Hope y'all had a happy Mother's Day. (What movie was it where the villain killed someone who had made a comment about his mom, and said with a sneer, "Even bad guys love their mothers"? I remember that terrific line but just can't place it.)
Here are a few random updates since we last talked:
1. We went to see Amy Grant and her band in concert in Tiffin, Ohio, last Wednesday. Loved the show. Janet thought it was too "old school" but for me, Amy is such an honest songwriter and talented singer that I don't think her music ever gets old.
I particularly enjoyed when she braved it and played some shouted-out requests even though the band had not rehearsed the songs.
One of the most memorable and entertaining moments of the night was when her six-person band "crashed and burned," as Amy put it, stumbling through "The Things You Do for Love." They didn't have to even try it, but they did. And when they faltered, they kept their chins up and kept slogging away and it all worked fine. Nobody minded that they missed some chords and Amy forgot some words.
The musicians in her group were truly awesome, by the way, and her bass player is from the Toledo suburb of Perrysburg, and had lots of family at the show that night.
It was only Grant's third concert since November, she said.
I had the pleasure of talking with Amy again backstage after the show. She is such a sweetheart and as honest and down to earth in person as any "star" I've ever met.
The Ritz Theatre in Tiffin is quite a nice old hall, ornate and well kept. Built in the 1920s as a movie theater, it seats about 1,200 and there were more than 1,100 people at Amy's concert.
It was a really nice evening.
2. We went to see "Iron Man" for Mother's Day. I think "Mom" picked that film to make me happy. It didn't seem like a movie she would have chosen. However, there wasn' t anything Janet really wanted to see at the theaters and as it turned out, she loved it and so did everyone. Janet even said it was one of the best movies she'd seen in a long time. Robert Downey Jr. was great as the zillionaire playboy whose world literally crashes down on him when he is blown up by the very rockets his company manufactures and which made him so wealthy.
3. I gave a talk to a group of local Muslims on Saturday night and it was a very interesting dialogue. They sincerely want to improve their relations with the community in general, other faith groups, and with the media.
4. I finally found my new Saab. I've been looking ever since the transmission blew out on my old "classic" Saab 900. I ended up buying a newer Saab 900, one that was built after General Motors bought into Saab. I'm hoping that parts will not be so ridiculously expensive anymore.
5. One of Toledo's real gems, trumpeter Jimmy Cook, passed away on Friday. He was not only a great musician but a wonderful man. His terrific trumpet playing reflected his personality. A very fun and giving man, he was a one-of-a-kind and I will miss him.

Toledo, Ohio
May 12, 2008