Pull the Plug

The Christmas season is in full bloom. Seems like everywhere you go there are signs of the season. Lights, decorations, "holiday" themed beverages at your favorite coffee joint. Yes I had to use "coffee" as an example. Why because I love it, and in case you're wondering my favorite is Dunkins. No matter where you go from the big box retailer down to the local diner it appears everyone is all dressed up ready to make merry.

This is a good thing right? I beg to differ. I was out and about the other day and it hit me, not that it hasn't before, but this time it really stuck out like a sore thumb. Ironic I would use that analogy given what I'm about to type... but all I could see were not the pretty lights, decorations, or signs of the season. All I could see were a bunch of people with their faces glued to a glowing machine and it bothered me. It really bothered me.

The holidays are a time for celebration. Connecting with loved ones, taking time to reflect on the year past and look forward to the year ahead. I know that this time of year can mean different things to different people. Some people deal with incredible sadness or depression this time of year as well, which is terrible. I wonder though, can we as a society for the love of all that is good and right in the world just put down the flipping phones?

One could think it hypocritical of a Greek Girl who uses technology to connect her music with the world to be complaining about people having their faces stuck in their phones, but hear me out. See that's just it. I "use" technology for a purpose, to accomplish a task. To connect, and that's it. For some it has become a very unhealthy addiction and if you ask me it is tearing apart the fabric of our society.

I've written about this before, but the truth is social media is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing to be able to connect with people whom you never could before. So for a business, or independent recording artist such as myself it is an incredible tool. For people in their personal lives though it can be very destructive. We've all seen it, a family out to eat all sitting around with their faces glued to the phones, including the parents. Some you can even see scrolling their Facebook feeds.

Many people today are not happy. In my humble Greek opinion they are not happy with their own lives because they are so busy scrolling to see what others are doing and how great everyone else's life is, that they are missing out the life that is right there in front of them... sad.

Everyone wants to be famous. Again, something I have blogged about on many an occasion. It's not enough for a kid to just play the piano and be good at it; we have to broadcast it all over social media. Moms blasting pics of their kids dancing, singing, baking, you name it. Video after video, and the younger the better. Um hello parents... hate to be the one to break the bad news but there is a creepy word lurking and trolling the internet and I'm just saying something to keep in mind before you post, pedophile.

Why can't it be enough to just live our moments and see where life takes us. Life is a journey... well these days it seems less and less of a journey and more like a race that some people are running fifty miles and hour trying to catch up to the person on instagram who has the most perfect talent, or thing, or life, or beat out the next internet celebrity who pops up.

I'm not saying not to share your moments and be proud of your kids, that is not at all what I am saying. I'm saying everything in moderation. It's like with the commercialism of retail. Stores are promoting the next holiday before the current one in many instances is even over yet. Why? Because of social media. People are far too busy these days. Kids, and even adults have to be involved in multiple activities after school and work. People are so busy running here and there that there is hardly any time left to just "be". To just enjoy life and enjoy some quiet time. Quiet time what's that?  You mean we don't have ten places to run today after work or school? My goodness what on earth will we do with ourselves? See what I mean.

Much of this stems from social media. There has been study after study about the dangerous effects of social media on people’s emotional well-being. At the end of the day there is a very wise saying... "Comparison is the joy thief" and it is. 

So this Christmas my wish is that people will pull the plug. Realize like the wise old Grinch did: “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

I wish for people to take time out from social media to live life and enjoy the life that they have whatever that may be. No not everyone has a perfect life, and that's OK because there is always time to change it. Perfection is an illusion. There are no perfect people, and there are no perfect lives. Christmas does't come from a store, and life is not lived in a little glowing box.

Take some time to reflect on the year that was 2016 and look forward to 2017 with joy and anticipation that it is going to be the best year yet.

Blessings, Love & Music.
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Stand Up

Three words... Happy Greek Girl.

