"The easy part is getting the blog set up and working on the templates. The hard part is finding the time to write for it."

That is no exaggeration. In one dispatch, Mr. Gray recounts a trip on which he lost track of time. He and a colleague argued about what day of the week it was. Only after checking his luggage to find out how many clean shirts remained did they agree that it was Wednesday.

"That posting got a lot of response from readers, because they could relate to forgetting the day of the week," he said.