Been away for a bit. Came back with a tan (nice) and a determination to finally get started with Linux. Help me out, Cyberspace:

• My research has led me to believe that Mint is the distribution that'll be easiest to start with (I'm a recovering Windows gal) — is this true, or is the learning curve less punishing than people say?
• My budget doesn't really stretch beyond a laptop for this endeavour right now. Is Lenovo the tree I should be barking up?

Thanks in advance for any help, I'll be sure to let everyone know how my journey goes :)