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

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

Tech Support

Does this conversation look familiar to anyone?...

When it comes to technology it's almost like I have a forcefield around me.  For some reason no matter what, when I have something important to do on my computer the Gremlins come out and play.  It's like my computer, iPhone, printer or fax machine decides it's not going to work when there is something I have to get done.  I admit, I don't have much patience with this stuff so I do have to lay some blame on my being "Greek" and taking it out on the computer, but the other part I have to thank none other than my mom and dad.

It never fails, no matter what is going on with some sort of technical issue that either one of them have, they call me to fix it.  Hello? Me?  They don't call AT&T, Apple or Staples, they call - me.  Keep in mind they both know that I have this technical bubble that I no doubt inherited from them around me that makes things "not work".  So why are they calling me?  Yet they always seem to think I am their personal Tech Support hotline.... I think something must be askew in their coconuts.

For those of you who don't know, my dad is Greek and from Greece, so just talking with him about technology is one of the most challenging things.  Not only does he think in Greek but he has to translate everything I say to him in his noggin before he can actually process what I am telling him.  His idea of a computer is a calculator, not just because it is what you count your money on.  Because he literally grew up on an island with a house made of stone, a dirt floor, and a donkey outside.  Seriously, I'm not kidding, he showed me the remains of his childhood home when I traveled to Greece.  So for him, the computer as great as it is, well he just prefers the calculator tape, if you know what I mean.

Then there's my mom.  She has an iPhone4,  why I have no idea because she couldn't even work the iPhone 1 2 or 3 she had before this one... but when she heard about "facetime" that was it.  She was down to the AT&T store faster than you can say "contract".  She didn't care that she has no idea how to do anything on it, she had to have it.   So I'll be talking to her trying to ask her something important like which sneakers to buy or when is Kohl's cash going on again, or even more urgent - mom can you please text me a photo of the 30% off Kohl's Cash coupon you have so I can use it - like right now?... and mid sentance she's like "Ava... so How do you get the message thingy up, and how do I get my messages, and how do you send a picture in a text again, and why is this thingy doing that stupid thing again, oh this is just malarky - I hate this phone..." Meanwhile Greek Girl's is standing in line someplace waiting to check out.  Can anyone say "Muckery"?

Then there is my mom or Dad in Greece on a simple Skype call.  Never mind the fact that neither one of them can figure out how to get the video on no matter how many times they use it.  The conversation always starts out like this... blank screen... and voice - "Hello are you there, why can't I see you?" and ten minutes later after talking them through getting the video on I forget why we were even skyping in the first place.

As frustrating as it can be... they are awful cute when they do it.  So what's a good Greek Girl to do but try to help out as best she can.  In most cases I get them by with the knowledge I have.  However in cases when there is a real serious problem, I have to call in the big guns ~ that's when I have to say... "Hey Honey can you please come help me with this"....  ;)

All I know is I have to get a record deal and make it big pretty soon because I have to get me a real techie minion.  Because at the rate technology is going I might just be turning into my mom and dad sooner rather than later.

Have a smile & beautiful day!

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

Pizza By The Slice

Picture this, last year during Easter week I'm sitting there drinking a hot cup of happiness brewed fresh from my new Keurig machine as I was getting my day going.  The checkbook was balanced, workout was done and I was all ready to start the day. So I'm just sitting there updating my Facebook, googling this and stumbling upon that when all of a sudden Yahoo tells me where to find the country’s best pizza.  All I could think was, “Is it true?  Can the country's best pizza be right here in my own backyard?... 

Just then my iPhone rang snapping me out of my pizza daze and it’s my manager Mr. Bricks.  But this time he’s not calling to ramble on about McRib's being back again.  To my surprise he is actually calling to tell me I need to get my Greek butt in gear because I have an audition in an hour.

Perfect I’m thinking, I’ll slide on by and grab a slice of the country's "best pizza" right after my audition.  So I grabbed my sweetie, laced up my sneakers and together we set out on a mission.  We were super excited.  See when it comes to pizza by the slice it’s something of a tradition or almost a religious experience for us.  In a way it’s like a perpetual Easter Egg hunt.  We go around all over the place searching high and low in every town we travel to, in order to find the best slice.

In my noggin nothing quite compares to a fresh hot slice washed down by an iced cup of happiness followed by a little chocolate treat.  Being that it was right around Easter we were already in the egg-hunt mode and we were off.

So we hurried off to my audition as fast as we could because we were both about to digest our spleens.  I race inside and flash my Greek baby-blues and flip my golden locks.  (Yes I booked it – hello people… Cystex Cranberry).  Then as fast as could be I was back in the car on 21^st and 5^th ave in NYC.  My sweetie had already entered the location of the Pizza-Joint that was proclaimed to be the “best slice in NY” into his iPhone GPS.  We drove right past what up until then we had considered the best pizza in the city, the one we had always gone to.  We felt a little kick in the heart as though we were about to cheat on them.

We raced uptown on 8^th ave, then right on 57^th and a quick left into Central Park to cut down on time.  Dodging people on bikes and skates buggies and pigeons we came to 110^th street just before stopping outside “Presidential Pizza before making a halting stop and almost ran down a meter maid while doing so.  “What are we getting?” I asked.  Without blinking he said, “The usual.  The only way to truly know if the pizza is as good is to go with a good old fashioned slice of plain.”

