Wow, congrats! I've been commuting to work via bicycle, with some time off from November - Feb, for over a year. I started doing it because on a whim I started riding my bike to my wife's (then girlfriend's
) apartment, which was across town from mine. Gave me a good workout every night, and didn't cost me a thing to go see her - it worked out well!
As far as routes go, you'll figure out the best one for your commute, don't worry. Since I started my new job I've done several different routes. The "direct" way is 3.5-ish miles, but I don't ever like taking that way. VERY busy streets with drivers who are in too much of a hurry to even consider giving you any leeway on the roads, so it's sidewalks. I have two others, one that's a hair over 5 (my second choice, as the roads it's on are not busy but are pretty rough) and a 7 mile route that I prefer. You'll eventually find your preferred route.
For blogs, blogger.com is what I use, and it works well. And.. free!