEMPRAGE), but I would stay vigilant about making sure that your T1 is good quality and not contaminated with motion. Not having a T2 usually isn't as painful as not having a good T1. I tend to lean towards the "more data is better" mentality.
My afni_proc.py scripts all use -giant_move, and align the EPI to the anatomical. I also use auto_warp.py (-tlrc_NL_warp) to help bring group level ROIs back to subject space with a bit more precision.
-PM