Well, if you wanna grow for just yourself and no one else, grow some lowryder. You can find two or three different lowryders at www.seedboutique.com from a few different seedbanks. It'll be short, and flower regardless of your photoperiod, making it ideal for the personal grower.

As far as the lighting, maybe consider a smaller system to save you on energy, unless you're planning on growing more than 1 or 2 plants. You'll really get into it though and keep growing more and more though, so maybe it's best for you to get a large light :-) You can get away with a bunch of CFL's if you're just growing one or two lowryders, though.

Look for some hydroponic shops around your area, any decent sized metro area will have them. Also, keep reading these boards and you'll learn. The search function can also turn up a fair amount of info for you.