I am picking up Ruby, and the Poignant Guide is... uh... lousy. It maunders and meanders and diverges into slightly drunk? stoned? btardy? certainly ridiculous

I am picking up Ruby, and the Poignant Guide is... uh... lousy. It maunders and meanders and diverges into slightly drunk? stoned? btardy? certainly ridiculous areas. Problem is, I'm trying to maintain a focus: learning Ruby. Humor is fine. But I want to focus and Get Stuff Done. So the Poignant Guide is very frustrating. Dive Into Python IMO is a very good text.