Current events:

The boy has the car. He got his license Thursday night, and we haven't seen him or the car for more than a total of three hours since. I'm a firm believer in lotsa practice, so I'm for this, theoretically. In practice, however, I'd prefer to have both the car and the boy safe and sound here at the house.

Oh thus be it ever. The child is born helpless and dependent. The father is programmed to protect and control. After the first five minutes, the delicate balance begins to shift and the crown prince wants a little independence. It's pretty much downhill from there. Eventually, that little round-headed baby is off somewhere with his friends and your car.

I'm going to bonnaroo. I will officially be the oldest, squarest hippie grooving in the Tennessee mud this summer. As soon as the boy is sprung from his 12-years of hard labor (school, that is), we're piling into the car (assuming it lasts that long) and driving to Bonaroo together. I'm picturing half Zen and the Art, half Big Chill.

Bonaroo is a big music festival with a heavy emphasis on jam-bands. I suppose we'll be camping there. I haven't camped in 30 years. The boy really likes this kind of thing, though, so he'll know what to do and hopefully show me the ropes.

His lifelong dream is to travel around to festivals, and now that he's paid his debt to society education-wise, he plans to do just that. The first major festival after graduation is Bonnaroo. I'm going along to try to tap into my hippie-self and to bear witness to the coming of age for one S. Phillips Jr.

Here are the acts they're advertising: The Dead, Dave Matthews & Friends, Bob Dylan, Trey Anastasio, Willie Nelson, David Byrne, Primus, Wilco, Burning Spear, String Cheese Incident, Ani DiFranco, moe., Gov't Mule, Los Lobos, Galactic, Yo La Tengo, Femi Kuti, Medeski Martin & Wood, Gomez, Yonder Mountain String Band, Damien Rice, North Mississippi Allstars Country Hill Review, Beth Orton, Gillian Welch, The Del McCoury Band, Taj Mahal, Sam Bush Band, Vida Blue feat. The Spam Allstars and many more!