Why Do Old People Expose Themselves

Note to Naked Old People... guidelines for speedo wearing see above.

So my two sisters come into town to visit me over the weekend. Despite the fact that three Greek Girls under one roof is crazy enough, imagine how it is when one of them decides "Hey, we should go to the beach". HELLO... can we say "Muckery Central?..." Sure it's all fun and games until we get there and see an 85 yr. old man in a speedo (and we're not talking about the Jack Lalane type either, and no it wasn't Mr. Bricks ~ Thank you God). This subconsciously leads us all to begin wondering if we look good in a bikini or not? Now of course you can stop asking because yes we do, but it's just a default chip programmed in every girls brain. Greek girls have two of these chips - one for each side.... one for the Baklava and one for the spinach pie - just sayin.

On with the story.... besides the fact that my one sister's psychotic dog, (yes I did say psychotic people, it was actually eating the wall while we were gone) was at home unattended terrorizing my own four fur-kids. Oh to be a fly on the wall at the doggie party... So there we were, sitting there all comfy, blanket down, snacks and iced happiness ready to go, chairs properly positioned to bake ourselves into a golden spender (yes we were wearing sunscreen - no it wasn't olive oil - or made from olive oil extract) and BAM there it goes again. But this time it wasn't a man it was a woman.... wearing a thong bikini old enough to be my grama and lets just say on the very heavy side, she could have been on the senior version of the Biggest Looser ~ just sayin. So just as we blink... we happen to notice that she has not one but two tattoos larger than my head on each side of her butt. No I'm not kidding people. Then comes the highlight of the day: its' a toss up between the super skinny swimmer guy who decides he's gonna take a shower and expose himself in the public sprayer to remove the sand or.... the woman who dove into the water and had both boobs flop out of her top and proceed to act like nothing was wrong. No guys it was not Gisele Bundchen.

Now I'm not saying I don't love old people nor appreciate them, because I do. I adore my yaya and my grama in heaven, and I even sang for nursing homes after classes when I was in high school :D However... What is it about some older people who do not seem to get it that it is not kosher to wear less than Lady Gaga on the beach. I know they say less is more, and this is most often the case, but not so much when you have not kept away father time by taking excellent care of your miracle body like Jack Lalane. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adored the guy and if you are old and you look like that, be my guest wear what you want.

In the words of one of my other fitness hero's Tony Horton "Aging Schmaging, you can get all old and crotchety, or you can be in shape." I donno about you, but I'm going for the latter. Thus my working out like a machine.

Have a blessed day & don't forget the sunblock!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xox
www.avaaston.com

The Art of Collaboration

My producer Damien & I goofing around while collaborating on a new song.

Aside from my daily dose of caffeine in my hot cup of happiness whether it be Dunkins, Starbucks, Micky-D's or even the homemade Nespresso there are very few things that really make my heart skip a beat and get me moving. Sure life is full of surprises and exciting situations like finding $200 on the floor at the local Dollar Store (true story) or getting surprised when a friend you haven't seen in years shows up at your door.  Yeah, these are some pretty great moments, but they just aren't the same as what I am talking about.

What I am talking about is as an Artist.  See what a lot of people don't realize about being an artist regardless of your craft whether it's dancing, singing, writing, acting or painting - the road to success can be very daunting.  Life as an artist can be very challenging and a struggle.  But hey, this Greek blonde girl loves a good challenge!  Sure what we see on TV is the success and all the glitz and glory but the road to that level of success is one not for the faint of heart and one very few can ever traverse.  So as one of these artists who knows all too well what it means to have to fight for what you believe in, the everyday surprises and excitement sometimes just aren't enough to really make your heart skip that beat.

Here's what I mean: there are those obvious ones like getting to perform in front of an audience or signing a contract.  Having someone recognize you for the first time on the street or ask for your autograph.  But above it all there is one thing I find more rewarding than anything most would think to be that "heart-skipping" moment.

