entombed in the shrine of zeroes and ones

j4 brings South Africa 2010 to its rightful end:

I heard there was an awful sound
that echoed all the world around
Well, you don't really care for music, do ya?

It goes like this:
HOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN-
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKK
The football fans all blowing vuvuzelas
Vuvuzela, vuvuzela...

Not really sure how Nigel de Jong didn't get a red card for leaving his footprint on Xabi Alonso's chest.  I didn't mind the rough game, as there was plenty of good soccer in between the yellow cards, with many (sometimes badly) missed chances for both teams.  In the end, Fábregas makes the assist for Iniesta's goal thanks to several lucky bounces in the preceding plays, plus Heitinga's inability to defend his field position while sitting in the locker room.  Spain's Kardiac Kids struck again with the fourth 1-0 game in a row, with the goal being scored with 27, 7, 17, and 4 minutes to go in the game.  Their midfield play was amazing, but they never seemed to get it together in the box as often as you'd've thought (but, clearly, often enough).  No other team seemed to have the wingers to make Capdevila and Ramos pay for their incessant play upfield (although Robben came very close), but Spain was so stout in the middle that it barely mattered.  Spain won in part because they made Kuyt irrelevant, and in part because van Persie was irrelevant all Cup long.

And now, the long wait for Brazil qualifiers.

As i sit down to watch TV, i realize my heart is pounding, my stomach is twisting, and without warning i howl and my limbs jerk.  But it's not a neurologist i need... it's just World Cup Fever, baby!

RSA-MEX was a fairly sloppy game, though.  The alternation between exciting and groan-inducing moments was just a tad too much.  But now it's time for my nap.

Kim and i are heading to Ecuador on Saturday.  The original impetus was attending my 20-year high school reunion; then i got miffed because it was classmates-only (i.e., no spouses), so i was no longer interested in going.  But then i got over it because, hell, i'm going to be there and i might as well go; in all likelihood, it's the last reunion i'll attend, so i should make the best of it.  The timing is dicey because the World Cup's starting on Friday (and i will be missing USA-England while on the plane, damn it); some of us asked the organizers to reconsider the party for July but they ignored us so... whatever.

It's been almost four years since we last visited Ecuador, which really is way too long.  I'd really like to go every two years, at most.  I hope that i can keep that up in 2012.