What would you do with 15,000 McRib Sandwiches?

The long awaited "Ava the Diva's First Sold Out Concert" Part 2 episode of my web based cartoon series is here. If you missed the first part, you can watch it here first.  Part 1

Grab the kids, grandma, the dogs and watch along and see what happens after Ava the Diva's manager Mr. Bricks negotiated a deal where Ava would get paid with 15,000 McDonald McRibs for a concert. See what lengths Ava goes through to make it right.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter (Passover to all of my Jewish friends)

Blessings,

Ava

xox

REMINDER:  April 28th is the world premiere of my new "Gone' music video

So...

The Greek girl has a pet peeve she needs to get off of her chest.

If  you are a fan of my music, or a regular reader of my blog, you already know I don't claim to be a domestic goddess.  It's not that I am untidy and a hoarder or that it takes me an hour to cook minute rice, because none of that is true. It's just that I have concentrated on my acting and singing career instead of my cooking, cleaning and sewing career.

I know by labeling today's blog "So..." and posting a header picture with some girl sewing in it is very misleading. But I did that just to confuse you and to make you think for just a nanosecond that I had a screw loose rattling around in my little Greek coconut.  But that's not the case (no matter what Mr. Bricks may think!) The reality is, I want to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves. It is when you are talking to another person and they don't finish their sentences because they are unsure what answer they will hear if they complete the sentence. They cop-out by not finishing their sentence and trailing off with the proverbial "So..." at the end of their incomplete sentence or thought. Let me give you some examples with my manager Mr. Bricks who is the biggest offender of the "Just say So" muckery:

Me: Well Mr. Bricks do you have a record deal for me yet?

Mr. Bricks: Not yet Ava. I'm working on contacting different labels and publishing companies and I haven't heard anything back yet, so...

OR

Me: What did you have for lunch today Mr. Bricks?

Mr. Bricks: I went to McDonald's and had a McRib.

Me: I could have told you that. That food is so unhealthy.

Mr. Bricks: Yes Ava. But I had a lot of meetings and I didn't have time for anything else, so...

OR

Me: I think I am going to go run 5 miles.

Mr. Bricks: You go Greek girl.

Me: Why don't you join me?

Mr. Bricks: Oh, I don't know Ava.

Me: It would do you some good because you will feel better and might lose some weight.

Mr. Bricks: You run fast and I don't want to slow you down, so...

See how frustrating that is? Just finish your sentences people and you won't get this blond Greek girl all worked up!!!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Born This Way

Ava Aston Copyright © 2011

I get a lot of flack from people saying I am either too Greek or not Greek enough. I am too blonde or not blonde enough. And when it comes to my love of sports and working out, I hear I am too much of a tom boy, but when I pass by a Kohl's or a sneakers store and I enter a shopping trance - I am too much of a girlie girl. I say, what the heck, I was born this way.

I am just who I am. I am silly, creative, loyal and I'd like to think talented and pretty. Hopefully that is what most of you like about me. I am not, fake I am real. I pretty much say what ever comes out of my noggin. What you see folks is what you get. I was born this way.

I love my Greek heritage. I think it sets me apart from just another blonde girl. I will let you decide if that is a good or bad thing. (Mr. Bricks - shut your pie hole, no comments from you) I am an animated chatter box at times. Other times I find peace and tranquility in just lying on the couch not saying a word with my four doggy fur babies surrounding me. But that's me, I was born this way.

I wasn't born with a perfect body so I run 5 miles every day or do an intensive workout (really I do.) I love eating healthy. Those are two things my body tells me to do to stay in the best possible shape. I know people who just can't get it in their noggin that exercising and eating healthy are good for you. Although I may not have been born with a perfect body I feel fortunate that I now believe that a healthy lifestyle can help me achieve a perfect body. Another person I know, and I won't name them by name, I will just call them "Mr. Lazy Eye" was born  the way he is with his beliefs that he can pretty much eat whatever he wants and not work out. Sadly, I do believe that he is not alone and many more people are born with his belief system that were born with a belief in living and eating a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise there would not be 32,158 McDonald's franchises world-wide, 11,500 Burger Kings and 5,845 Taco Bells - Just sayin'

