Another Go-round

Hello everyone in the blog sphere. Is there anyone even here anymore? Or, has everyone flown the coop to Substack? Call me old school, call me old fashioned, but seriously there is just too much technology, and too many platforms to switch every time the wind blows. 

I have written many a blog about this topic, too much technology, and too much screen time changing society, and not for the better. Of course, that is just my humble Greek opinion. So anyhow, for those reasons and more I’ll just stay here. 

Moving along. Has anyone noticed that it’s that time again? What time, you may be wondering… election season, of course. Having recently transplanted to a quaint little town in the battleground state of Pennsylvania (just on the border of New York and New Jersey) my television set is flooded with political ads 24/7. Which at times, has my inside voice using words that would definitely land me in a stint of Facebook jail should I ever choose to post them there. 

Which leads me to the topic of this blog post. Now, it’s no secret that Greek Girl rolls to the right politically. Actually, for most of my life, I had not been a fan of musicians weighing-in on politics. Personally, I am the kind of person who can get along with anyone, even people who do not agree with me on hot button issues including politics. However, back in 2009 I saw a change coming that terrified me. So I did what all songwriters do, I wrote about it. I wrote a song called “We The People” on a cocktail napkin while I was working my pay the bills job as a cater waiter/bartender in NYC with my Mr. 

Most everyone who has followed my music knows I only have one “political” song and that is it. So why the change in my thought process? Why did I release that song and weigh in on something that could alienate music fans? Well, because it was not about left or right, it was about right and wrong. It was about individual people waking up to what was, and is going on around them, and getting involved in making a change. So many people like to sit around and armchair quarterback what is going on in the world. My one “political” song was written to remind people that the government works for us, and not the other way around. 

That being said, I wrote it, released it, and did some pretty amazing things with it. I have performed it all across the country at various political rallies, met some fantastic people along the way including the legendary Andrew Breitbart while singing it at a rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and even sang it on the Capitol lawn way back in 2010 with the Tea Party Patriots. I was invited to join a political commentary website called Politichicks, and made many like of mind friends in the entertainment industry including my good friend, the very talented commentator/musician Alfonzo Rachel (formerly of PJTV).

After I “came out” I then noticed something weird started to happen… Facebook, Google and Big Tech started to make changes to the algorithm, they started what has now commonly become known as “shadow-banning”. Now, hear me out. I am not complaining, but it happened slowly and started to hit most everyone. That is unless you were hugely famous, or of a particular political persuasion, if you know what I mean. They got so bad that they all but erased my friend Alfonzo from the internet. This is a guy who used to post a YouTube video and within hours it would have hundreds of thousands of views, and millions within weeks. If they can do it to him, they can do it to anyone, and that is exactly what they did. 

We all saw what they did in the name of “misinformation” during covid, and it has only gotten more partisan as the years have gone by. This phenomenon has in turn, made it quite challenging to promote my music & message. 

Nevertheless, I have stayed on social media despite the big tech shenanigans. I just do what I can and sprinkle my music and message, and hope in some small way that I can be an alternative to the ROT that has become mainstream “entertainment” today. 

So here we are, another election season upon us. We have made several video versions of my song “We The People” and uploaded them to YouTube. Youtube has left a few of them up, but they have also removed several. The most recent one they removed was literally a lyric video with the American Flag backdrop with the lyrics. Mind you there are no explicit lyrics, no cursing, nothing of a sexual nature, nada, nothing. As many who know me, know I tend to dress more like June Cleaver vs. Beyonce. So, it is really mind-blowing to me that YouTube who allows songs like “WAP” and all kinds of other explicit and offensive content to remain there, yet gives my channel a strike, and removes my song because they said “it promoted a dangerous conspiracy theory”. Someone might want to give YouTube the memo that they are a company based in the United States of America. Not sure how anyone could find the American Flag and the words “We The People” (which are in our Constitution) offensive… but then again, what do I know. 

So I uploaded the "offensive Video" to Rumble, and here we are, back to election season. We the People have two choices in this election. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No person is perfect. We have seen life under both choices, and all Americans should take a good hard look at what life has been like for the last four years, and what is was like before. They can then decide how they want to vote. For me, as the daughter of a legal immigrant (from Greece), the choice could not be clearer. This is literally the most important election of my lifetime. I feel compelled to get my song out to try to inspire people and make a difference. 

So, despite the minions at Big Tech working overtime to bury my content, the Mr. & I have decided to go around them. We are launching a radio promotion for the song. Hoping to take it directly to the people, and hopefully, God willing, get the song out to the masses. Of course, I have to get it by the program directors. Hopefully they will like it, and play it. 

