Josh:Ah okay... so Ek! on the lernu! site (top right corner) basically is saying "Go!" or "Start!" but not as in the direction...

So iri is more a direction verb and ek- is more just a prefix/action verb. "Going to...", etc...

Yes, that's correct. "Ek-" doesn't imply movement, whereas "iri" does.

Most commonly, "ek-" isn't used as a verb - it is typically used just as a prefix (i.e., a modifier of some other word) in which it indicates that whatever that other word means is just beginning.

Mi ekmanĝis - I began eating.
Mi ekdormis - I started to go to sleep.
Mi ekskribis - I began writing.
Mi ekiris al la vendejo - I started to go to the store (a "go" double-whammy, considering this topic!)

Note that I used both "began" and "started" - they are for the most part interchangeable.

Although, since in Esperanto ALL roots are capable of being used in any way that makes sense, and the affixes are considered roots, "ek-" is sometimes used on its own. But its core meaning makes it useful in more situations as a modifier rather than as a standalone.

RiotNrrd:
I STRONGLY recommend setting up a Blogger or WordPress (my own favorite) blog and doing just what I did - write in it regularly. The entries can be short, and they can be about trivial things, but just forcing yourself to regularly post SOMETHING is well worth the effort.

There are now two of us blogging at lalernanto.blogspot.com and we'd welcome others! What I'd really like is for there to be a couple of writers from each continent. It would be a great way of learning together. If anyone would like to join in, send me your email address in a message and I'll send you an invitation.

One thing that imagine would help would be to get a friend to start the process with you. I started learning esperanto (slowly) about 6 months ago, and about about a month ago, I started teaching my girlfriend. Being able to talk to someone (even basically), as well as going over basic grammar has really improved my speaking (which was woefully lacking). Also having a partner keeps you comitted to learning. I'm less willing to skip out if I'm feeling lazy if I know I have to admit to my girlfriend that I;ve been slacking.

Hope that helps. I'm not fluent yet, but that seems to be helping. Obviously, the problem is finding someone who is willing to learn another language.