It's no secret that Greek Girl rolls to the right. So I'm sure you can imagine when I learned I was invited to an event where Senator Ted Cruz would be speaking I was excited to say the least. In fact I was so excited I almost spilled my hot cup of Dunkin's all over my lap as I was reading the email announcing the event. No it wasn't a "thrill up my leg" but I'll leave that to Chris Matthews for when he's watching Obama.

Thanks to some good friends who arrived a smidge early we were able to get a table in the front and what an evening. First I have to say how down to earth he was. No entourage, no handlers, just him and a small staff. I'm not sure many people know this but he is actually very funny. Not only was he giving a rousing passionate talk about the madness that has taken over our great nation, but the entire time he was doing it with a smile and making everyone laugh. If ever there were a person who embodies the phrase "The Happy Warrior" it is Senator Ted Cruz.

Not only was he gracious enough to be there, and to stay for a log time, but he also took question after question after question. As I sat there listening I have to say something was happening. No it wasn't a thrill up my leg, but I began to see something very special. I'm not sure if other people watching him on TV can see it. I've caught glimpses of it before watching on TV myself, but as I sat there it began to grow in my noggin from a whisper to a scream... this guy is so much like Reagan.

Right there in midst of all the chaos, confusion and madness that has taken over Washington there is someone there who is speaking the truth, understands and respects the constitution and founding documents, but also most importantly has the backbone to stand up for his convictions. As the world saw when he did the filibuster against Obamacare regardless if the left wing media demonized and labeled him a loon for doing so. Why?... because he gets it. He gets a fundamentally simple thing that almost all of Washington has either forgotten or has been ignoring for years. The United States is a Constitutional Republic, the Congress and Senate are elected officials who are elected to do what? To vote the "will of their constituents". Too many elected officials get elected and then it's almost as if they get sucked into some sort of vortex where they do not vote the will of the people who elected them, but rather vote down party lines or whomever is lining their pockets.

So as I sat there listening, I began to have hope again. There has been so much fighting and tearing down in politics for the last several years, I like many have wondered will America survive? In that event listening to him speak I saw hope that not all politicians are bad and not everyone is a slick talker just trying to win votes. There right in front of me was a man who spoke so honestly and passionately about common sense solutions and ideals. I began to see that there is really something very special about Ted Cruz, and if the people in this nation get a glimpse of what we all saw at that event last night, there may very well be another revolution coming. No it won't be a Reagan Revolution like we had in the 1980's, I think it will be bigger, much bigger.

Back then we didn't have the internet, (Thank you Al Gore) bloggers, alternative news, and there were only three news channels. Now we have cable news and a plethra of technology to get information out in the blink of an eye. When the people in this country see what we all saw it may not be a revolution that is coming, it may look more like a Tidal Wave.

By the way my husband ran out to put his suit jacket in the car that was parked on the street out front later in the evening. The Senator had just left with his staff, and they were standing in front of the venue on the street just waiting. My husband said "hi" and asked them if they needed a ride jokingly. They said "no were all set." Were they waiting for a town car, limo, a driver?... Nope they were waiting on a cab. Senator Ted Cruz with his staff of three hailed a cab and were all going together in a cab to their hotel. So when he talks about living within your means, and common sense principals know that he doesn't just talk the talk, he has the courage to stand up and walk the walk.

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

Kohl's Cash

Addicting...

WARNING: You are now entering what I like to call the "Kohl's Cash Crack Time Warp" zone.  What in the heck in the world are you talking about Greek Girl?  Well if you were using your noggin and shopped at Kohl's like I do you would know exactly what I am talking about!

Once upon a time way way back in the early 2000's my mom told me about a store she had discovered.  Being the good Greek Girl that I am, I decided heed her advice and check it out.  I did, it was nice enough and they had a great Jr.'s department with one of my favorite lines of jeans "Levi's" also a decent selection of sneakers.  So over the years I have been shopping there as needed to get whatever I needed at the time at a good value, no big deal yet.

