The unprocessed version of the background photo shows kids running up the Marathon Step at the Olimpiastadion after the opening ceremony.

Looks a little different, doesn’t it? What? You’re viewing in an RSS reader? OK, click through the full story …

OK, now are you at the site itself? Great. Looks a little different, doesn’t it?

I have a few shout-outs to make:

1. The logo and other design advice are the work of someone familiar to soccer fans and players — Prairie Rose Clayton, who tweets as @hoover_dam and shows her breathtaking banners (we’re talking real-world, show-at-soccer-games banners, not banner ads) at tifosi.hooverdam.net. She’s so cool that when I met her in Boston, a big-time music person (Ted Leo) came up and recognized her.

2. The new theme is Magazine Basic, which I can’t believe is free. It’s wonderful and incredibly easy.

3. The background photo is from Olimpiastadion in Berlin at the opener of the 2011 Women’s World Cup. I wanted a photo I took, but I also wanted to do some processing so it wouldn’t overwhelm the rest of the site. I used a sepia filter, of course. I hear the kids today call that “Instagram.”

The cosmetic changes will indeed point to more substantive changes. I’m going to keep up a steady presence on the blog, and I’m going to rev it up big time after I finish the MMA book. Almost there.

I’ll be looking not just for advertisers but for writers as well. See the “About” page for details on both.