Now I know what you must be thinking, "How is that not the heart-skipping moment? I would give anything to be on a stage in front of people."  And yes I understand that.  Yes, nothing compares to standing on the hardwood floors of Madison Square Garden to sing your nations anthem or to have fans asking for an autograph and picture.  But still there is one thing that really rises above it all; the successful art of collaboration.

Yep, the successful art of collaboration.  I know it may not make sense at first but there is something so much more profound in the experience of being a part of a collaborative effort focused on your career.  It is so essential in order to have a strong network of support around any artist and their craft.  At the heart of that network is where everything happens.  Together we cram our brains, share our hearts and dream the dreams that we only wish we can make a reality.  It's in those moments where strokes of genius make the heart skip a beat.  These are the moments where we as a "team" collectively envision making something out of nothing and rely on one another to build on the dream and build each other up in order to make it happen.

Because of these moments we can sit back and watch our success of a concert tour, a CD release or a new music video come to fruition.  But it's all for not if you don't have the right people and team all excited and working toward the same goal.  It's in those moments where dreams become reality and my heart skips a beat.

Blessings, Love & Music,

Ava xo

www.avaaston.com

Green M&M's

Who doesn't like green M&M's anyway? She's so cute.

So we have all heard about some nightmare "ryders" for the latest rock act or diva to hit the stage.  You know with all their silly demands like, "I must have green m&m's or everything but green m&m's."  Or one of my favorites, "I have to have organic white lotus' in three locations of the room."  Then you have the others that require Pop Tarts and a toaster to be available.  But of all the crazy ones I have heard is something about how the limo driver cannot look at so-and-so in the rearview mirror or even make eye-contact.

My question is, "are you serious?"

Note to rockstars: Hello people, we are all "people" and therefore your need to be difficult is just plain silly.  I'm just sayin'.  Sure it's nice to be on tour and have some perks.  But there is a line between having some nice or special stuff you need to put on a good show... then there is the need to be totally and utterly ridiculous.

The obvious question is that there must be something that must go into the Greek Blonde Girls dressing room and her ryder.  Well yes of course there are, but they won't break the bank, put someone out in the rain or cause some media tabloid conspiracy.  That is of course unless you think my obsession with coffee is a kin to a drug habit, then ok I'll give you that :)

So I decided to list my demands in no particular order of importance (whatever randomly comes into my greek noggin):

1. Vitamin Water Zero / Go-Go and Glow flavors allowed.

2. Ghiradelli caramel squares and/or Peanut M&M's (all colors allowed no discrimination here).

3. An outlet near the mirror so I can blowdry my hair. (nothing worse than seeing me trying to find an outlet before  a show.)

4. A door on the bathroom stall - even if I am the only one who is in the dressing room.

5. A soft bed for my Pekingese to snuggle up on, (must be big enough for at least 2 of them).

6. A mirror, so I can put my makeup on before I hit the stage. (I'm a big girl I can do my own makeup thank you very much, that is unless it's really important).

7. Coffee.  Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds or even 8 O'Clock coffee will do, as long as it's hot and fresh I am good to go. (you can't exactly import diner coffee all the time, just sayin.)

8. Wireless access - self explanatory. (of course I have to write my next day's blog and tweet about all my muckery.)

9. Zone Bars.  They're my favorite snack and are perfectly balanced to keep you in the "zone" for 3 hours.  Perfect before a show.  I eat them all the time and they come in Yummo flavors.

10. A pillow and blanket to rest my head in case Mr. Bricks gets long winded and puts me to sleep about his stories from days of old.

So there you have it.  The Greek Girls top 10 items for the Ryder.  So when I come to your town to do a show you will know just how I roll.

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Blessings,
Ava xo

Collectible Junk

Derek Jeter swings for the fences for 3000th hit.