Fast forward to 2010.  Now I'm not sure how long they had been doing this before I found out about it, but let me tell you once I did I felt like I had hit the Jackpot Lotto for thrifty Greek Girls!  So they have this thing they do all the time where for every $50.00 you spend, they will give you either $10.00 or even sometimes $15.00 in "Kohl's Cash".  It's great because if you're going to get something you needed anyhow, it allows you to get a lot more bang for your buck!  Especially good for Holidays, Birthday's etc.

Most of the time they also have some sort of percent off going on as well.  Either a scratch to get 10, 20, and even up to 30% Off or they send you a percent off on the front of their flyer in the mail!  Often it's running while you are buying up goodies to get your Kohl's Cash.  However what I find is really awesome, at times so good you almost feel like you're robbing the joint is when you are redeeming some Kohl's Cash and you have a 30% off coupon... you can get things for ridiculous cheap!

OK this is all good and well Greek Girl but what exactly is a "Kohl's Cash Crack Time Warp"?  Well... that is what happens when you have Kohl's Cash to spend or if you are buying things when they happen to be giving Kohl's Cash away.  At all times in your mind while you're shopping you are busy not only picking out the stuff you want, but adding and doing math at the same time.  Because if they're giving it you want to stay on the $50.00 mark so you don't waste it.  For instance if you spent $75.00 while they are giving away Kohl's Cash, you would only be $25.00 away from getting another $10.00 in Kohl's Cash.  What ends up happening is you start to wonder about all the things you need to buy that you might otherwise buy somewhere else, and instead buy them at Kohl's in order to get the Kohl's Cash, or get whatever you're wanting to buy for the best price.

Why it can turn into a Time warp is, picking out stuff you want and doing math in your noggin can be time consuming.  Trying things on, using your iPhone to add, subtract and do percent off.  Jumping from department to department to get the deals... All while trying to hold/drink my coffee (yes Dunkin's), text my mom or one of my sisters, stay up on my twitter feed, and push my cart of loot without dumping it.  Can anyone say Muckery?...  Before you know it, two hours can fly by;  Thus the time warp element!

For me it's when I'm redeeming Kohl's Cash... I like to scan the clearance rack in the Jr. Department.  I get the most insane deals.  It's not just the Jr. dept. it's any of the sale racks, I have even scored a Ton of deals for Mr. Greek Girl too!  Like what?...  a few of my scores over the years:  a $7.00 pair of Sketchers Sneakers, a $3.25 shirt, a pair of Hydraulic Jeans for $5.00 and my best find ever.... a pair of Hydraulic Jeans for $2.44.  Yes I did just say I got a pair of jeans that would have cost about $100 bucks at Macy's for $2.44.  No worries here people you will never see Greek Girl on one of those shows where they tell the stories of celebrities who went broke from living large.  Nope it's just not in my DNA, I love getting deals.  Hey it doesn't grow on trees and why pay more for something if you can get it for less?  (Remember the mulch blog back in May, wink wink...)  Plus the less money I spend on other stuff means the more money I have to spend on making Music!

Like the saying goes: "A Picture is wroth a thousand words", so here are a few of my favorite finds.

Yes I did get this shirt at Kohl's for a whopping $3.25...

To date my Best Deal Ever! $2.44 for Hydraulic Jeans,                                Score one for Greek Girl!

So the next time you need to get something, from sneakers, to pajama's, to luggage; get your butt over to the nearest Kohl's Pronto!  Remember... before you do anything, check the clearance rack and see if they are doing a percent off and you might just score a Greek Girl Deal for yourself!

Happy "Kohl's Cash Crack Time Warping" to you!

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

A Perfect Day

Still my Favorite person after Eleven years! :D

Just another Sunny Summer Sunday in June... Well it's about dang time, I was starting to think Summer had been kidnapped.  Anyone who has been reading my blog knows one thing, I loathe the winter!  So why do I live in the North East, honestly I have no idea! Summer never can come soon enough for me.  When it's time to do the yearly swap out of winter clothes and Ugg Boots for flip flops, sneakers and summer clothes this Greek Girl gets giddy.