How can you help? Well, you can download the song wherever you like to download music: iTunes, amazon, etc., add it to your Spotify, subscribe to my Rumble channel, share the video, and you can call you local radio station and ask them to play “We The People” by Ava Aston. It would sure mean a lot to me. I am very appreciative of the time it took to read this blog. I know the world is busier than ever and everyone has a lot going on in their lives. Taking the time to listen to the song and share it can hopefully help to waken the masses to this do or die decision that is upon us all. Thank you again so much! 

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

Oh Say Can you See

Lady Liberty and all her glory... simply stunning!

Hard to believe it is almost the forth of July. I for one am very happy that summer is finally in full swing and the warm weather is here to stay. Well, at least for a few more months for those of us in the northeast that is.

After such a long and ridiculous winter I am very much looking forward to taking the holiday time to soak up the heat and breathe in the summer air. I will also be performing The National Anthem at a Baseball game, which is really wonderful. I mean what could be more fun than a baseball game and with my being a singer, the opportunity to perform the National Anthem on the day our country won her Independence? Can anyone say happy Greek girl?

The fourth of July is about a new beginning for our nation. Seeing advertisements everywhere for Fourth of July festivities has got me to thinking about new beginnings. I have the beginning of a new habit that I wanted to share… I am taking off my Fitbit for good, there I said it.

No more... not for me.

Why would you do such a silly thing you may be wondering. Well it’s just personally I think we as a society have become way too obsessed with technology. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the benefits of technology and of course it has its place. I just feel it has become far too front and center in our daily lives. Our phones are practically glued to us, and lets not even get into how over reaching Amazon’s “Alexa”and Google’s “Echo” creepy little units are because that would be a whole blog for another day. At first I thought the fitbit was great, and yes I’ll admit it was pretty neat to see how long I slept, and how many times I got up at night, and just how many steps I got in on a particular day.

  

Where it started to lose it’s luster for me was when I started to catch myself being disappointed if I didn’t get as many steps in throughout the week as I did the week before, and so on. I’d find myself looking at it so often then it hit me; this is getting to be on the silly side. I remember not too long ago putting on an old fashioned watch, take a swatch for instance, and going out for a run. The only reason I had it on was to keep track of “how long” I was running for. I was free to enjoy the fresh air, take in the beautiful images of nature and just enjoy the run and endorphin high. As opposed to exercising to see how many steps or calories I could burn each time.

A few of my favorites...

Never mind the fact that I had an entire watch box full of watches that I loved that hadn’t seen the light of day in over a year.  I really love watches too… they are one of my things, like sneakers and flip-flops. For some girls it’s high heels, but for me, it’s watches, sneakers and flip-flops. So the fact that I was wearing the same watch every single day, a little piece of technology that was literally attached to me at all times got me to thinking it was a bit obsessive.

So I decided to kick my Fitbit to the curb. Yes you heard right, this girl is going old school when it comes to watches. My very favorite watches are Android, which have since changed their name to Aragon, check them out at www.aragonwatch.com. Absolutely gorgeous watches, mostly automatic at surprisingly affordable prices too. Each watch is literally a work of art, and all designed by their creator and founder Wing Liang. The Mr. and I met him years back at a fashion trade show and we have been in love with his creations ever since.

So this year when I sing “Oh say can you see” I’ll be sporting a plain old watch on my wrist, and the only time I’ll be looking at it is to check the time. Hope you enjoy the holiday!

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

Total Eclipse of the Internet

I know most everyone is going ga ga over the eclipse that is set to split America for the first time in ninety-nine years. People are in a frenzy scrambling to get their hands on last minute “solar eclipse glasses” on Amazon and all kinds of online retailers. I however kind of wish it were an eclipse of the Internet that was on its way instead.

Why because in my humble big fat Greek opinion, something special has died and I just have to get it off my chest. Social media on the Internet has gone from something totally unique that connected people in way it never had before in history to one big giant commercial advertisement. Which leads me to the following thoughts. (WARNING: Greek Girl rant about to ensue)

Dear facebook,

If it’s not broke, please don’t fix it. Now I can imagine that all of the millennials over at corporate headquarters get twitchy and itchy if they don’t have something new and innovate to keep changing. However, here’s a request straight from one of your millions of users… please stop. Because, we the everyday users don’t actually don’t “like” it (no pun intended… well, maybe some).

