php vs python

[notbob]

I'm not posting this just to initiate some religious flame war, though it's
the perfect subject to do so.  No, I actaully want some serious advice about
these two languages and since I think usenet is the best arena to find it,
here ya' go.

So, here's my delimna: I want to start a blog.  Yeah, who doesn't.  Yet, I
want learn the guts of it instead of just booting up some wordwank or
whatever.  I started to learn python, but heard php was easier or faster or
more like shell scripting or... fill in the blank.  Anyway, so I change over
to learning php.  Then I run across that blog, Coding Horror, and start
reading articles like this:

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001119.html

Now what?  Go back to python.  Soldier on with php?  What do I know?  Not
much.  I can setup mysql and apache,, but don't know how to use 'em, really.
I use emacs and run slackware and can fumble my way through bash scripts,
but I can't really write them or do lisp.  I've taken basic basic and basic
C, but am barely literate in html.  Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I
persevere because it's more fun/challenging than video games, which bore me
to tears.  

Well, that's my actual question, then.  Is php really so bad I'm just
wasting my time?  Or is it really the quickest way to blog functionality?
Would I be better served in the long run learning python, which claims to be
easy as pie to learn/program (still looks hard to me).  I admit I'm no code
geek.  But, I'm not completely brain dead, either, and I need something to
keep my geezer brain sparking.  What say ye?

nb