Another reason this time of year makes me giddy is because June is when I met my very favorite person in the whole entire world! Who?... that would be Mr. Ava Aston of course :D !  Yep it all started on a Sunday afternoon way back on June 9th, 2002.  It still seems like yesterday.  I was at home contemplating going to the city for an audition for an independent film.  I had slept late and it was a toss up, go and not have time to workout, or stay home and workout...  Something anyone else who has been reading my blog knows is - I love working out and do not skip many.  My little sister said to go, that she had a feeling "something good was going to happen to me".  She sure was right (yes that pains me to say that my little sister was right about something) ;o)

So I skipped my workout, went to the city and got in line for the audition.  A little bit after signing in I looked up and my heart literally stopped beating in my chest and I gasped.  Little did I know Mr. Ava Aston had spotted me a few minutes earlier and done the exact same thing... he asked me a question about the sign in sheet and after about a half hour or beating around the bush while waiting in the line we started talking and have not stopped talking since.

We discovered among other things, we are both left handed Virgo's with the exact same color eyes, love coffee, pizza, chocolate, and and and....  We're both artistic (him an actor, writer, and aspiring film maker) with me it's music and acting.  If you didn't know Keith is actually the glue that holds the Aston ship together.  He makes my music videos, website, all of it.  So here we are eleven years to the day on a Sunny Summer Sunday afternoon thinking about what to do for the anniversary of the day we met.

Being that we both love cars & Greek food we decided to mix the two together.  Take in a British Classic Car Show and the yearly Greek Festival around the corner.  Yes Greek Girl was in her glory... I don't know what it is about cars but man I sure do love them.  So here are a few highlights from a fun afternoon of chill-axing with my favorite person!

Yeah I had to have been a Greaser or a Mechanic in a former life...                      Cars make my heart beat Real Fast! Vroom Vroom!                                            (but I still drive like a granny) go figure.

Yummo!

No One does Coffee like we Greeks! Boil it up old fashioned style on the stove top in a ibriki... Add in the Baklava & cookies and you're Golden!

And that my friends is how a Sunny Summer Sunday in June went! Hope you make the most of your Sunny Sundays too!  Have a beautiful day!

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

To Be Or Not To Be

To Be, Or Not To Be... Blonde or Brown?  That is the question...

Hi, my name is Ava Aston, I am Greek.  No, I am not kidding.  Yes, this is my real hair - I just color it.  What am I talking about?  Well, it seems a lot of people don't realize or even think it is possible for me to be Greek when they are first introduced to me.  For some reason people always ask me, "Are you Russian?" or "Are you from Germany?" then I just look at them with a slanted glare and exclaim, "No, I am Greek!" Paidimou...  (that means "my child" in Greek) Like they should have known this information.

So why am I sharing this amazing tid-bit with you today?  Well, I figured it would be best if I finally cleared the air of any confusion.  When I was a little Greek Girl my dad used to take me and my sister to the local Greek school.  There we would learn all sorts of things about our Greek heritage.  That is where I learned we invented many great things like Coffee, Politics, Drama, Music, Olympics and lets not forget the Windex.  So, if any of you know me, you know right away just by my behavior that I must be Greek just based off of these simple facts.  Here, let me prove it.  I can't live without coffee, seeing as I have 3 coffee machines at home.  I love to argue politics  especially with any uninformed liberal in New York.  I am always overly dramatic especially when I am hungry, and I like acting on camera too.  Don't forget I am first and foremost a singer and I love to work out and wear sneakers.  Last but not least, I am OCD when it comes to keeping my house clean, that would explain the Windex.  So, it would be clear to anyone just by a simple observation that through calculated deductive reasoning I must be Greek, despite my Blonde hair.

I feel some new characters coming on for my Politichicks video parodies...

