Welcome to my island!
I think
should issue registered developers with a little badge, like the ones Microsoft used to give out for MCP etc, it could be a yin-yang affair with one little dude banging his head on the keyboard, while the other is reading a book sitting in zen.
Anyway back to your question, I would recommend the Big Nerd Ranch books. They explain the concepts well and include "for the curious" additional sections at the end of each chapter.
This forum holds a wealth of knowledge with some very experienced programmers willing to help but be prepared to show your workings out.
Enjoy!