[geoffsanders]

Don't listen to any of the PHP haters here. You said you want to build simple scripts and blogs - something PHP is far more than adequate for, and it will be something you can pick up quicker than Python or Ruby. Also popular blog software like WordPress is all PHP.

While the PHP haters may be right if you're trying to get the best software engineering gig in Silicon Valley, for your purposes, I think PHP would probably be the best combination of tons of tutorials and documentation online, power and capability, and low learning curve.

Just my $0.02 as a PHP, Ruby, and JavaScript developer.