Do you ever have that itching sensation when you visit some peoples homes?  You know when your skin crawls at the sight of the inch of dust that collects on top of their valuable collection of collectibles?  Or when everywhere you look it's like a museum of creepy porcelain clowns that look like a horror film? Or the 100 framed pictures of Derek Jeter and all of his baseball cards and magazine covers?  Yeah, me too.  There is just something so wrong with the "need" to collect this junk.

Call me the Anti-Horder or whatever you wish but this Greek Girl and her touch of OCD "Offended by Collections Disorder" is about to clean house on some people.  Have you ever seen that commercial where the woman grabs hold of the Swiffer duster thingy and starts cleaning her friends house? Yeah? Well that's me.  I cannot stand it when stuff sits and collects dust on so-called priceless artifacts shrouded in plastic or behind a glass case.  What is the point anyway?  Why have the stuff if you aren't ever going to use it?

Don't get me wrong, I get the point that some people enjoy doing this kind of thing and it's a pastime for a lot of Americans to collect things.  At least if you are going to do it, make sure it's not offensive and blatantly the only thing you decorate with.  I can see it now after Derek Jeter's 3000th hit this weekend, Mr. Bricks will start sleeping with NY Yankee bedsheets.  Oh wait, my mental eyes are burning!!! Ahh what was I thinking?!? That was a terrible image I can never replay in my precious Greek noggin.

Now okay, amazing as it is, I get that if you caught Jeter's 3000th hit you could add it to some collection and let it sit on the wall of your home and show everyone who comes over, or you could have sold it to some other sucker for $250k and then stick your thumb in your buddies eye.  But who in their right mind would pay for that ball? It's just a ball and all it would do is just sit on a wall and collect dust anyway.

I know what you're thinking, "Come on Ava, there must be something you collect?" I admit, I have two collections:

1. My money and it's kept in the bank.  It's not collecting dust, it collects interest.

2. My ticket stubs from the national anthem's I performed for major sports teams.  Those are kept in the back of the closet in a Tupperware container and have no value accept in the memory they serve me.

Call me guilty but at least they aren't plastering the wall or some creepy collection of dust collecting dolls.  Either way, if you are going to have a collection there have to be some simple rules to avoid crossing over into the "Hoarder Zone".

1.  The collection MUST be of sentimental value and not based on monetary value.  It's not like you can retire off that crap anyway?  That is what a 401k is for.  Unless you can afford buying Picaso's and Monet's but seriously if you could, it would be a tax shelter and not so much of a collection to retire from.

2.  If it collects dust it's not valuable enough and must be either sold, donated or tossed out.  No questions asked.

3.  You don't prominently display it or parade it about when your friends come over.  It's like whenever I hang out with Mr. Bricks he insists on showing me his clown collection It's so bad he sometimes walks around his house in his old face paint and clown shoes. Now that is just down right scary!

4.  It must be simple and it must be able to be put away and kept out of site. No dust collectors allowed (see rule #2).

Well, happy day!

Blessings ~
Ava xo

P/S ~ Rule #5 says, if you collect my music you can collect anything you want even if it collects dust.  (wink-wink) http://www.avaaston.com/store.html

We Can Put A Man on the Moon But We Can't...

I was watching the news when I saw the last space-shuttle launch taking off as we put an end to this chapter on space research blah blah blah. Then it got me thinking, you know sure we got some great inventions out of it: Dust Buster, Joy Sticks, Wireless Tools and moonwalking. But what bugs me is that with all this knowledge we can put a man on the moon but we can't cure poison ivy, let alone create a cream like bug spray that will stop you from getting it. Sure they make a sprayable poison for it but it's not like that is safe to spray on your skin. What was God thinking anyway when he made this stupid plant? It's not like it is that attractive and I can't imagine it would taste good, so why does it have to be poisonous to the touch? Sure okay fine, put it in the amazon jungle or something if you want to create such a plant, but in my backyard? Hello?!? Talk about a cruel joke. Here Ava, look at the beautiful outdoors. You know you want to come out and play - oh but wait, you will pay for it with a summer of itching. Seriously.