I think when people want to rebel against society in one form or another it is very easy to say - I was born this way. Maybe that is true. But the reality is (myself included) we all could use some self-improvement in one way or another to make us a better person. Other wise if our total fulfillment is established at birth - what is the point of life? At the same time I do think it is important to embrace the differences in others. There are some great stories of individual overcoming great odds to achieve greatness, despite the way and or conditions they were born into. Woodrow Wilson struggled with dyslexia, but overcame it and became President. President Franklin D. Roosevelt contracted polio, famous actor James Earl Jones has dealt with a stuttering problem since childhood, Halle Berry has diabetes...the list of individuals who didn't quit or cop-out by saying, I was born this way is endless (and very inspirational.)

My manager Mr. Bricks has been approached by several Christian Record labels. As much as you hear me say, "I want a record deal Mr. Bricks" you would think I would be jumping at the chance, especially since my musical tastes are rooted in Contemporary Christian music. But somewhere deep seeded in my coconut is the logic that I want to be a main stream Pop/Rock recording artist because I can be more effective in that arena. My life style and beliefs are pretty mainstream America and very un-rock star like. I have never trashed a hotel room, I have never OD on drugs and I have never gotten out of a limo with a short skirt and no underpants. I just don't roll like that. I was born this way to make a difference in other people's lives. Singing Contemporary Christian Music to Christians is akin to preaching to the choir. So, I want to attack the beast head on. I want to become a beacon in the very dark world of rock and roll. I want to be that the one role model and inspiration to people everywhere who when they hear me say, I was born this way - that it a good thing!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Melancholy

I'm kinda feeling a little melancholy as I sit here writing and addressing my Christmas cards. The fireplace is crackling and filling the room with warmth and the smell of freshly split pine. Jingle Bell Rock and other Christmas tunes fill the house with the proper sounds to keep me in the spirit of the season. My four little doggies are slumbering at my feet with visions of rawhide bones dancing in their little Pekingese noggin. The aroma of freshly baked cookies is coming from the kitchen... well ok, I lied. Not so much on the cookie smell, since I don't bake and there is actually no yummo freshly baked cookie smell in the house. But the rest of the sights and smells have me in this very melancholy mood.

Before I named my post Melancholy, I decided to makes sure I was using the word correctly. It appears I have a large following of school teachers who are keeping me on a very short leash grammatically. I should be offended, but I'm not. I know they just want me to look my best on my blog. Although I must admit that sometimes when I get an email from them correcting me, I do feel like I've been sent to the principal's office - just sayin'.

So I looked it up at dictionary.com and this is their definition of melancholy:

mel·an·chol·y

[mel-uhn-kol-ee] plural -chol·ies, adjective

–noun
1. a gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged;depression.
2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
3.Archaic .
a. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.
b. black bile.
Ewww...OK, not sure what the color of my bile has to do with feeling a little depressed -- but I will just roll with it because, well, because I'm feeling melancholy. See how this melancholy thingy works? Oops... the teachers don't like me using the word thingy -- Sorry. My bad.

So we're down to the last couple of weeks of 2010 and I always hate to see the year end because I know there are always things I wanted to do but just never got around to it.

On the other hand I had some tremendous things present themselves to me this year giving me opportunities that I could have never dreamed of happening. When I was sharing this with my manager Mr. Brick's yesterday he said, "I know what you mean Ava." Mr. Bricks went on to say, "In my wildest dreams I never could have imagined that McDonald's would bring back the McRib. It just made me giddy as a young school girl?"

Ok that is just scary to me that a grown man can get giddy as a school girl over a fake processed pork sandwich. There's something just a tick off with him. Mr. Brick's is not right in the head I tell you.

Although I didn't start writing this little blog until October, I'm still feeling melancholy about it because just like with my song writing, I started writing it as a way of expressing myself -- and now I will soon be writing my 75th blog post.

