Fireworks

Amazing :D

NOTE: IN THE SPIRIT OF THE 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY AND TO KEEP MY NOGGIN SAFE AND SANE, I WILL NOT BE POSTING A NEW BLOG UNTIL TUESDAY JULY 6TH! 


So.... What are you going to do for 4th of July?  That seems to be the big question on everyone's mind the last week or so.  No need to ask what old man Brick's will be doing, I'm sure he will do like he always does, wear his circa 1986 white jeans and make a trip to Mc Donald's.  But wait a minute, he does that every day, so what makes that special for the 4th of July?... hmmmm

What is the Greek Blonde Girl gonna do for the 4th of July?  I have a nice muckery free weekend planned.  I am going to do what any red blooded american girl would do ~ and go shopping of course!  The 4th of July is a great time to putz around my favorite outlet mall and find treasures.  I also like to hit a good TJ Max (since I am a Maxinista afterall), Marshall's, and more than likely will make a trip to Kohls.

Unless I am out of town doing a show or an acting job, when I am at home in the Hudson Valley (just outside NYC)  I pretty much have a few things I regularly do when the 4th of July rolls around.  Since it is America's birthday the only proper thing to do is have a slice of Apple pie, don't mind if I do. ;D One of the weekend days I like to spend doing yard work.  Yes I have to do my own yard work, and yes I know if Mr. Bricks would hurry up and get me a record deal I would have someone to do the yard work for me. Until then, it's greek gardening 101 at the Aston House.  Since I'm severley allergic to poison ivy/oak/sumack that grows amuck in my yard, I always have to be uber careful to wear gloves, and try my darndest not to touch anything the gloves touched (always easier said than done).  Even though I rarely make it through a summer without an episode of it, I just can not resist the urge to get out and make the flower beds looks pretty.

After yard work is done, I usually find time to get in a good run, a few hours laying in the sun, and having a cookout with family & friends.  The following day I like to spend shopping. Who doesn't love a good sale & hitting Woodbury Commons just makes me giddy.  There are tons of of my favorite stores there: Coach, Nike, Michael Kors, Burberry, Kenneth Cole, and it's outside so it is a great way to spend the day.  Walking, shopping, enjoying the fresh air, and they have an ice cream & hot dog stand.... hello!!! Yes we all know I'm a health nut and normally eat super healthy, but hey it's 4th of July, I work out like a maniac and a kiddie size ice cream and one hot dog with mustard & sauerkraut never killed anyone.  Everything in moderation, right. Well, that is everything except shopping.  Kidding. ;D

Depending on when I get shopped out, hitting a good movie always makes me smile.  I'm really looking forward to seeing The New Transformers movie, Dark of the Moon !! Everyone knows how much I love the Bumble Bee Camaro... and the characters Bumble Bee & Optimus Prime are two of my favorites!!! Can't wait to see what happens in this installment!

Last but not least.... No matter where I happen to be on the 4th of July, I HAVE to see fireworks.  It's not negotiable... it's just not.  4th of July = fireworks, it is that simple! I love America & there is nothing more American than seeing a gorgeous display of fireworks on the 4th of July... and there is no place I love watching it more than the annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular!  I like to find a remote secluded spot to watch on my car from the Jersey side of the Hudson. Who wants to be stuck in traffic after they're done right?....  I can't think of a better way to round out the holiday weekend than to lay on top of my car enjoying the view and reflecting on all the fun of the weekend.

So what's on your agenda?  Whatever it is, I hope you have a safe, fun & wonderful Holiday!

Love & Music ~
Ava :D xox

Anticipating Black Friday

Seriously, just thinking about Black Friday makes me almost pee my pants. I know that is not very mature of me, but there is something about getting up at the butt crack of dawn, standing in line, enduring sub-zero temperatures just to go shopping that makes me lose control of all of my body functions.

Maybe it is more than just getting great discounts on what I am buying or hearing about hourly "door busters" over a crackly store PA system. Maybe it is actually a genetic defect.

There could be something in my DNA makeup that makes it ok in my Greek pea-sized brain to want to do what I do on Black Friday. I am just glad I am not alone.  Especially on Black Friday I wear my shopping addiction proudly with many other like-minded people!

To me this is no crazier than a grown man wanting to paint their face in the colors of their favorite football team to watch the Superbowl. Can I have an Amen Sister Ava, on that one fellow shoppers? And certainly not as crazy as my manager Mr. Bricks standing in line all night to be the first person to be able to buy a McRib when McDonald's puts them back on the menu.

I do think that Black Friday is like the Superbowl to us shoppers. And like the game of football, this is very much a team sport. Before the big game we all can be found tailgating the night before in the parking lot of our favorite store. Even before that we have to get the Thanksgiving day newspaper which has all of the store ads. This helps us develop the best game plan for the big day. Then there is A flurry of phone calls back and forth between friends to determine whose going to cover what store and when.

You can spot a professional Black Friday shopper from an amateur a mile away.

An amateur is standing in line all giddy still looking at the store ads and talking about what they want to get. That's like a bad poker player going all in on the ante when dealt  a set of aces. I am a professional. I prefer not to show my poker hand. Afterall, we all know there are only so many Keurig B155 Brewing Systems that are being sold at 70% off. The last thing you want to do is to tip-off the Mormon family of 5 sister wives and 17 children in front of you that you want one of the huge discounted coffee makers. Then they could run to the coffee maker aisle and grab all of the brewing systems. People have been trampled to death for things far less than a coffee pot! Oh, wait that was a bad example, Mormon's don't drink coffee do they? Well hopefully you get my point.