Now in an effort to tap into my Greek roots and dispel any doubt about the issue I took a trip down to the mall.  There I found what else...?  A wig store! Yep.  So I decided to go put on a brown wig and show you all just how Greek I really am.  Once you see me in the brown hair - the color that God gave me, you will know I am in fact truly Greek.  But wait you say... "What about the blue eyes???"  Okay, like I was saying earlier.  When we went to Greek school we also were made fun of because we had blue eyes and light skin tone unlike most of the kids there.  When my sister and I came home crying, our dad explained something very important.  He said, "The real Greeks came from the north.  They were Dorian and they all had light hair and blue eyes.  The only reason they got the dark skin and the dark eyes is because.... (raising his voice and pointing finger on the table) they mixed with the Turks!"

Now I know what you are wondering... "Why do I even bother dying my hair since it looks good both ways?" Well, I do it because like any girl and Bobby Brown said, "It's My Prerogative" and I like it like that.  No I'm not going to dye my hair brown Mr. Bricks if you are reading, so step away from the McRib please.  Just wanted to ask my blog readers - So what do you think?  To be or not to be... Blonde or Brown?

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo :)
www.avaaston.com 

Autumn's In The Air

The best part of waking up                                                 when there's a chill in the air...

It's here.  It's always bitter sweet for me because there's nothing I loathe more than putting away my flip flops and replacing them in my closet with my Uggs.  It's bitter for many reasons including the one I just mentioned.  Sweet, because Autumn is actually my favorite season.  Why is Greek Girl yapping about the coming change of season when the world appears to be imploding before our very eyes?  Well, I can't write about politics every week. Besides if I don't take a break my noggin might just spontaneously combust.

Growing up in Upstate New York it is not hard to understand why I love fall so much.  It is one of the most beautiful places in the Northeast.  We have Lake George, the Adirondack Mountains, Niagara Falls, and many more amazing destinations to experience. There are always festivals, farmers markets, hot air balloon shows, the Pumpkin Farm, Hayrides, Oktoberfest (which I don't really even do because Greek Girl doesn't like beer), apple picking, caramel apples, candy apples, apple cider, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cinnamon donuts... ut oh I better stop before I make myself hungry.

My favorite thing... Pumpkin Dunkin's.  That's right, every year around this time my favorite coffee brand in the whole wide world Dunkin Donuts rolls out it's fall fare.  So every year I march my Greek butt down there and grab as many bags of the Pumpkin coffee as I can get my little hands on.  Of course the trick is to get out of there without getting a Pumpkin Muffin or donut.  I do have an iron Greek will - yes that is true.  I will admit however that as strong as that will is, there are times when I do get one and make my sweetie eat half.  (the things he does for love).

Of course there are many other reasons that I love fall, one I get to dress my fur babies up in a costume every year for the yearly "March of Shame" as Punkin (my talking dog likes to call it) see her video here.  Of course it's also the time of year when Bath & Body Works rolls out the fall candles & scented plug ins, they are so yummy smelling!  Makes me want to just grab a cup of hot Pumpkin happiness, put on my favorite sweats and slippers, grab my sweetie and fur kids, and curl up to watch Animal planet.  Oh who am I kidding?  We all know it's going to end back up on the news.  Hey... I have to make sure I don't miss anything.

Have a beautiful day!

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

What Would You Do

$305 Million, that's a lot of dough ~ I'm in!

So it happened again.  What am I yapping about now?  The Powerball Jackpot of course!  No one hit the jackpot for the last drawing, and this has been going on for a while now.  That means that the Greek Girl can buy more tickets with the $8 winnings I had from my last two tickets and continue to ponder what I will do with all the loot if I win the next drawing...

1. Donate boatloads and boatloads of moola to my favorite charities: The ASPCA, The Progeria Research Foundation, The JDRF Foundation, Operation First Response, and The Machine Gun Preacher Ministry in Africa (that's a blog for another day).

2. Pay off my moms house and set her up so she never has to work again, then randomly hand out cash to strangers.  Because it really is so much better to give than to receive. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing the joy on someone's face when you have really helped them.

3. Start my own dang Record Label!  Record a new album, buy a tour bus, go out on tour, and produce an entire season of "Ava The Diva" Cartoons and have them broadcast on Network TV.

