Valentine Karaoke

It is the day of love, Blog! So obviously I'm going to be writing to you: my one true love... so far.

Last night we were conveniently within half an hour of our touring friends Erin and Leslie, so naturally we went out to a karaoke bar for some good times. I was especially up for it since we didn't have a show until 11 this morning. Usually we're getting up early for this job, but every once in awhile you get lucky. Like when you get a surprise three-day weekend because it's President's Day on Monday. What?! I know!

Anyway, we were out last night doing our thing in a South Carolinian karaoke bar when a very sweet townie (who didn't know what townies are because apparently they're not a thing in The South) promptly fell in love with me as I croaked out my rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time to the 11 people who milled around the bar. Maybe it was my terrible Britney impression that caught his eye. Maybe it was my Northern demeanor (whatever that is). But this guy was all about me and when he wasn't chatting me up, he was chatting with Andy to see what I was all about; which I'm just now realizing, is an aloof ball of nerves and jokes.

Dating isn't something that is really possible on tour, so when you meet a nice guy who takes a genuine interest in you, it's a little bittersweet. And the knife is twisted when you're about to ring in the Valentine holiday and suddenly roses are being sold to your suitor. So he buys one. For you.

Sometimes you don't realize how long you've gone without something until you've got it again. When he sheepishly handed me the single red rose, it became clear to me that it has been years (years) since I have received anything floral from anything male. Whoa. I accepted it because I didn't know what else to do. It was like the average-looking-people version of The Bachelor. I made it to the next week of tour, Blog! I'm going to Winston-Salem!

I wasn't drinking because I was driving. Responsibility! So because I didn't have copious amounts of alcohol flowing through my blood, I felt uptight about the whole situation even though I was having a good time. He was perfectly nice and sat at our table the entire evening. He wasn't drunk, even though I thought he was because he had a serious drawl. Like, seriously serious I can't understand what you're saying because you're talking at .2 miles per hour*.

To be fair, he didn't know what I was saying half the time because I was talking "too fast". If anything, it wouldn't have worked out because of the language barrier alone.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that my interaction with this perfectly nice southern gentleman (I think that's what they call them down here) taught me that I'm actually happy without a Valentine. Last night I got to know a nice and attractive guy who took a genuine interest in me, but at the end of the evening I made a point to keep my contact information to myself.  I was uptight about it because right now I'm content with what I've already got. I also might have turned him down because, oh I don't know, he lives in South Carolina and I have absolutely no plans to ever go back there.

But honestly Blog, it hasn't always been this way on this day of love. That's why I'm telling you (and the rest of the internet) about it.

Happy Valentine's Day**! Whether you've got someone or not, you've always got yourself, so make sure you're loving you. That sounds like a sad pat-on-the-back a single girl like myself says to make herself feel better. But you have to admit, Blog. There's truth to it.

*Fun fact: When southern people get really, really drunk for real, it's even more difficult to understand them. I learned this when a "cowboy" came over to our table, highly intoxicated, and proceeded to make vowel sounds and then kind of say the word "Florida". It was one of those moments in life where all you can do is sit there and wonder how the hell you got yourself into the situation at hand.

**Also happy birthday to my dear friend Kerin! She's out of her 20's y'all! She's also going to hate that I used the word "y'all" in her birthday wish. OH NO! IT'S RUBBING OFF ON ME!