I finally bought the Mastering Emacs book! I’ve done too much random googling without having a mental framework of what the hell is going on with Emacs. I need to start from a place of sanity, and I need to be able to work through a linear sequence of material, review what I’ve learned, and pick up where I left off.

From https://masteringemacs.org/book:

When you have read this book you will understand Emacs

Yes. Obviously, Mickey Peterson knows how well I respond to a confident personality.