Mysql ,Ruby, Rails and my Mac with Leopard

In what turned into a significant battle I have mysql working with rails on an OSX Leopard laptop. I used these instructions to install mysql: installing-mysql-on-mac-os-x I used this to install mysql gem

sudo gem install mysql -- --with-mysql-config=/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql_config

To fix this when I ran my first migrate

Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)

I added a link from the current location of the sock file to where ruby is looking

sudo ln -s  /var/mysql/mysql.sock /tmp/mysql.sock

I'm really need to read the directions better. I could have changed the socket: parameter in the database.yml

socket: /var/mysql/mysql.sock