So what's the point?

I've blogged before.  Many, many times.  I've blogged for work, I've blogged for play.  I've blogged for joy and I've blogged for sorrow.  So what makes this one different?

Well, for starters, this is only phase one.  The blog will be a permanent element of what will eventually be a full-fledged website.  I just need the right hosting, design, etc.  First thing's first, I've asked a friend to help me out with a logo.  I have a few other options, but I think he has the right sensibility for what I'm after.

This will be the place (the site, not just the blog) for people to get to know the professional Rob Levin.  Not the drunken twitterer with the constant updates, or the irate editor with the fantastic but often schedule challenged talent, but the man who writes, thinks, and maybe does a few other things.  It'll be the place for coverage of my work, research snippets, and general thoughts on entertainment, culture, and sometimes life.

What it won't be is a personal blog.  My relationships (outside of friendships I mention or professional relationships I have) will stay off of here, as will things like feelings.  The last blog collapsed under its own weight because of that.  This is about being a professional.  Not a bearded baby.

I have a couple of goals, and since we're looking at this at the start of a new year, here they are in all their "he'll break so many promises" glory:

• Daily updates - I'm assuming Monday through Friday, but if I've got stuff to say, weekends aren't off limits.
• Monthly short fiction - I'd like to get this to weekly status, so I plan on rolling out some old stuff first while trying to stockpile the new
• Exclusive previews - If I'm working on a comic, you'll see pre-lim stuff, stolen panels, etc.  If it's prose or a screenplay, I'll pull scenes, chapters, and the like.  I'm a firm believer that all things can be made better out of context.
• Kickass links - This is where I'll drop the ball, as the operative word, kickass, is certainly debatable.  And there's no way I can keep up with culture surfer (not to mention writer, filmmaker, musician, photographer, and inspiration) Bryan Hill, but I'll post the things that come into my life and I think are worth sharing.  Or at least funny.
• Big-ups - Links to friends and other professional peeps who are all kinds of awesome, and why.  My goal is to share the wealth in terms of the creative community and the bodies of work that I've discovered.
• An ever evolving biography - My goal is to come up with the best one ever, so I'll be revising it daily as part of that pursuit (maybe).
• Audio/video portions - Not necessarily podcasts, and not just talking head stuff, but likely just that.

I'm sure there's a lot more, but a blog to me always seems like a living, breathing, constantly evolving organism.  It's a lot like "the alien" that R. Kelly describes Trapped in the Closet as (and yes, that'll get a whole big post).

So welcome.  I'm posting this (while sick) and then going right back on the new template hunt.  At some point I may switch over to WordPress or a custom design, but for now I'm back with my old pal blogger.

I'll get the links and extra content on the sides going over the next week or two as well, and they'll be constantly updated.  Feel free to comment, suggest, and do whatever else it is you do.  Thanks for reading.  And if you'd like me to write something for you, just drop me a line.