Here are a few other items that occupy the dark damp crevasses of my Greek noggin of things we can't do but yet we can blast a rocket into orbit and send men to the moon:

Did you notice that although there has been women astronauts, NASA never sent a woman to the moon? That's because if they sent women to the moon we would not be out collecting rocks and silly things that the boy astronauts did, we would have been out looking for a spa or the nearest shopping mall, just sayin'

We can put a man on the moon but you can't find any employees to help you find anything you need at Home Depot when you need them.

We can put a man on the moon but you can't get a McDonald's employee to sell you a carmel sundae, because "we don't sell it like that." (read the blog it's hysterical.)

We can put a man on the moon but a cop can't tell if I am a drug-dealer or not because I have "tinted windows" (also a hysterical blog).

We can put a man on the moon but for some strange reason the Kardashians are of the top grossing on TV... and why is this?

We can put a man on the moon but I am constantly having dropped calls in Manhattan on my iPhone; you know a device with more technology in the palm of your hands than all that went into putting a man on the moon. Hello AT&T, what's up with that? Can you hear me now?

We can put a man on the moon but women's pants sizes still make no sense. What is a double zero size anyway? Is that code for anorexic?

We can put a man on the moon but Mr. Bricks can't get me a record deal. So I have two words for my manager Mr. Bricks and his lazy eye, "Call NASA"!

All I am saying is that if we can put a man on the moon there are lots of pretty amazing things we should be doing here on the Earth. You know, things that pertain to Earthly things. So I figure now that NASA is shutting down, maybe we can focus on what really matters, you know peace, world hunger, eradicating the world of bed-bugs and body hair oh and of course getting Ava the Diva to appear on South Park with Cartman and finding a way to get John Rzeznik to produce my next record. Just sayin'.

Have a blessed day and Viva La NASA,

Ava xo

Here She Comes to Save the Day

It is Saturday Morning Cartoon Time with Ava the Diva and Mr. Bricks. Watch this week as Ava the Diva gets the aide of Cartoon Classic Super-Hero "Wonder Dog" as they set out to save the day when Mr. Bricks get's thrown in Jail. Tune in every Saturday to catch the crazy Antics.

Blessings & Music,
Ava xo

What If

Einstein is seen here asking, "What if I lick that frozen metal pole?"

"What if...?" A question pondered by all the great Greek philosophers and smart people throughout time, (mostly though they were Greeks who taught others to ask this question.)  Regardless, it's quite the deep thought if you ask me.  The possibilities are endless.  Two words can help cure cancer, inspire greatness, lead to ending hunger or in Mr. Brick's case help decide on if he will wear his circa 1986 high-wasted flare legged white jeans or not.  "What if I wear my white jeans today?" Okay, wait! I gotta stop right there, I just had a mental image that was just really bad for this Greek Girl's noggin. White jeans on Mr. Bricks is like the Pope wearing a speedo or Lady Gaga wearing a turtleneck.  Either way, it's just plain wrong.

Anyway, back to the question at hand.  "What if..?"

It really makes me wonder, "What if Mr. Bricks can actually mentally go deeper than anything other than fastfood?" Here is my impersonation of 5 minutes in the mind of Mr. Bricks as he makes his lunch selection:

"What if McDonald's ever stopped making the McRib?" Would I find a way to survive? "What if McDonald's would make a Green Diet Coke Milkshake?" Maybe I should patent that and sell it to them in exchange for a lifetime of fries.  What if McDonald's joined forces with Slim Jim and made Slim Jim French Fries?" That would be great, then I could have a lifetime of Slim Jim fries of course after I patent that and sell it for a lifetime of McRibs of course.  "What if McDonald's changed the #1 meal deal to be a Double McRib with Slim-Jim fries and a Green Diet Coke Milkshake?"  Then his brain would instantly freeze and he'd become like one of those wax figures in Maddam Tusseau's wax museum. (Side note: no matter how famous I ever get I never want to be embodied in a wax sculpture.  That is by far one of the most creepy things ever invented.)

