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I had a great time in Grand Rapids, Michigan, having traveled there with Toni for granddaughter Miranda's junior varsity basketball game. She was a tiger on defense, swished through a 17-foot shot, and threw a perfect pass to a teammate who scored her first points of the season. Afterwards, she took a photo for my Facebook with Phil's new computer, a group shot with her, Toni, and Victoria in it. Anthony showed me how he and Phil play computer chess, and Tori showed me her favorite YouTube sites. Delia prepared a meal featuring tilapia and also had some hot salsa on hand. Today at breakfast Miranda gave me a beautiful hand-made birthday card. After we got home, Alissa called from Michigan State to wish me a happy 68th. It’s hard to believe she’s graduating in a couple months. Her mom Beth sent me a CD by a group called Augustana. The song "California Burning" contains these lyrics: "I'm here wondering where the sun has gone/ Driving thru a midwest storm/ asking why no one's home."

Now that I know how to access my Facebook, I came to find I have 15 “friends,” including high school classmates, relatives, former students, buddies from graduate school days at Maryland, and former IUN colleagues. Several other people, including some I don’t know or can’t recall, want to be my friend. It’s a little overwhelming. Daughter-in-law Delia has 184 friends, including many people who in the near future might be mutual friends, if I get hooked. Also sites called classmates.com and MyLife keep telling me that all sorts of people are trying to get in touch with me, but those sites cost money. Besides, anyone who really wants to find me can Google my name and find me at IUN’s History Department site or on my blog.

When I tried to do my first shared Facebook posting, I was told my remarks used too many characters. As my blog readers already know, I can be wordy. Mentioned to Pam Rudolph that I has started a Facebook, and she replied that Facebook was for kids. I told her,"Believe it or not, many of our U.D. classmates have Facebook pages, including Pat Zollo (who’d have thought), Wayne Wylie, Joe and Barbara Ricketts, Joe Pollard, Phil Arnold, Bruce Allen, and Leelee Minehart. Probably others as well."

I finished another Anne Tyler novel called “Morgan’s Crossing.” Midway through the book, this fetching, oddball character commences an affair with Emily, a married woman 21 years his junior. I was disappointed at the turn of events but it turned out for the best for Emily, whom the book is as much about (her search to find herself). Near the end of the book Morgan’s old spouse Bonny put Morgan’s obit in the newspaper, even though he was still alive. Morgan is one of Tyler’s most memorable characters, eccentric like so many of her other creations and both endearing and annoying.

I’m involved in book projects with members of the two most prominent Mexican-American families in Northwest Indiana, the Arredondos and the Dominguez family, specifically Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez, who because of term limits cannot run for re-election and is considering a run for Indiana governor in 2012. Meanwhile the 2010 local elections are interesting. Hours before the deadline for filing in Indianapolis, Judge Lorenzo Arredondo suddenly announced he would not be seeking another term. He intended that the timing would prevent anyone but his choice to succeed him from being able to file (a tactic Senator Evan Bayh used successfully a few weeks ago). Sheriff Dominguez got wind of the scheme and was able to get his nephew, Alex Dominguez on the primary ballot.