Wait a minute, I support fully what OP is doing here.  He seems to be taking an opportunity to dig into the technology and learn about it.  Rolling your own __ is the best way to learn about __, imo.  Of course, if you're new, you need to be careful, but that's what OP seems to be doing. 

I wish I was savvy enough to comment on the particulars of this method/library, but alas...