I've gotten a hold of the Javascript book and have begun reading it. The XP book is on the way and should be here soon. I've also setup some of the tools that we will be using for the course (mainly my github account, and the jekyll + github pages blog). 

I think the sheer amount of material in this course will be a bit daunting at first. There seems to be such a large number of tools that I don't have too much experience with any of the tools or languages that we will be covering. I'll have to be careful to make sure I make up for any knowledge deficiencies that might be present so that I am able to get the most out of the course. 

For next week, I hope to tackle all of the required reading. I also want to familiarize myself with basic Python. I’ll do this while starting up the first project. I will also do some work on the formatting of the blog to make it look nicer.

My experience in the course so far has been fairly positive. I’m particularly impressed by the interactive learning style in the course. The fact that Dr. Downing continuously calls on people to answer questions during lecture is really helpful for staying focused. I think the possibility of being called on, however small, subconsciously focuses one to keep paying close attention throughout lecture. I also like the idea of looking at code samples and discussing what is happening line by line. I think this is a much better approach than seeing a large block of code and thinking about it independently. 

I think a good music playlist is an important tool for any student or software engineer. A nice list of relaxing songs always helps me when I study. 

A nice song I discovered this week was [Wunder](https://soundcloud.com/la-biche-le-renard/gamper-dadoni-feat-katharina-vogel-wunder) by [Gamper & Dadoni](https://www.facebook.com/gamperanddadoni/photos/a.154623754676836.33006.154623648010180/498574186948456/?type=3&theater).