Okay, like I was saying.  Every great philosopher has always asked "What if?" It is kind of how we get everything around us to be made or invented.  Questions like:

"What if the world were round?" - Columbus 1492

"What if we could travel through time?" - Einstein 1930's (still working on this one)

"What if I could walk on the moon?" - Neil Armstrong 1960

"What if we protest the tax on tea?" - American Patriots 1776

"What makes this apple fall to the ground instead of float away?" - Newton 1500's

"What if we gave peace a chance?" - John Lennon  1969

"What if we could make tasty delivery pizza?" - Papa John 1984

"What if we sell coffee in Styrofoam cups?" - Mr. Donut 1956

Sometimes I ask, "What if Mr. Bricks DID get me a record deal?" Then I would be able to buy all those glorious new sneakers I got my eye on.  Or "What if John Rzeznik from the Goo-Goo Dolls were to produce my next album?" Then I would most definitely have my first, second and third Grammy in no time.  This leads me to ask "What if I do become really famous, will they make one of those creepy wax sculptures of me anyway?" My goodness I hope not.

Have a blessed day,

Ava

xox

PS ~ What if you passed on this blog on to 5 of your best friends?

#hashtag #poundsign #numbersign

Are you confused yet?

So Mr. Bricks has given me a homework assignment.  I know I'm with you, I'm thinking "inside Ava Voice": "seriously Mr. Bricks what exactly is it you are going to tell me about technology Mr. My Cell Phone is From 1997" (I'm so not kidding about this)?....  So stand there with my big fat greek mouth shut (for once) I did while Mr. Bricks proceeds to tell me that my "twitter" needs some "serious work".

We all know how I like to make jokes about how old school Mr. Bricks is, but what you may not know is he is really hardcore old school.  He has charts and graphs and spreadsheets all documenting my "social media presence" as he likes to call it.  Which makes me laugh so hard my face hurts because Mr. Bricks is so old school that he used to carry his books to school with a leather strap that he slung over his shoulder walking five miles uphill in a snowstorm, did I fail to mention he wrote in school with a quill....  ;D So then Mr. technology proceeds to inform me that my numbers in all other areas such as myspace, facebook, reverbnation, my blog, etc. are all doing very well and going strong.  My twitter though.... not so much. He tells me that I really have to start paying a lot more attention to my twitter.  So being the good Greek Blonde Girl that I am, I jumped in full steam ahead.  However something happened and now my noggin wires are all crossed.

OK so I have been going along doing as I was instructed and have now spent a few months "paying attention" to my twitter...  So I start to see all the trending topics... yeah I get that, I start to get the hang of how to write down the random thoughts that roll out of my noggin, abbreviated and in very short form,  yeah I'm thinking I'm moving right along, then Bam.  This whole hash tag thing jumps out of left field.  Seriously now I'm confused.

So ~ the "#" is a "hashtag" and a "pound sign" and a "number sign" ?.....

What the heck?  Are we still talking in english here, why are we making up more stuff for letters and symbols we have always known as one thing?  Is it just me or do we possibly have enough things to do other than reinvent the wheel here on twitter? So I decided to put on my sherlock holmes cap and do some digging.  I wanted to get to the bottom of what in the world Old-Man Bricks was telling me.  Turns out I found something:

Hashtag: no it's not some sort of pricetag or information tag that is slapped on the side of a can of hash or hashish for those German readers of mine.  A Hashtag is a computer internet word designed to tell a computer to do something in relation to the word(s) it is connected or "Tagged" to.  In simple terms it's like a digital bookmark.

Poundsign: This one is a bit tricky and I am not so sure it still makes sense in my greek noggin.  When you google the word "poundsign" you get one of these:

The Pound Sign? Now I am more confused...

So now I am even more confused.  So I went to Wikipedia to learn more... Which then led me to the "Number Sign".  Confused yet?  Me too.  Even Wiki has to correct us.

