You know you missed one of the best times in the hobby, being able to fly without worry. If you had an instructor, they would have helped you tune the engine so it wouldn't die on takeoff. They would have also taught you how to tune the engine yourself. Flying the engine lean just wears it out quicker (lean = hot = shorter life). They would have checked your plane over well, taken it for a test flight to trim it out, etc. Not to belittle you, but I have seen guys with years of experience take a plane off with the ailerons reversed. Control reversal is hard to overcome. Just ask the guys that are doing low inverted passes over the runway and then pull up from experience. Splat! Take advantage of the instructors. They will help you to learn without you having to make the mistakes. I didn't have my first crash until after I solo'd.