I said I'd write about my process in learning python. Now I won't lie, so far the hardest part of learning Python is no brackets! I mean we are just supposed to organize things by spacing? In Python, the answer is yes. Once I wrapped my brain around that concept, I was ready to get to work.
I decided to ease into things with a little online tutorial at https://www.learnpython.org. It tackles some of the basic language constructs. Tutorials like these are great examples of living textbooks. One can play with all the examples and the final exercise at the end of each chapter contains a self-grading project. I'm finding it to be a great primer all the syntax differences.
Below is a list of all the basic chapters provided by the tutorial:
- Hello, World!
- Variables and Types
- Lists
- Basic Operators
- String Formatting
- Basic String Operations
- Conditions
- Loops
- Functions
- Classes and Objects
- Dictionaries
- Modules and Packages
Next step for me will be to go back to the Advent of code and start working through those puzzles in Python instead of Java like I normally do. That will force me to write code from scratch and really learn the language. I think the above tutorial will work as a good reference if I get stuck with the syntax. I will probably use repl.it to learn that tool as well.
PS Inspired by 
PPS I can't do it... I am going to keep not upvoting my comments, but I'm going to upvote my posts.