Either way, I don't get it.  All I know is that I have to find a way to keep #oldmanBricks off my back.  So please go to my #TwitterPage and #FollowMe. (I hope this works) If not I guess I am going to wind up back in Mr. Brick's Detention.

Love and Blessings,
Ava :D xox

Why It Is Important to Always Have Internet Access

Florida's Friendliest Non-Internet Hometown...

Well.... this is an obvious for so many reasons. No matter how much we may say we want to or would like to be able to unplug, lets face it, you really can not even really enjoy free time without having internet access. For me anyway, it is just that simple. We have become so connected to our technology.  That is unless you are Mr. Bricks and still using the AOL dial up internet from the free CD they sent in the mail, just sayin.

For the rest of us however, not so much. It's a quaint little almost romantic thought to think things like:  hmmm I would love to spend the weekend reading a good book (I mean for crying out loud even books are electronic now), doing yard work (not so much for me on that one since I have to steer clear of the poison ivy/oak/sumack growing amuck in my yard - or go outside in a biohazard suit), not look at the multimedia cell phone, stay off of twitter, etc....  That is until you actually try it.  

Check movie times.... Nope
Create playlist for road trip... Nope
Update facebook status... Nope
Read your favorite blog by Ava Aston... Nope
Get directions to the beach... Nope
Find out how to soothe a sunburn... Nope
Find a good restaurant... Nope
Find out what happened on your favorite reality show that you missed... Nope
Write a letter, oops I mean who does that anyway I mean send an email... Nope
Find out the weather of where you're going before you go... Nope
Mobile banking... Nope
Get info about what the current Kohl's promotion is... Nope
Share vacation photos with friends/family instantly... Nope
Take a pic of your dinner, so you can email it to Mr. Bricks and gross him out because it is so healthy... Nope  

I mean think about it... just four short years ago being able to suf the web "on the go" meant using a blackberry which was not very fast with inet lets face it, or carrying your laptop with wifi around in your car and seeing how close you could get to a building to be able to log into an unsecured signal.... Me do that? I would never....But to make sure I was still winning my latest Ebay auction treasure, you bet I did.  

So even if you decide you want to give it up for a little bit, it really is not that realistic.  I mean unless you're retired and living in a retirement community like "The Villages" in sunny south Florida.  Why on earth would you need internet access living there where the number one used mobile device is a golf cart?  I mean this place even has their own Ruby Tuesday Restaurant, grocery store, entertainment, golf course, post office, church, movie theatre, heck they even have a college for lifetime learning.... So I guess in this case, if you are retired and living some place like The Villages, you may not "need" internet.  For the rest of us living in the 21st century it's just become a necessary part of life.   

 Have a blessed day & surf's up (internet surfing that is) ;D
Ava  xox

   

People Who Live in Glass Houses

It's OK to be Different ;D

We've all heard the saying more times probably than we care to remember.  If you stop to think about it, are most of the people who are throwing the saying around - really doing so?  Not throwing stones, that is.

I mean everyone wants or likes to "think" that they are open minded, and not really judging people.  But if you stop to really ask yourself, are you really accepting of others for who and what they are and or believe or does it only apply to people who share the same ideology, religion or political persuasion as you do?  Oh boy Mr. Bricks is probably going to choke on his MCrib sandwich today when he reads my blog because I just broke the cardinal rule of a Rock Star.  I just used the words politics and religion in the same sentence...  Yikes ~ I may just end up in Bricks Jail after this blog.

Seriously though.... with so much media inundating us from every direction, there's facebook, twitter, and about a zillion news channels to watch as well as internet websites.  I can see where it could be easy to let your mind be swayed to a "popular" opinion on anything, without even realizing it is happening to you.  Take for example any murder trial such as the Casey Anthony Trial that has received a lot of media coverage.  No one knows what happened in any situation unless you were actually there.  Unless you are serving as a judge, juror or personally involved in a situation it's silly to make assumptions about a persons innocence or guilt.  Yet I would guess it'd be a safe bet to say we have all at one time or another been guilty of it.

