Who's Down With Lent?

It kind of snuck up on me this year, but today is the first day of Lent. I know a lot of us are waking up hungover from the Mardi Gras parties, but I'm curious to know who's observing it this year.

Are you observing Lent this year? If so, why? What does it mean to you? And what are you giving up?

I started observing Lent several years ago as a show of solidarity with belly4you, who is only the most awesome Catholic this side of the Pope. It can be lonely being the only one sacrificing something if you don't have someone in the trenches with you, after all. Since then, I've tried to at least think about the nature of sacrifice, denial and discipline, even if my own resolutions don't quite pan out.

This year, I'm just going to stick to my current resolutions. I'll meditate every day, I'll write 3500 words a week, and I'll stick to 1600 calories or less a day. I think I'll also add giving up meaningless 'filler' responses when someone says something to me. I know it's a perennial pet peeve for my dear husband. :)