brand new, looking to learn

Question

Hello,

    I am looking for resources to gain a basic knowledge and learn about VB and C#. Any help/referrals to learning sources would be greatly appreciated.
    Things I am looking for (in general)

   a good 'first project' for me to be able to get a hands on understanding.
   references I can look at to gain an understanding of the how's and why's of programming,
  and any other information you might find helpful.

Thank you so much for your time.

  John