I started the tour out in Denver Colorado
I made the first one but I did not make the second show
Cause I met a girl there that brought about quite a big change
Then I OD'd in Denver and I just can't remember her name

On Thursday night, roots country artist Jason Boland had done me the courtesy of playing "OD'd in Denver," a Hank Williams Jr. song that I'd only before heard Boland sing on a bootleg. I had it stuck in my head the entire drive up to the convention, even while other music was playing in my CD player.

Boland had always brought me luck, it seemed. A little over a year ago, the day after going to a show I met someone at a wedding and we dated. Things didn't work out, but it was the first time I had gone out with anyone after a serious heartbreak, so it was a success nonetheless. I had an interesting incident during a Boland show early last year and it was a show in December right before I met Camryn.

Friday was uneventful for the most part, save for a blast from the past meeting someone that I hadn't seen in years and almost hanging out with friends I haven't seen in over a year. I did notice all the couples, which was interesting because conventions are full of unique people and it's always nice to see unique people with atypical interests hooking up. I, of course, was only there with my guy friends, single as single can be.

I guess you could say that my love life was not up to par
Too many nights alone had left a permanent scar

I first saw Shawn outside while I was catching a breath of fresh air. I didn't think that much about her, really. Not until I saw her at the hotel bar. That meant that she was over twenty-one. At conventions, age can be a very deceptive thing.

I'm generally not good at picking up people in bars, and considering how often I go to them for musical acts, it's something I ought to get better at. So I decided that there was nothing to lose there (it was doubtful that she was from Houston since the convention was in Austin). I went up to the bar, propped myself right beside her, and said "Hello."

We talked about the shuttle accident that had happened in the morning. I talked about my relatives at NASA and she about her present stint in the Navy reserves. We talked about us and what we were like when we were younger, what we're like now. I talked about my career and she talked about college. I told her about No-Lyfe Productions and gave her my business card. We got to know each other at the bar for about two hours before we migrated to the balcony.

Out there, the conversation started drifting more towards relationships, where we established that we were both single. We'd both had a little to drink, so the conversation had flowed quite smoothly. Our inhibitions were gone. I kept thinking that if it wasn't for the distance between Austin, where she lived, and Houston, where I do, it could really turn in to something.