Here’s an idea, how about we change the term “social media” to “social advertising”. Because the spark of genius that was the magic of Facebook has died. The brilliant invention that enabled a person in Timbuktu to connect to a total stranger, musician, business, blog, or what have you in East Jupeepee no longer exists.

It has been replaced by advertising. So Joe Blow in Timbuktu will no longer organically see a post from a person, musician or, business in East Jupeepee unless that person, musician, or business pays to have Joe Blow see it. This is how technology went from a stroke of brilliance to a nuisance.

Thus more and more people are disconnecting from social media altogether. Sad, but it is true. All of that just so Facebook could go public and increase profits. I suspect that in the long run Facebook will eventually go the way of Myspace. Haven’t really seen or heard of too many people itching to hop on MySpace and check out the latest meme (just sayin).

Since when did the average person have to have a rocket science degree to admin his or her own Facebook business, band or musician page? And I’m not just saying that because I have a head injury (really I do have one, but all kidding aside) I was on Facebook for like two hours the other night configuring, or shall I say, “trying” to configure the apps on my musician page.

Somehow the Instagram got disconnected and the Twitter again for about the third time in a month… I reconnect it, then it disconnects without my knowledge. Next thing you know, Facebook posts are not posting to twitter and so on.

Here’s a shocking bit of information for Facebook to consider: not everyone has a “social media manager” on staff operating their account. Now I can imagine that you all love to talk techie and swap ways to “innovate” and improve the “user experience”; however as one of the millions of users, seriously, please stop. It is beyond obnoxious every time we get the hang of something and figure out where in God’s name you all hid the button to operate a tab or function, you all flipping change it again. Honest to Pete… it’s lunacy.

It’s not “The Jetsons” and we’re not living inside a computer world (yet)… so please for the love of all that is left that is good and right in the world, STOP CHANGING THINGS!

Which brings me to my next gripe… Google. You all are just as bad. Seriously that film “The Circle” anyone seen it? Probably not because it didn’t do so well at the box office. I would bet the powers that be at Facebook and Google got together in a secret meeting and put the kabash on the advertising for that film. It is a frighteningly accurate portrayal of what I imagine the corporate world of Facebook and Google to be.

Get this one: I am “not allowed” to post the link to my own songs on “iTunes” because it “violates Google policy, and is spam”? Seriously… HELLO Google, I’m an “Independent Recording Artist” which means, no record label paying for songs to be promoted on radio, film, TV and lets not forget to be actually SEEN by my own followers on Facebook. Followers who clicked the “like” button of their own volition, meaning they wanted to actually see what I am posting. (Not only when I am paying you to show it to them) If posting my music on my own page (that people sign up to follow mind you of their own will) is “spam” then what in the heck in the world is the point of being on social media at all?

Besides the fact that Google is just as bad as Facebook when it comes to changing things. It’s like a bunch of techie minions sitting around in Silicon Valley trying to figure out the most outrageous way to keep people confused. They change things even more than Facebook, and good luck trying to figure out where and what they did with a feature when they do. Since when did a person need a college degree in Computer Programming to manage their Google and Google plus accounts? Sheesh.

Lets not even get into YouTube (the left arm of Google – and when I say left I do mean left) censoring videos for monetization that it politically disagrees with. How’s that “free speech” thing working out for you all… hmmm? Profanity is allowed to run amuck all over YouTube, and Facebook will allow a livestream of a GANG RAPE and even a MURDER. But boy oh boy… you best not post anything that conflicts with a left leaning ideology… whatchout.

What on earth? HELLO can anyone say Orwell? Holy bananas batman, it’s seriously getting beyond absurd. No wonder people are leaving social media in droves, and unplugging from technology all together. Can’t say I blame them.  

Thus my suggestion to change the name from “Social Media” to “Social Advertising”. Better yet, make that, “Social PAID Advertising”.

Stepping off my soapbox now. That’s all… carry on.  Enjoy the Solar Eclipse wherever you may be watching from (and don’t forget your glasses).

Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava xo

www.avaaston.com

 

GPS Equals Muckery

Ever feel like your Nav is laughing at you?...

What is it about GPS that requires you need a PHD to actually use the stinking thing? I swear it's like the mad scientists who came up with the whole GPS idea spent too much time in Colorado worried about passing the law to allow legalization of marijuana or something because most of the time they just don't work.

Okay, well maybe it could be operator error, or maybe it's the blonde Greek thing.  Which in my world means I can be a bit dramatic and a little "challenged" when it comes to technology to say the least.  I would love to have my own personal full-time 24/7 techie-minion.  You know, someone who can make all my technology muckery go away.  Considering I'm on my 5th or even 6th iPhone I am stilly having enough a hard time working the dang thing.  You would think by now I would get it.  But no, those so-called "geniuses" had to go and change the Apps for the iPhone and come up with some cockamamy concotion they call "maps".  Have you tried this thing yet?

