request for enlightenment

[plural]

I know there are some of you wonderful people
on my friends list that play around with music
[*cough* Jim, Jake *cough*]
and I want to play around with some things on my own
can you recommend a mixing program
or something along those lines that will allow me to
sample from one track and overlay it onto another?

any help or even rumors [I heard so and so used that and liked it]
would be grand

love love

me