Eggnog: The Rocky Effect

Here's the Greek blonde girl before a recent show in Philadelphia

One of my all-time favorite movies is Rocky. There is just something very inspirational about this film for me. I really enjoy the message about going for your dreams and never giving up. I often have the film's theme song Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti playing on my iPod when I am working out or on one of my runs.

I started doing some serious thinking (dangerous, I know)  and I realized there must be some connection to the movie Rocky and people drinking Eggnog at Christmas time. Rocky Balboa drank raw eggs during training and before the fights so he could get the instant protein and none of the fat into his blood stream. It is like an adrenaline rush to the body for boxers and others who work out when they drink raw eggs.

Isn't it odd that people don't start drinking eggnog on Halloween?There's no eggnog served with the ham at Easter. You don't really see eggnog being served alongside turkey and Aunt Zelda's green bean casserole at Thanksgiving, now do you?

But for some reason -- as the year starts to wind down, and right at Christmas time people start drinking eggnog. All of that raw egg starts making their brain melty and effects their decision-making. I did an earlier blog, which you can read here,  where people tend to make a fool of themselves at the company Christmas party. The main culprit of making poor decisions at any company Christmas  party is usually because someone dipped a little too much into the free eggnog.

When people drink eggnog and have all of this raw egg crap get into their brain and blood stream they get all loopy. The instant protein is like a shock to their system and they start going all Rocky on everything and everybody. They start making wild New Year's resolution to lose weight and get into shape. Not because it's a New Year, but because they are all hopped up on eggnog and want to be like Rocky Balboa.

Yo' Adrian, I have an example for yoos -- a 92-year-old man who's been smoking 3 packs a cigarettes a day for 75 years. He takes a sip of eggnog and all of a sudden he's stripping down and shadow boxing everyone in the room like he has become the next Apollo Creed. He crushes his cigarettes and vows to his family that his New Year's resolution is that he is going to start running marathons and he will quit smoking. Well, the next day after the eggnog is out of his system, old grandpa can be seen walking around his living room butt naked, tearing the house apart, cussing like a sailor, looking for his lost package of cigarettes.

In the original Rocky movie the The World Heavyweight Championship bout was scheduled for New Year's Day 1976, which also happened to be the kick off day to the United States bicentennial. So I think that also influences these people into making crazy New Year's Resolutions, they want to be like Rocky and change history and change their own destiny on New Year's Day.

New Year's resolutions are great. New Year's resolutions made under the influence of eggnog- not so much. Just Sayin'

Here's a quick montage from the original Rocky movie I found on Youtube. Check out 1:20 into this remix and you can see Sly downing the raw eggs.

Ok, Gonna Fly now...Blessings,

Ava

xox

Things that make you go hmm

Have you ever had a moment where you see something that is just so bizarre and so out there that it makes you stop breathing for a second? No, me neither. But there are times when I walk by something and then think to myself -- Wait a minute, did I just see what I think I thought I just saw? Most of the time I keep walking because I don't want to embarrass myself by turning around for a second peak. With it being so close to Halloween I thought I would blog today about things that make you go hmm.

Like Reptile Man.

or

Enigma Man.

Because I live just 10 minutes outside New York City I go there frequently for auditions (and shopping) and I have had my share of personal "What The Heck" was that moments. Most recently it involved a taxi cab driver and festish stockings...that's all I'm sayin'.  That is of course right after shaking hands with the man with 3 thumbs.  No I am not kidding and that is a blog for another day.  Just know this, shaking that hand did make me freeze.

Sometimes those bizarre moments also happen online. From time to time someone will send me an email with an enticing subject line like OMG! Have you see this?-- Well, I don't know about  you my fellow bloggers, but when I see that I just can't ignore it. I always have to open it to see what the fuss is all about. Note: I'm Blonde, I'm Greek and I'm a tad gullible, but I also have a great Virus checker on my computer (and I use a Mac),  so no worries my techie friends.

Nowadays with the internet and with Photoshop it sometimes makes it hard to believe what you are actually seeing because so many things are digitally enhanced. Take for instance the viral video that is all of the rage this week called The Charlie Chaplin Time Traveler.

Charlie Chaplin Time Traveler

First let me say, I do not need to promote this video any further because in about 10 days this video has had an amazing 3.1 million views on YouTube alone. The story has been a media sensation and has been featured on every major news outlet around the world.

It is interesting to note that the term "Charlie Chaplin Time Traveler"  now has more Google searches than "Lindsay Lohan Arrested", "Charlie Sheen In Domestic Violence Dispute" and "The Most Boring World Series" combined.

From the get go, when a friend emailed me the video and I watched it I thought something was fishy. First off, this dude from Belfast, Ireland who made this "discovery" just so happens to be a film maker who also just happens to have a new film coming out. Coincidence, I think not.