There are some people who are so wrapped up into politics that they actually will not watch particular TV Networks just because that network may have a different view or ideology about things.  I just can not roll that way no matter how passionate about any particular subject I may be.  Because at the end of the day, life is just way too short to be so tightly wound up that you have to boycott networks, people or shows.  It would probably get pretty boring and or lonely.

Being in entertainment I have a lot of friends and associates with totally different views and thoughts about certain things ~ and you know what, that is OK with me. Not everyone has to agree on everything, and people can still be good people and have a lot of things in common even if they disagree about the two cardinal swear words... Religion & Politics.  I'm not saying to never speak your mind or get involved in the things and or causes that matter to you as an individual.  What I am saying, is everyone has the right to think what he or she thinks at the end of the day. ;D  "C'est la vie" the French phrase, "Such is life".

Have a beautiful blessed day ~

Ava :D xox

If You Can't Stand the Heat Get Out of the Kitchen...

To write or not to write.... that is the question.

(Image still from "I Adore You" music video, click to watch)

Today I started to write a new song.  But then I realized with all of the muckery that has been surrounding my noggin lately, I had no business trying to write a new song today. That is unless it was going to be a theme song for a new "the Munsters". (here's a little trivia from Mr. Bricks...  The Munster's address was 1313 Mockingbird Lane.  Seriously ~ why does he know about this kind of useless stuff, but doesn't know how to get me a record deal yet).

When I was a little Greek girl, my yaya would be slaving away in the kitchen making a batch of baklava & my aunt Kellopie would come into the kitchen and start wanting to talk about some "really important" family drama.  My yaya would say to her "Kellieopie, I'm busy working here ~ if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen".

That's how I felt today... it was almost like my paper was staring back at me saying "Ava, what are you doing, you can't stand the heat today - so get out of the songwriting kitchen".  So I put down my pen & notebook and put on my sneakers.  The best way for me to get rid of the "blahh's" is to workout.

As a songwriter you always want to write the best song you possibly can, but there are certain days where sometimes you just have no business doing so because your heart is just not in it. Your noggin needs to be able to say to you "Step away from the paper". Songwriting really has to come from the heart, and everyone has days where their heart is just not into it. Unfortunately if you listen to the radio at certain times, you might just realize that not everyone got that memo. ;D just sayin.

The great news is if you don't feel like writing a song today, you could always lace up your sneakers and go for a nice long run instead.  The even better news is that there is always tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.... The Sun will come out tomorrow.... Hey I think I might just feel a song coming on here.  

Hope you have a beautiful "blah~less" day!

Blessings ~

Ava :D xox

Facedown vs Planking

Me planking (or so I thought) as a joke to Mr. Bricks ;D

So what is up with the "Planking" rage all of the sudden? What I can not seem to wrap my noggin around is why on earth people are all of the sudden so excited to lay down - on things?  I was working out one afternoon and I get a text from Mr. Bricks....   "Ava, have you heard about planking?"  I'm thinking... hmmm planking, what the heck is he talking about now...   Mr. Bricks have you been drinking?  I text him back "I'm working out, I'll be done in another hour or so, ttyl" He proceeds to continue to text me like something ~ really important is going on...

So I decided the following weekend to take a photo as a joke of me "Planking" (or so I thought I was planking) in front of my dream car the Bubble Bee Camaro.  So come to find out, I was actually not planking at all, I was "Facedown".  How did I learn this you may be asking yourself?  Well wouldn't you know it, old man Bricks has found the clarification to inform me that I was not planking and I was in fact facedown.  He even sent me the link to the video to prove it....