4. Sneakers, buy more sneakers... because a girl can never have too many pairs of sneakers.  Sneakers for me, my family, friends, and anyone else who needs a pair who just so happens to be around. ;)

5. Start an hotel chain that is pet friendly in all locations, because fur-babies need to travel too.

6. Send Mr. Bricks to a Opthamologist to do something about that lazy eye of his...

7. Buy a strip mall and fill it with my favorite things. A Dunkin Donuts, a Starbucks (hey - it's MY Strip mall I can have as much coffee in it as I want), a Greek Diner, a Sneaker Store, a Kohls, a Pizza joint, an Animal Rescue/Adoption Center, a Petco, a good Sushi joint, a movie theatre, and anything else that my little Greek heart desires.   

8. Buy a Bumble Bee Camaro... you had to know that was coming, didn't you? ;) Well if you've been reading my blog long enough you would.

9. Hire all of my favorite fitness trainers and rotate them throughout the year... Jillian Michaels, Tony Horton, Bob Harper, Jackie Warner, Brett Hoebel, and Billy Blanks.

10. Give my sweetie all the dough he needs to produce all of his movie and TV show scripts, better look out Spielberg! ;)

Just a few of the things I would do if I win the Powerball Jackpot.  So, what would you do?...  Don't forget to get your ticket - cause like the ad says... "All you need is a dollar and a dream (well for Powerball it's actually $2, but hey who's counting.)  Good Luck!

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

Battle of The Hudson

and the Blood Feud continues...

So it's like 82 degrees outside today I'm walking around in my flip flops, and I just realized that the NHL playoffs (which are on ice BTW) are still going on.  What's worse is with such a busy and hectic schedule the Greek Blonde Girl didn't even realize her two favorite teams are playing each other in the semi-finals.

How can that be you may be wondering?  You can't possibly like both the NY Rangers "and" the NJ Devils.  It's like this, when you're a little greek girl aspiring to be a Big Rock Star, you gotta start somewhere; and this little rocker chick got her start singing National Anthems.  Living in and around the Tri-State NYC area gives one a plethora of Professional Sports teams to choose from.  So much so that for some sports, there are even two teams to sing for.  Who said a girl has to choose though? wink wink... Yup I have a longstanding relationship with - both - the NY Rangers - and - the NJ Devils.

So what's a girl to do?  There are a few games left before this thing is all said an done, and I have to root for someone.  I just feel like a cheater, if I start to root for one, then I have flashbacks of singing the National Anthem at the other one.  I think about all the nice people on the staff who have always been so kind, and all of the great seats to all of the exciting games I have had the blessing to attend and the guilt sets in.

I could flip a coin?...  naahhh  Maybe I'll just root for whoever gets to the finals (which is so not Greek of me to not pick a side and trust me we Greeks know about "blood feuds", we invented em' along with windex and a whole bunch of other stuff).  It's just no matter which team wins it will still be one of my two favorite teams, and both will be able to clean house on whoever wins from the LA Kings or the Phoenix Coyotes.

Of all the Professional Sports, personally I think hockey is the hardest.  Not only do you have to have insane cardiovascular endurance, but you have to skate on ice at ridiculous fast speeds.  Then there's a whole bunch of giant guys all chasing after the little puck you are trying to get and then push it into the net at the other end of the arena.  Oh and there's this little matter of another guy standing guard to prevent you from putting the puck into the net.  Not the easiest thing in the world.  Plus it's dangerous... seriously.  Just thinking about it makes me get goose bumps.  I love pretty much everything about hockey.  The sound of the blades on the ice, the organ going dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah, the smell of the popcorn in the arena, the pretzels with mustard, and then when the zamboni comes along in between periods to smooth the ice all over and make it like glass.

Yup, hockey is awesome.  No matter who ends up in the finals, blondie over here will not forget this time.  I'll be watching, popcorn in my hot little hands, with cups of happiness galore.  Who knew?  You probably thought the Greek Girl thought the Stanley Cup was a special kind of cup for drinking coffee out of, didn't ya?  ;D

Enjoy the finals, have a beautiful day!

