Writing now, what’s going down with the crime story, and the coming of the Cincinnati Reds’ season

I have to admit something to you: I have been writing. I know that I told you that I would be back in touch when I started up again, but I guess that just hasn’t happened. What’s more, I’m writing a lot; I’ve been working daily for a week and a half or so on a book outline–which I will pitch to potential agents–and a collection of songs. I have come up with eight chapter topics for the book, of what will be 25 or 30, and I have written three songs. I have melodies for all three songs, and the first of them is pretty much written. When I get fifteen or so, I’m going to record them a cappella, and pass them along to a musical director friend to see if she might know people who would want to put music to them.

Forgive me if I can’t tell you more about those projects right now; I will keep you apprised with the progress from time to time.

And it just doesn’t allow for much time here at paulelmo.com. Part of me wishes that were different, but I realize the website is designed to support the greater writing life, and if the greater writing life is good, maybe it has done its job.

So, that’s all that, and it’s progressing well.

Yes, I have promised some of you few faithful that I would get back to the crime story. I have also told you that it loomed to be a long story. I will, and it does. It hasn’t even been concluded yet; yes, all seems to have been restored to how it was before, but I don’t yet know for certain if an arrest has been made.

But, for all intents and purposes, we have survived it; it ultimately just cost me about three weeks and change of hassle and phone anxiety. but never true stress or worry, because I had faith that all was going to work out fine.

So, we’ll get to that, but maybe not anytime soon. It might happen when I find out if an arrest has been made, but I’m not betting on it.

But all of that stuff will take care of itself in good time; the big news of the day is that today is the last day of our long baseball-less drought. Our beloved Cincinnati Reds take the field tomorrow at 4:10, on the road for an inter-divisional clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s a big game out of the gate, and not just because it’s the first game of the season and you get to answer that great question of whether the choice of opening day starting pitcher was a good one or not; more than that, it’s a big game because there is no one opponent more important to whether the Reds’ rebuild improves than the Pirates. It we are going to do well, we need to fare well against them and stay ahead of them in the standings. The Reds have had five straight last place finishes in the division, and the Pirates are the first team we’re going to have to pass if that streak ends this year.

I’m hoping for good things this season. I like the off-season moves–if only that the club did make moves–and, while I’m not going to get my hopes up for the Reds to be in serious playoff contention, it sure would be nice if some of the games of the last month have a little more riding on them than they have in the recent past.

It sucks to lose Scooter Gennett going into the season–two to three months with a groin injury–but I’m anxious to see if the new leadership of manager David Bell and pitching coach Derek Johnson can produce a good starting rotation, and of course I’m always on the Votto watch. I still believe Joey has another MVP-caliber year in him, and I’m always hopeful that this will be the year.

We’ll get to start seeing how that all comes out tomorrow. I look forward to it.

Maybe I’ll see you at the diamond. I’ll certainly see you back here, maybe sometime soon.

Peace and prayers.