What makes it worse is that I think the same "geniuses" worked on a scheme for VW built into GPS to make my life all that more difficult.  Did they not think about the fact that if "texting" and driving is a bad idea - using GPS while driving is probably not a good move either...  Hello?  Even the Blondie over here gets that.

So picture this.  I book an acting job outside the city somewhere in Connecticut.  It's of course in a town I've never been to.  So what do I do?  I get my GPS in order.  Now, as simple as you may think this is, it's not that straight forward let me tell you.  Instead of being a 1 or 2 step process, it is actually more like a 25 step process all to get me lost and late by almost an hour.  Can anyone say Oy Vey?!?

1. Check the address.  Check it again.

2. Print the address and check it again.

3.  Pull up Google Maps on my computer and check the address.

4.  Cross reference the address three more times and check for alternate routes.

5. Put the address in my iPhone and check the map that Apple provides and realize it's not the same.

6.  Check Bing maps and see it's not the same.

7.  Ask my sweetie to help me and make sure I have the right address and realize he's just as challenged.

8.  Go for a walk to relieve the stress because I am going to have to drive myself there alone.

9. Print off the address and step-by-step directions just in case.

10.  Ask my sweetie to input the address in the GPS in the car.

11.  Verify the address is in the car all set and ready to go.

12.  Make sure the address is set in my iPhone and ready to go.

13.  Press start and realize the lady GPS guide's voice is way too low and fidget with the dang thing to adjust it.  It doesn't work so I just hope I don't get lost.  Not really sure which Genius decided it was a good idea to set the GPS to have the "sound automatically turn to silent" after each use...

14.  Immediately realize the address is changing and the mileage is changing and it is telling me I am going the wrong way.

15.  Begin breathing slow and deep to avoid a nervous breakdown.

16.  Call my sweetie to make sure I am ok and not going to get lost.

17.  Take him at his word and keep going just before I realize the route changed "again".

18.  Call my sweetie one more time to ask advice. (big mistake as he's driving the other direction now).

19.  Listen as he tells me to avoid the GPS direction and take the next exit for a totally different highway.  Can anyone say OY VEY!?!?

20.  Follow the route just as he realizes he told me the wrong direction.

21.  Pull over in a panic in the middle of the highway and have that nervous breakdown I was avoiding 20 minutes ago.

22.  Call in a frenzy that I am going to be late.

23.  Push about 200 buttons trying to figure out the dang GPS and get to my destination once and for all.

24.  Attempt to follow the crazy lady in the GPS and see where on God's green Earth she is taking me; over the river and through the woods - literally.

25.  40 minutes later arrive somewhere back in civilization and 20 more minutes get to my destination.

The best part is that at the end of it all, I had to go home and use the GPS yet again. Somebody please help me.  If only I had a techie-minion or a big-time record deal where I could hire a driver I would be all set.  Then I could be on time for more things.  Oh who am I kidding?  Everyone is just way too early. ;D

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

Gremlins 4

They're Baa-aack! Gremlins are back in iPhone 4!

Coming This Fall only to an iPhone 4 Near You!  This fall Steve Jobs and Steven Spielberg have joined forces to bring you the ultimate in entertainment pleasure where random Gremlins will be placed inside your iPhone 4.  Watch as your iPhone 4 decides to have a mind all of it's own.  You wake up after midnight and think it's really still early enough for that midnight snack.  Then when you least expect it your iPhone has cocooned and turned into an Android.  AAAAAAARGGGGHHH!  The horror.  Thus leaving you a victim of the evil Steve duo and their trickery to get you to buy the all new iPhone 5 (pre-loaded of course with Steven Spielberg's trailer for "Welcome Home ET" starring Drew Barrymore!)

Okay now, seriously Steve Jobs, enough of the games what's up with my iPhone 4? This is my 3rd one and it's worse than my last one.  No, you can't blame it on my technology force-field either.  I admit I do have one and it does cause some muckery to ensue around me from time to time but this is just a bit too much.

See, it all started waaaaaay back when, with my my very first iPhone, and lets not forget I got rid of my blackberry because I just "had" to have an iPhone, duh.  At first I began to think it was me and my inability to adapt to technology or my little fingers that have a hard time doing as they are told when I am typing.  Then I got smart and started asking and of course doing some Google and Youtube video searches about people just like me.  I found I was part of a small niche community of Apple fans who were willing to face chastisement by openly admitting I was unhappy with my iPhone. I felt like a second class citizen in a 12-step program (no I haven't been to one).

