Microchip sample site:
http://www.microchip.com/samples/
(You're allowed to get 2 samples every 30 days)
To help you make your decision, the list of PIC families:
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/id...ram=en 537796
(I'd go for a PIC18 MCU, they're designed to be programmed in C)
Make sure you chose the PDIP package, otherwise you'll have to surface mount it (instead of using a breadboard).
I chose this programmer, still haven't got it yet so I can't tell you how good it is:
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Microchip-PI...item483a4e73d0
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