Ash Wednesday, a good time to start a blog?

I've decided for Lent 2009 to have a daily blog. Why do that? I suppose it is not so much a penance as a discipline for the season of Lent. Blogging will force me to give up some of the time I waste on frivolous internet wandering. How much time has been spent on reading random posts and sites, watching videos on YouTube and elsewhere (curse you, Apple Store movie previews!!), etc.? Indeed, I am giving up something in order to (hopefully) improve my writing. And also clear out some random thoughts that keep floating through my head and distracting me as well.

I have intended to write more this year and am working on a podcast, but progress is very slow because the topic is research-intensive. The podcast will cover the background myths, history, theology, philosophy, etc., in the Hellboy stories. I've written the main text for an episode on Rasputin but have bogged down in research on Nazi involvement in the occult. It is a much bigger topic than I imagined. Plus, there's all the other stuff involved with making a good podcast--getting equipment, creating intros and outros, setting up a website, finding time to record.

I also have an idea for a Hellboy story set in Hawaii (where we went to a conference back in January), but haven't really set down anything in writing yet. I may be fleshing out or flushing out ideas for that in this blog.

What other content can you expect here? I'll probably write occasionally about my cute-as-can-be 16-month old son and his adventures, learning, etc. (boy, using hyphens sure slows down the typing). And maybe some Catholic stuff too, since this is a Lenten post. Tomorrow, I will write about my other planned Lenten sacrifices.