All this talk of devil's three ways and lucky pierre's in my last post is likely to ensure I'll never be vice president or even get another steady job.

However, it did remind me of another reason I love Norman, or specifically why I love where I live in Norman. I'm close to the bars, and although I'm not nearly as proficient with the ladies as Barney, this video did come to mind.

A conversation I had with a guy at work tonight reminded me how damned small this world is. This person knows people you know, and you know people they know, and in Oklahoma, it's far too small. That's why my "advice" for youngsters just getting out of college nowadays is to be nice to everybody, unless it's time not to be nice. Roadhouse reference.

You never know who knows who. I'll be at the grocery store, and the barista will be slower than Stephen Hawking at a swim meet, and I have to remind myself that she could be a patron at my next gig or the daughter of my boss or the lucky pierre later that weekend.

It's just not wise to piss people off unnecessarily.

Hence the question last night about accepting the shots. I don't to offend the patron, and I enjoy having a good time. But experienced musicians one and all will tell you that drunkenness is not cool at gigs. Now, I wasn't intoxicated by any means, but I realized that the "piano guy" at "piano bars" is going to have to deal with this sooner or later.

As the summer winds down, and as I near birthday No. 38, I typically think about plans for the next year. Part of those plans include this blog, and while it's been focused on reality television the past year, it certainly hasn't been because it's a passion of mine. There are a few shows I enjoyed and some I enjoyed making fun of, but I wanted to see how much traffic I could build doing this.

I think it's run its course, and if you don't mind -- I think my plan for ryanwelton.com for the next year is to shoot from the hip. Like in this post. Focus some on music, but mostly shoot from the hip. Ramblings. Nothing terribly focused.

There is a site I'll be developing, a blog site, next week while I'm on vacation. And I'm excited about it. It is a simple experiment in hyperlocal blogging, and there won't be a heck of a lot of lap-over between the two sites, but there could be some.

I had considered retiring ryanwelton.com in lieu of the other site, but I decided against it in the name of evolution. In 25 years, it could be fun to see the map, the outline if you will of this site's travels.

Also, some of you had inquired about my next gig. As soon as I hear from Othello's, I'll be spreading the word like wildfire. I'm hoping to play some OU-football weekends for sure. Should be great crowds. But I'll post that info right here.

And if any of you know of bars, lounges, etc., with pianos in them, let me know. As soon as my Othello's schedule is in place, I'll be contacting a number of other venues in Oklahoma City, Stillwater, Tulsa and Dallas. Heck, I might even look to some of the casinos across the state. Surely, they have li'l watering holes with a piano and a mic at the side.