You can even see it in the screen shot of this original YouTube video he posted and then he takes a close up shot with the video cam of a movie one sheet (poster) for the movie, "Battle of the Bone" that he just made. After that he chats about all of his upcoming movies that will be coming out soon. Then, in trueShamwow fashion, there is a chyron graphic overlay with the website URL for the film festival this guy runs.

Maybe some people are buying into it, but not this Greek girl. I think it's a good old fashion publicity stunt from an Irish bloke to promote his fledgling Yellow Fever production company. I won't be a bit surprised if it turns out that he digitally enhanced the mysterious time traveller into the clip and that it doesn't even exists in the Chaplin movie at all. My sources tell me that the film, Charlie Chaplin's The Circus is in the public domain. If that is the case then the Steven Spielberg wannabe can do whatever he wants with it.

I know it is not polite to stare, but sometimes a human oddity or an unexplained circumstance can be like a car crash on the Long Island Expressway, you don't wanna look, but you do it anyway.

I know if I was having lunch at McDonald's with my manager Mr. Bricks as he  downed yet another McRib  (Don't worry, I won't touch either one of them. Mr. Bricks or the McRib) and a lady had a nose in the shape of a pig or the guy in this photo walked in

how in the world am I supposed to not stare? The Dude has a Mini-Me with a receeding hairline growing out of the top of his head.

Thank goodness it wouldn't of been me eating a McRib because at that moment if a dude like this wax figure walked in I honestly think there would have been some serious tossing of my cookies going on...  I'm just sayin'.

Well, now that I have given you sufficient things to ponder for the day, my job here in the blogosphere is complete for the day.

Have a happy and safe Halloween tomorrow...and don't believe everything you see!!

Blessings,

Ava xox

Howloween has gone to the dogs!

NOTE:  This blog has been hacked by Punkin

Do I have the words "stupid dog" stamped on my forehead?...wait a minute, do I even have a forehead???

Psssssssst, its me Punkin, and the rest of the Aston canine clan -- BoBo, Itty Bitty and Pookie. Hey, this is my third time in as many weeks to hack into my Doggie Mom Ava's Mac Book Pro and hijack her blog.  Her original password was my name  "Punkin."   That was only natural because I am her favorite and #1 dog. So, the next day after she read my blog she cleverly changed the password to "Pookie", you can read all about that episode right here.

Well  I'm no Mark Zuckerberg but it did not take a genius to figure out she was most likely gonna change the password again to another one of my canine siblings.  So with my little paws I typed in the letters  I-T-T-Y-B-I-T-T-Y and then I saw this logo thing appear on the screen

I don't know why Ava has a giant half-eaten apple  on her screen but for me,it's Mission Accomplished I hacked in again. So, I'm back and I just had to write you all out there in blogsphere  because, well  we're in dire straits here.  Guess what Ava did today? I will give you a clue, look at this picture

Do any of us look happy? No. We are not happy campers anymore. Look closely, I think she is trying to get her own designing show on HGTV or Bravo by putting these cheesy little gourds, Indian corn, pumpkins and squash things next to us. Is she taking our picture or getting ready to serve us for dinner??

Yah, were pissed alright.  I knew something was up when she said we all were going to Petco. We haven't done that in a couple of months since Pookie had that unfortunate incident with A  Lhasa Apso.  Anyway, Ava took us to Petco and bought us these costumes for Howloween.   Now, I use to love to go to there like any other dog.  At the store we all got free treats, we could get our picture taken, we could play with the toys and sniff the butts of other hot looking doggies who were there.  But now, well, I hate Petco.  They are evil. Most likely a Liberal style of company who profits off of  the humiliation of canines by selling Howloween costumes for dogs.  Hmmm, wonder if they ever heard the phrase, don't bite the hand that feeds you. Our Doggie Mommie always uses that one on us when she wants to make us feel guilty for not doing what she wants.

Next time I go to Petco I think I'm going to "have an accident" right at the front door. Although it won't be an accident, if you know what I'm sayin'.  Maybe it will make some people stop and not go in.  Anything to do my part for the species.

Ava  just didn't stop with buying us these costumes. She also sent our buddy, Sunny, who is Mr. Bricks' dog, a costume. Sunny just tweeted me this twitpic of him that Mr. Bricks took.  Embarassing.

Since I now have your undivided attention, I have further business I need to discuss with you.  This is important, so listen up.  I want to let you know that if you are a little kid and you are reading this, and you plan to come to my house to go trick-or-treating you are screwed.  Mom's already starting to dip into the trick-or-treat stash of candy.

Look what I saw in her hands today after she came back from a run.   

And then there is this photo piece of evidence

At this rate, by Sunday she will be fresh out of candy. Look for her to start handing out raisins or pennies then.

We all have had enough of the humiliation. We know if we stick around here, she will end up dressing us like Pilgrims for Thanksgiving.  So Sunny is going to run away from Mr. Bricks house and we all are running away from here. We're going to  meet up in Vegas. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Stay tuned....

Love,

Punkin

ruff ruff