first

I finally started brewing today - picked up a kit at MLHBS and brewed a California Imperial Pale kit with a friend. Looking forward to getting the process down so that I can work outside of ingredient kits. Aside from a small boil-over, everything else went smoothly. Of course I will need to change things around next time to streamline the process. Also have a few questions that I plan to bring up at the next meeting. I didn't realize that I needed to take a sample for the hydrometer and ended up actually putting it into the carboy after racking to take a measurement. Does anyone have tips on how best to take that measurement going forward. Also - is it dangerous to have left the hydrometer in the racked wort during the fermentation process?