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

What I really want to know is either there are Gremlins, or little demons who have taken up residence and are living inside of it.  Is it just me or is anyone else out there having to make frequent trips to the apple store (which are such a joy I might add, as on my last trip seemed as though it was a playground not an electronics store)?  Only to have the "Genius" tell me, "It is very odd the things you are describing, but just for good measure and because you are still under warranty that I'll go ahead and replace it."   Between the lines, what that really means is they are giving you a previously mucked up iphone that someone else had to get rid of because it had little demons inside it - it was sent back to apple land to be made all better (supposedly)....

Then slowly by surely I began to come to terms with this dilema and realized I was really one of millions of dissatified customers.  That was when all of a sudden a Cherub flew in from on high and a golden voice carried from afar off spoke and claimed "iPhone 3G will be coming soon".  Quickly I went to replace my 2-time replaced iPhone Original for the all new 3G and was again... let down.  Then repeat scenario when I went from the iPhone 3G to the 3GS then on to the iPhone 4.

So what was a girl left to do?

Now I must be left to my own divises and wait.  Wait.  Wait, until the day comes that I have the iPhone 5 in my grabby little palms.  Just whatever you do, do n0t feed any of your iPhone's  after midnight or you might end up staring down the face of a little Gremlin, I mean Genius.

Blessings, Love & Music,
Ava xo

www.avaaston.com

Trending Topics

The whole world was a buzz today because the "trending" feature of Twitter was not working. Now #NoTrendingTopics is trending. I saw that one coming.

OK, as my very first self-appointment of the new year I am appointing myself the Czar of Trending Topics. The entire trending thing has gotten way out of hand. It use to be something or someone could be old fashioned or out of style only if it had been around for years. Now with the interweb thingy, something is outdated if it has peaked and is no longer trending.

Effective immediately I am instituting the following as "mandatory reading" for anyone who is even thinking about wanting to trend a topic on Twitter or Google.

The Greek Girl's Etiquette Guide to Trending Topics  by Ava Aston

1. Weather

If something weather wise is obvious then there is no need to trend it because everyone already knows about. Example: Today we are having a Blizzard here in New York. So there is no good reason for people in New York to Tweet #NYBlizzard. Hello, I can look out my own window! Thank you very much.

2. Sports

Not everyone runs around with their face painted two different colors, because not everyone cares about guys in tight capri pants hugging each other. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we just don't need a trending topic of which team does it best -just sayin.' So stop it already.

3. Celebrities

If I see a celebrity's name trending, I want to make sure they are dead! No wait, I don't mean I want them dead, I mean there should be no reason everyone wants to talk about a specific celebrity at the same time unless, you know - they kicked the bucket.  If you are like me and you see someone's name trending on Twitter you instantly Google their name to see how they died. So, effective immediately no celebrities names should be trending unless they are dead. The exception should be the name Ava Aston or the phrase Greek Blonde Girl, once It hit the big-time feel free to trend away on those, no need to wait for me to kick the bucket.

4. Animals

You know this Blonde Girl loves her furbabies - all four of those little doggies are my life!  So I can see when the word dog or cat is trending because other people love their furbabies as much as I do and that puts a smile on my Greek mug.  However, I am always suspicious when I see words like Zebra, Giraffe or warthog trending. I don't want to know why. So effective immediately, unless it is a species of pet for your home and it is one that you would let your mother see, it should not be trending. Dogs can be a trending topic 24/7 as far as I am concerned.

5. TV Shows

The invention of cable TV was a great thing. (I can't remember did Al Gore also take credit for inventing cable TV as well?) If there is something we don't want to watch we can change the channel (sorry Rachael Ray) But on Twitter if someone starts trending some dumb random show like, say for example The Rachael Ray Show, then for the next several hours my Twitter screen is hijacked with comments about a TV show that makes my skin crawl. So unless it's about one of my favorite TV shows (Biggest Loser, Days of Our Lives or Joel Osteen) then it can not be trending any more. The exception will be for any shows I am starring or guest starring on.

Oh, and one more new law. Those hashtag thingys ---->  # . Banned forever. I don't roll like that.

Yes, I am the Trending Topics Czar and it is all about me.  NOTE: I learned that line at the Czar training workshop I went to at the White House.  That is what they teach you there -- just sayin'

Blessings,

Ava

xox