buffalo springfield, again

Terry called me about a month ago suggesting that the two of us take a road trip up to Palo Alto this weekend for the Buffalo Springfield reunion at the Shoreline Amphitheater. The reunion is part of a large benefit concert for Neil Young's Bridge School. I was skeptical at first because, let's face it, Neil Young, Richie Furay and Steve Stills are all approaching 70 at this point, and watching them try to rock out sounds a bit pathetic. From what I understand, Young and Stills can barely stand to be in the same room with each other, and Furay is some kind of Jesus freak. So who knows what kind of chemistry these guys will have on stage. On top of this, it's an outdoor show where there will be lots of irritating people. Not my cup of tea, usually. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me, not because of the concert necessarily, but more for the fun of getting out of town and having a nice weekend with a friend. Our mutual buddy, Tom, lives up that way, where he teaches at a local community college and his wife is a professor at UC Santa Cruz. Tom is a great guy and loves to have a good time, so there's added incentive for me take the trip. I've known their kids since they were little. They used to call me Uncle Lonely One back in the day. ...Sometimes when I leave my familiar home environment, I have trouble getting relaxed. It's that inability to 'be in the moment,' I keep referring to. I'm gonna try really hard to have fun this time around. But isn't that sad, that it takes such effort for me to enjoy myself? Some people can just let go of their inhibitions like it's second nature. For me, at least when I'm in unfamiliar territory, it takes a conscious effort. I think having Terry and Tom around will make things easier for me. Maybe that's the key to living more freely, surrounding yourself with people you love and trust, who know and accept you, and who value your eccentricities ...We leave Friday afternoon. I'm no Jack Kerouac, but I'm gonna try as best I can to keep a road journal of sorts here. We'll see how it goes...