Google a website called Ians Vivarium. Then look at all the different morphs! Pick the one you like best. I'd highly recommend buying from a breeder, not a Petsmart/Petco. Snakes are safely shipped every day. You'll get a baby that has been carefully raised, is eating, is healthy, and which has some sort of guarantee. Shipping costs from $35-$50. You could look in the classified section here; there are always reputable breeders offering nice babies for sale. Because of the poor economy, there are a lot of quality babies left at this time of year when normally it would be pretty slim pickings until the next spring. This is the perfect time to pick up a nice snake when breeders are thinning the "keepers" even more!
There isn't a lot of difference between a male and a female. Males _might_ go on a springtime hunger strike when they reach sexual maturity. This can be stressful for a new owner but becomes routine after your snake resumes feeding, and after you have more snakes. A female can lay eggs whether she is bred or not. These clutches of "slugs" are infertile, so they take energy out of the female for no benefit. Sometimes one or more slugs will be delayed in coming out, so you have an eggbound female. Then you have to decide if you want to just wait, weeks or even months and let nature take its course, or if you want a vet to intervene. Probably your female isn't going to lay slugs, and most likely she isn't going to become eggbound, but there is a slight risk. This wouldn't prevent me from choosing a female snake, but if there were two babies that I liked equally, I might choose the male for simplicity's sake.