I can reflect fondly over all of the blog stories about my obsession with sneakers, my Greek heritage, Mr. Brick's obsession with McDonald's, my non stop working out, eating healthy, daily 5 mile runs (weather permitting), my acting auditions, my love of Greek diner food, my Cd's sales, The Tea Party Patriots, Punkin, BoBo, Pookie and Itty Bitty, The Kardashians sisters, the pitfalls of living in New York and all of the day-to-day muckery in my life. I know its all good because it allows everyone to log on and read what-a- reality-show-waiting-to-happen my life really is.

So I'm going to spend a little more time sittting here in my melanchony mood and just smile. I realize I am truly a blessed Greek girl and God is an awesome God!

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Ava Wants Some Auditions

Last Saturday's cartoon was a huge hit, so I made another one. Let's just say I don't think Pixar or Walt Disney has to worry about me, but I do hope you enjoy watching it!
Blessings!

Ava
xox

Ava Wants a Record Deal

Here is a Saturday cartoon for you!

Blessing,


Ava
xox

We Don't Sell It Like That.

Today I went to a local coffee shop and ordered an ice coffee to go. "We don't have that" said Zelda the unimpressed preoccupied cashier doing her best Lindsay Lohan I'm-in-court-and-you're wasting-my-time-impression.  I asked if they had ice? Zelda said "Yah" I asked if they had coffee? Again Zelda replied in the affirmative slang by saying "Yah" So I said, well can't you put some ice in a cup and then put some coffee in it? Zelda said, "We don't sell it like that." But I will pay you for a full cup of coffee I insisted. I could tell I was wasting my time. All I was going to hear from mean girl Zelda was "We don't sell it like that", "We don't sell it like that" and that was going to be her final answer. She had no life...I had no life lines.

Unfortuantely, that is not the first time I have been told "We don't sell it like that" when I was asking for something that was extremely simple to do for anyone with a half of brain and a pulse. Don't think I am making fun of the people who work at the counters of fast food restaurants, I'm not. I'm just sayin' sometimes they need to think outside the box, err, outside the Jack-in-the-box. Besides my very own Mr. Bricks actually worked at a McDonald's way back when. He said it was so long ago their sign only said, "A Couple of Burgers Sold".

It has been discussed here on this blog before that unlike my manager Mr. Bricks who eats at McDonald's on a daily basis, I only frequent it rarely. And then usually only for a treat to myself after I finished working out. But every time I do walk into the Golden Arches I know Billions and Billions of instances for potential muckery is just around the corner. The McDonlad's Corporation did not get to be the biggest and cheapest fast food franchise in the world by hiring MIT graduates to work their counter service for them.

So, just like my experience today with an attempt to order an ice coffee at the coffee shop, I recently tried to order what I thought was a simple caramel sundae at McDonald's. I always order a plain sundae NO TOPPING PLEASE. And then I ask for 2 packets of the caramel dip that they give to kids for their apple dippers.  I always offer to pay what it costs for the packets of caramel dip. To me, the yummy factor of it is worth the few cents they might need to charge me. The cashier came back with a hot fudge sundae. I explained, No, I don't want a hot fudge sundae I asked for plain.

The cashier went back to the soft serve machine grabbed a new cup and returned with a 1/2 filled cup and 2 packets of caramel dip. I explained that just because I was getting a hot fudge sundae without the hot fudge I still should get a full cup of ice cream. That sensible outburst from me prompted a swift McIntervention from a nearby hovering supervisor, "We don't sell it like that." I offered to pay for the packets of caramel dip but was again simply told, "We don't sell it like that."

Maybe I should try Burger King.  Haven't I once heard them advertise that I can have it my way? Somehow I hardly doubt that to be true, unless I was ordering  just a Whopper with Cheese. Maybe I will go there and order a Whopper with cheese, and then say, "but I don't want cheese on it." Do you still think I can have it my way??

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJMsFGH4eoQ]

See Burger King actually did advertise in their jingles,  "Special orders don't upset us...." Now they just advertise that creepy King sneaking into people's bedrooms to promote their new breakfast items.  Wonder why they dropped that line about having it your way from their advertising? Oh wait, I know.... maybe it's because it's easier and way cheaper for the King's princesses and princes at the counter to now just say,  "We don't sell it like that."

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Vistit my website at www.avaaston.com