Like me, any professional Black Friday shopper worth their weight in salt will have done their due diligence and only show up at the tailgate party wearing their poker face. They will have committed the entire sale's brochure to memory. This tactic also tends to psyche out the amateurs.

Wearing the right clothes is also a very important part of the Black Friday shopping experience. It should be common sense that standing in line is going to be colder than running your butt off trying to find crap that you really don't need. After a few minutes inside it'll feel like the sauna at the Grand Wailea Spa on the island of Maui. Layered clothing is a must.

So you need to start off dressed warm and have layers of clothes that you can peel off and just leave behind. Gather a few old sweatshirts, maybe a hat and an old pair of gloves that you were going to be donating to the Goodwill anyway. They can keep you warm as you are tailgating. Then right before the doors of the store open you can take them off and be lighter and more mobile to navigate the narrow crowded store aisles. Since these are old clothes, you can just drop them right there. There is no need to run back to the car and risk losing your place in line. Besides, this is much better than running around the store looking like Sasquatch in one of those puffy full length coats.

There are other Black Friday survival tricks up this Greek blonde girl's sleeve, like making sure I go to the ATM earlier in the week and shopping just with cash instead of using a debit or credit card.

Each year there is a huge delay in processing debit and credit cards because the demand is so high throughout the day. Nothing would be worse than having a 60% off Blu-Ray disc player and then not being able to buy it because your card's bank lines are down. Besides, the quicker you can check out the quicker you can get to the next store. Cash rules on Black Friday - just sayin'

As a professional, there are other things I could share, but I don't want to tip my hand completely. Afterall, you might be in line in front of me. Right?

Blessings,

Ava

xox

Please visit my website at www.avaaston.com

Ava, You are getting Sleepy!

I am convinced today that the airports are not the only places were body scanners are being used. I believe they are also hidden in the walls of the shopping malls. Without the use of the x-ray technology from a body scanner and other shenanigans how then could the department store know exactly how much money I had in my purse? I also had tucked an extra $20 bill in the back pocket of my jeans, just in case. Some how they knew I had that as well.

I set out on a simple shopping mission yesterday. I was trying to find a long sleeve printed t-shirt that I could wear along with jeans and a vest to an upcoming audition. I was told by my manager Mr. Bricks not to wear anything "too dressy" to the audition  It appears that Mr. Bricks has now become the fashion police and is telling me what not to wear! I just need to say having Mr. Bricks tell me what not to wear is kinda like the kettle calling the pot black. He needs to look in the mirror at his 1978  circa disco wardrobe before he opens his pie hole about what looks good on me -- just sayin'

So, I was figuring maybe I could find a cute shirt on a clearance rack -- because that's how this Greek girl rolls -- thinking I'd spend only $12...$15 or maybe $20 tops.  Then I'd be back to the car and on my way to Starbucks for a treat. Simple as 1-2-3.

That is NOT what happened. Because of my petite size, I usually like to shop in the kid's department and sometimes I can find some really cool things. However, somewhere between girls accessories and girls shoes, en route to the Young Misses department I was hypnotised. Yep hypnotised!

Ava you are getting sleepy... You are getting very sleepy Ava...very, very sleepy

Seriously, all of a sudden I was looking for crap I originally had no intentions of buying until my Greek little mind was taken over. Oh, the stores say they don't do that subliminal stuff, but you can't fool the Blonde one, I know they do.  I really don't remember everything that happened after that. However, this is what I vaguely recall the Retail Store Hypnotist (RSH) saying to me:

RSH: "Oh, look at those cute little black boots Ava! They would go great with that silver belt on aisle 12 and along with that blue scarf right over there....no Ava, look to your right...yes, over there... yah..that's it...you like it, don't you Ava?

Me: OMG -- I love this blue scarf!

RSH:  "I knew you would Ava....don't forget that silver belt on aisle 12."

Me:  Dang..look at those wicked boots. I must have them. I wonder if they have my size.

RSH: Of course we do Ava...don't forget that belt!!

ME: Gosh, Now I also really need something like a silver belt to go with these boots and this new blue scarf.

RSH: "Yes, that's what I said...check out Aisle 12"

ME: Let me go look in Aisle 13 it's the belt department.

RSH: "No Ava, No. It's aisle 12. NOT 13."

ME: Oh, look at that! Hmm. I must be psychic or something. Right here in Aisle 13 is a perfect silver belt, just like I was thinking!.

RSH: Oops, my bad. Aisle 13 it was. What do you want from me? I'm a hypnotist not a psychic.

ME: Oh, wow....it's $13 and the scarf is $17  and the boots were $110, I only have $150. I hope I can find a t-shirt on clearance for $10.

RSH: Don't forget the $20 in your back pocket Ava.

ME: Hey wait, No worries, I also put that $20 in my back pocket, just in case. It's my lucky day!

RSH: You can say that again.

ME: Hey wait, No worries, I also put that $20 in my back pocket, just in case. It's my lucky day!

RSH: No, I didn't mean to repeat it Ava... I was just saying...oh never mind!

ME: What? I don't understand.

A CONCERNED SALES CLERK WALKS UP

SC: Can I help you Miss?

ME: No, I'm just having a Blonde moment, I think.

SC: Ok. And let me also remind you, everything is 20% off today for the Veterans Day sale!

Me: Really?  Do you take American Express?

SC: Yes we do!!

And then I woke up. But it was too late I had already picked out a shopping cart full of new clothes. And now I feel so refreshed and happy.

Blessings,


Ava

xox

Visit me at www.avaaston.com