I had to call someone this morning for business purposes. Perhaps calling first thing was my mistake. The man on the other end was bemused as I stumbled through the most convoluted explanation of the situation. I re-started the story two or three times before I got it right.

That man would have never guessed I once talked for a living. Today I scarcely believe it myself.

Three soccer games today. Portugal vs. Korea DPR, where the Portugese routed their opponents, 7-1.  Two different styles clashed when Chile faced Switzerland. It got chippy, a Swiss player was sent off early and the South Americans were able to capitalize on yet another poor officiating decision.

One of the changes I’d like to see in the game — long famous for its few alterations — is an ad hoc ruling on players taking dives. I’d create a three-panel commission that watched each game after it was resolved. If they vote that you faked your stumble you don’t play in the next game. That would fix the simulation. That would help solve a great many of the officials’ problems.

Maybe the issues are the same in other sports. The athletes are now bigger, faster and cunning, and thus more easily able to fool a lone official. The television angles are better, replay exposes all. Even if those aren’t the problems we’re seeing at this World Cup, they are the things we are seeing in this World Cup. It certainly would have changed things in the Chile game.

The third game was Spain vs. Honduras, which David Villa made academic early in the second half. You’re beginning to see why Spain are the World Cup favorites.

Went to buy cat food today. The young lady at the cash register was holding a snake, as if on display. I have nothing against snakes, but this can’t help their sales with many of their customers. Someone didn’t think this through.

And then I realized I hadn’t eaten much today, so I sought out Cajun. I sat on the porch of the local Cajun place, sweating, listening to Zydeco and eating beans and rice and various other things offered in a spicy denomination.

When feeling famished, stuffing one’s face is a bad idea. I’d ordered something the waitress said she’d never tried. She later asked me if it was good — it was — but I felt and looked so miserable when I answered that I wasn’t very convincing.

Spent the rest of the evening preparing a long social media presentation. I’m putting three previous programs together to make one long talk. This will be for a summer class at Alabama in which I’m guest lecturing. If the students are even still talking to me by the end of the session I’ll be pleased with the outcome.

The last honeymoon photo barrage: I have finished, finally, editing pictures from our epic adventure. There are 409 photographs in the gallery. That doesn’t count the two slideshows from Borghese and the Spanish Steps elsewhere on the site or the panoramas. It also doesn’t count the videos, which I have still to produce. There’s about an hour’s worth of footage there.

But a lot of pictures. I decided such an epic project needed its own splash page. So, check out the new honeymoon page. All the pictures are ordered chronologically in relation to the location and where that visit landed in our trip. So you’ll see four different sections of Rome pictures. We spent three days in Rome and then took our cruise. After the trip we had another day in Rome, hence the four sections.

During the trip there are pages for each of our excursions and a section for photographs from the ship itself. Off to the side you’ll see the panoramas. Hopefully this will all be self-explanatory when you see the page. Do visit.