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/06/15/dnt.facedown.craze.king?eref=igoogledmn_mpvideo

So here I am about a month or so later sitting here asking myself, why on earth does my manager Mr. Bricks know so much about "planking" & "facedown", yet I still do not have a record deal? So now I know what he spends his time doing, that is besides eating McRib sandwiches all dang day long...  He spends his time reading up on things like planking when he is supposed to be getting me a record deal (just sayin). I think I am going to tell Mr. Bricks that I think planking is really cool and that I would love to get a picture of him planking in between my two tour buses when they are parked side by side loading up for my US Tour.  Yeah, that's a good idea. ;D

All joking aside here because we all know I'm all about laughing and having a fun time, but really I do not condone ~ anything ~ that can possibly cause harm to yourself or others.  Life is precious, I do not feel it wise to risk life and limb just to get a "funny" or outrageous photo.  I heard on the news a few weeks ago that someone was even killed falling off of a balcony trying to get a photo of themselves "planking".  So of course have fun, take risks, live your life to the fullest - but do not do anything just for the "shock" value of it.  In this humble Greek Girl's opinion, it is simply not worth it.  (in full disclosure, my "planking/facedown" photo was taken in a parking lot away from any space any car could drive on) :D Be smart blog friends!

Have a beautiful blessed day!

Ava :D xox

Art Imitating Life

As you know I launched my newest music video "Gone" on Thursday 4/28. In what can only be described as shameless self promotion of that, I welcome you to the latest edition of Ava the Diva.

Have a great day!


Blessings,

Ava
xox

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

Upstairs, Downstairs

Barking up the wrong staircase

Upstairs, Downstairs, don't you think that sounds more like a line from Rebecca Black's song "Friday" - Upstairs, Downstairs what stairs should I choose?

Upstairs, Downstairs is also the name of a popular BBC television series about the expolits of two different families,  the lives of the wealthy Bellamy family ("upstairs"), who reside at 165 Eaton Place in London's fashionable Belgravia, and their servants ("downstairs"). Those crazy Brits, what a bunch of nuts! American audiences spent four seasons falling in love with “Upstairs, Downstairs” families as part of the long-running Masterpiece Theater on PBS, where it won seven Emmy Awards. It was kinda before my day, but I have watched a few repeat epsiodes from time to time, so I do have a little knowledge of it. I just have trouble understanding what they are saying - I have the same issue when I watch Piers Morgan on his new CNN talk show so I turn on my closed captioning just to be able to read the subtitles in order to be able to understand what he is saying. I think my manager Mr. Bricks is missing a chromosome because he understands everything Piers says and even thinks that  Piers' dry type of humor is very funny.

My Favorite Soap Opera. I'd love to be on the show!

Back to, "Upstairs, Downstairs" - it was like a soap opera about the uppercrust Bellamy family. In my opinion, it was no "Days of Our Lives" where the Horton, Brady and DiMera families have been creating muckery in Salem for the past 45 years. For some reason the Brits love to have a superior family structure, it is never more evident than with their royal family dramas and how much attention is given to every move any member of the Royal Family makes or does not make.

Mr. Bricks home computer

So I ask you, are the wires in my Greek noggin all mucked up or is it just me who is the only one on the planet who could really care less about the upcoming royal wedding with Prince William and Kate Middleton?  My manager Mr. Bricks will kill me for saying all of this because it seems like I am ranting on the British, I am not - it just seems that way today.  I love England, I love Shakespeare, I love Fish and Chips and when in London I love riding the London Eye. Mr. Bricks says I should always be Switzerland so I do not alienate any fans. I am sure Mr. Bricks will be hunched over his vintage IBM 5150 PC today searching my blog stats to see if anyone from England has cancelled their subscription or unfollowed my blog after all of these anti-UK declarations today:

1. I can not understand a thing Piers Morgan says
2. I am not a huge fan of British Humor
3. I think Days of Our Lives is way better than Upstairs, Downstairs
4. I could careless about the upcoming Royal Wedding

In the world of common sense, you can say Mr. Bricks lives Upstairs, I live Downstairs.

Tally Ho,

Ava

xox