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

What are the affects of drinking coffee

Nothing is more amazing than a cup of fresh diner coffee.

Some say it helps build strong bones, others say it weakens your heart.  Still others argue that coffee helps lower blood pressure.  Whatever the real answer is, to me the affects are life changing.  You know how Superman has his kryptonite?  Well coffee is the exact opposite for me.

Confused? Well if you are the Greek Girl, the affects of coffee are similar to the affects of the blood running through your veins.  Or no different than jet-fuel to an aircraft.  Neither the jet nor the Greek Girl can get off the ground without either.  Now, I know what you are thinking, "You're not that addicted to coffee are you?" - Ahh... yes, yes I am.  If there were such a thing as a 12-step program for coffee-oholics, I would be a candidate, not that I would ever go to one.  Just the thought of standing there and saying, "Hi, my name is Ava Aston and I am addicted to coffee" as if it were a bad thing doesn't sound like something I could ever utter in all seriousness.  I see the word addiction here as a negative.  I am also addicted to breathing and that's not a bad thing.  What I feel my relationship with coffee is, is more of a lifestyle, or as my manager Mr. Bricks would call it a "love affair".  Coffee to me is like my centuries worth of Greek heritage all brewed up into one little 8 oz. diner mug that I can enjoy one slow sip at a time.

So in honor of my addiction I will share the affects coffee has; on the Greek Girl through a collection of images.

Here is where it all began: My Dad. Here he is at home in Greece and he's as Greek as they come. Notice all the coffee cups on the table. Enough said.

Now, sometimes my dad adds a little Ouzo or Sambucca to his. I tried this once. The affect was, me making a horrible face and spitting it out.  Let's just say, it's not how I roll. This is a part of my coffee heritage I don't mind neglecting. Besides, I think the alcohol kills the enzymes in coffee that keep me so young and my skin looking so good. ;o)

How does the Greek Girl start her day? Coffee in Bed of course.  The affect, helps make the day go great.

Here is a glimpse into my coffee stash. The great thing is that I have choices. The affect this has on me is I have to make a choice. I don't like making choices especially first thing in the morning. Do I do espresso, k-cup, drip or french press? Then it's a matter of what mug because of the size of the coffee drink I have. Then it's a matter of what flavor. See what I mean? Decisions.

Now once I am up and out and ready to go, I have my coffee to go. This way, I can enjoy my home brew out and about. The affect this has on me is I can't get the door for the car. Can someone get the door please? My hands are full of hot magic and this amazing Michael Kors purse I got at TJ Max. Which was probably where I was headed when this was taken.

Now, before I head out I happen to check the mail. Here I see Mr. Bricks sent me some coupons for Dunkin Donuts! Woo-Hoo! The affect of this is obvious, the Greek Girl is happy. Now not only am I gonna find some deals at TJ Maxx but I am also gonna save on my next 3 cups of Dunkin Donuts. Not quite a record deal but you did ok this time Mr. Bricks.

Here I am at Dunking Donuts clutching my large cup of happiness like Smeigel from Lord of the Rings and his Precious. Yes I did use one of Mr. Bricks coupons. Affect of this was pure elation. As you can see by the smile on my face.

Now, I know this looks really, really bad on so many levels, but bare with me on this. I can explain. The affects of drinking a hot cup of starbucks is what can help me get through a trip to the Palisades Mall. Being that the mall is so big I need that extra dose of caffeine. But because Starbucks Coffee is so strong I needed to sweeten and dilute it with a frozen yogurt. The affects of this are that I can get out of the mall unscathed with treasures in my clutches.

Then when the day is almost done and it's time for me to unwind it's best served in the form of a decaf Nespresso Cappuccino topped off with whip cream of course. The affect this has on me is called heaven in a mug. It allows me to unwind after a long day of shopping and stuff.

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