Pythons & Ladders

[Benoit]

I've been teaching myself the python language over the past few months
using Mark Lutz' Learning Python, 3ed.  Python is also the first
programming language I've ever taken up.  I find the language easy to
learn and rather productive in relation to the introductory course on C
++ I'd begun in January for fun @ school (we're practicing dynamic
arrays using pointers... kill me now).  My problem, however, is that I
found myself lacking problems with which to create solutions and so
practice what I've learned.  I think I'm one of those people who
really get into something when the instructions come from without.

So I'd like to ask you resident python gurus to help me learn.  Give
me something to do!  Specifically, I'd like to be given tasks that
incrementally increase in difficulty, starting from simple file/text
manipulation to those harder things like built-in function overloading
(you know, where you can make the "+" operator do something different
in relation to a given object). I hope my request doesn't come off as
demanding, as perhaps we could archive these tasks for future
pedagogy.

If something like this already exists though, please point me in the
right direction.  Otherwise, thanks for any and all assistance.