... After school, on the soccer field.

OK, not really after school -- but it will happen at the school's soccer field. "What?" you ask? The winner of the World Cup pool will be crowned tomorrow. But not until the score is settled.

Let's rewind a bit...

Following helpful advice from the folks at UBS, I picked Italy to win the 2006 World Cup. But not before picking the results of the other 62 games leading up to finals.

I managed to maintain a ranking in the middle of the pack throughout most of the tournament. I was 10 points shy of the lead going into the final match. Fortunately, no one else had Italy in the final, so if the Azzurri were to win, I'd be tied for first place.

Well, as we all know -- since the tournament ended two weeks ago -- Italy defeated France. The first tie-breaker (because there can be only one highlan-- er, winner) was picking the 10-minute window when the final goal of the game would be scored. In order for me to win the pool, Italy needed to win, and the last goal of the game needed to be scored between the 75th and 85th minutes. If they won, but the final goal was between the 64th and 74th minutes: tie broken, I lose.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last two weeks, you know Italy won on penalty kicks after 120 minutes play. The only goals in regulation came in the first half; I got my 10 points but no tie was broken, which brings us to the present.

Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET, two worthy competitors will face off at a middle school soccer field for a penalty kick shootout. On the line: Bragging rights until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the $160 prize pool.

Update: I lost 6-4 (photos).

These are some tips to myself after photographing the Silverbacks v. Timbers match (Multimedia piece on True Fan).

Don't leave your water bottle in the car. When you're going to be outside for 4 1/2 hours in 85-plus-degrees and enough humidity to swim through, a little hydration goes a long way.

Don't show up so early. I wouldn't have had to spend 4.5 hours outside if I wouldn't have gotten to the game two hours early.

Bring an extra camera body. It's hard to detach and safely stow one lens and try to unpack and attach another quickly. It would be a lot easier to just switch between two cameras with lenses pre-attached.

Bring an extra memory card. I thought a 2-gigabyte card would be plenty. It wasn't. See graphic at right.

There are other tips, too, that aren't so simple. Like focusing. Soccer is a fast-moving sport, and it's tough to keep up, much less maintain focus. Of those 1,000+ photos, around 10 percent are -- what I would call -- properly focused. I imagine this is a matter of experience: From knowing the game, like being able to anticipate where a play is headed, to knowing the equipment, like being comfortable with the sensitivity of the lens's focus ring.

It was also the first time I've shot with a monopod. A monopod is pretty handy, but it also takes getting used to.

I recently picked up an all-plastic Holga camera and a couple rolls of 120 film. I just got the first roll of photos back from the lab.

This is the first time I've shot on film in more than two years, probably closer to three. It's a bit strange to flip through actual, physical prints instead of just scrolling through iPhoto.

People tout instant gratification as one of the main advantages of digital. You know whether you got the shot as soon as you release the shutter. And I agree that's very convenient, especially when you have limited time with a subject, so you want to make sure you get it right. But the combination of Holga's unpredictable results and a two-day wait for processing makes for an exciting reveal when you finally open the envelope for your first glimpse of your glossies (or mattes).

There wasn't anything too out of the ordinary on this set of black and white photos. Holgas are known for light leaks and other "problems," which is all part of the charm. I wonder, though, how my color prints will turn out when I get my second roll back from the lab. There may be oddly exposed areas that don't show up in black and white. Plus, it's a roll of 120-speed film instead of the black and white's 400.

My Holga links and more Holga photos

Mother nature decided to provide her own fireworks last night. I managed to catch a couple shots of lightning outside my window.