I stroll up to the counter, “Give me two slices of plain,” I say.  I was probably bouncing like a little kid in a candy store with a grin from ear to ear as I said it I was so hungry.  Then the man slides me two pieces on some paper plates.  I dab off some of the grease with a napkin so I won’t drip on my outfit or my sneakers.  Then I sprinkle them with oregano just before leaving to join my sweetie waiting in the car.  I hand a slice to him and we both revel for a few seconds in the joy of knowing we are about to eat the holy grail of all pizza.  We both simultaneously chomp down and I'm thinking  “Good Grief - I want to die"… not because it was good but because it was the worst piece of pizza pie I had ever had.  Then about the same time we both say "this pizza is Gross!" It was like chewing on a piece of cardboard.  There wasn't enough sauce, and the cheese was like rubber.  The iced coffee and Cadbury eggs were going to have to save the day, and save the day they did.

The moral of the story... you can't always believe everything you read on the internet.  Sure it was muckery to go on a wild goose chase to eat what in my humble opinion was the worst slice of pizza I have ever had, but at the end of the day if that's the worst thing that happened, I'm doing pretty good.  I'm happy, healthy, I have a sweetie, four fur~babies, and a heavenly father who loves me so much that he sent his only son to die for me.  Yeah, it's Easter Sunday, he is Risen and that means for me - life is pretty darn good.

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

Fall into Pumpkin

Do you hear voices when you see this, or is it just me?

Pumpkins, cinnamon, apple cider and colorful autumn leaves... ahh the wonderful sounds of "tis the season to put on 12 extra pounds." Hello?!? What in the world was I thinking when I went into that Dunkin Donuts anyway?  Okay, I know I am getting ahead of myself but there is just something oh so right but oh so definitely wrong with this time of year.  I love it and I hate it at the same time.  I love it because the air is so fresh and crisp.  I hate it because this is when all that bad food comes out to taunt me and we are still over a month away from Thanksgiving. Yikes!

So there I was, as I innocently walked into the convenience store to cash in my winning lottery tickets.  Sure, no big deal.  EEHHH ~Wrong answer.  Guess again Greek Girl.  The convenience store just so happened to be ever so conveniently located next to a Dunkin Donuts.  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that of course I couldn't defy my Greek genes and avoid getting a hot-cup-o-happiness.  That my friends, is when it all started.  I walk in and I was over taken by the warm fresh smell of the greatest tasting coffee and before I know it I see a display the size of a Mr. Brick's that is screaming, "It's Here! The new Pumpkin Muffin!" (This is so not cool I'm thinking to myself)...

Now, in case you haven't been keeping up with Ava lately you might've missed that I was in an extreme fitness program (but then again when am I not doing some sort of extreme fitness program) lol.  No, I don't technically 'need' to lose weight, I weigh and maintain my weight around 126...  It's just that I grew up a little on the chubby side, and it may have left me with a defect in my noggin that could land me on a shrinks couch one of these days... but that's a story for another day.  Anyway, there I am adding in my calories from my coffee w/ light cream into a mobile app I downloaded for my iPhone... and I see this horendously amazing and oh so evil sign of what is one of my favorite guilty pleausres, a pumpkin donut.  That is one thing most people don't know about me.  If it's got pumpkin in it, chances are I am going to want a bite.  Yes I do have restraint and will never eat a whole one, but I sure as heck will partake in a few heavenly bites of anything with pumpkin in it. Pumpkin roll, pumpkin muffin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookie and even roasted pumpkin. Oy Vey!  What was I thinking?!?

So, imagine me standing there with a line forming behind me as I am trying to get my iPhone app to open up (and it is of course going ridiculously slow because of the little gremlins that live inside of my iPhone) and get the guy behind the counter to simultaneously tell me how many calories were in that tasty morsel only feet from my grubby little fingers.  There I am counting out all I have eaten and how much this donut and coffee will add to my calorie count and try to find out how I can justify that I still haven't eaten dinner yet.  Oh, man! I began to feel like Mr. Bricks and his need for a McRib sandwich and Green Milkshake but only with a conciounse because we all know he doesn't care about his waistline.  Nor does he even have a phone that uses apps since Mr. Bricks cellphone is circa 1989.

So what did I do?  I bought it.  Yep, I broke down and bought the stinking Pumpkin Donut.  I got my medium hot-cup-o-happiness in one hand and my guilty pleasure in the other.  Like a little kid with a smile ear to ear I broke the rules that I'm sure would have landed me into Jillian Michael's jail.  I ate half of that donut and gave the other half to my sweetie.  Yes, I did do about 50 extra sit-ups later that night but it was worth it.

I even named one of my four little doggies "Punkin" not only because she is the same color as one of my favorite things a pumpkin, but because it rhymes with her mommy's favorite coffee in the whole wide world... Dunkins.

Hope you have a beautiful blessed day!

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

I See Stupid People

I should hang this outside wherever I go...

Do you ever wonder, "what the heck were they thinking?" or, "I can't believe I just saw what I think I just saw?, did I really just see that..."  Well when you live in and around NYC like this Greek Girl does, sometimes you just lose your filter.  Yep it just flies right out the window.  I find it is nearly impossible sometimes to stop myself from blurting out these kind of questions.  Or having the "inside voice" go rogue on me and say aloud things it probably shouldn't.

Now, I know what you must be thinking to yourself, "I see stupid people everyday.  What is the Greek Blonde girl talking about? It can't be that bad? Can it?"

Yes, oh yes indeed.  It is that bad.

Okay let me explain.  What got me going on this was the other day, I am sitting in the quiet comfort of my VW Jillian Jetta, (the white one if you are keeping track as there are two of them.  The blue one is Johnny Jetta, he is a boy, that day I was in Jillian, she is a girl Jetta and she is a TDI).  By the way anyone else think it is funny that the Greek Girls two car colors together make up the colors of the Greek flag?... ;D  So anyway, there I was readying myself before I had to go into an event at Central Park Zoo.  Well, all seems to be going just fine when I look up and there is a woman, I kid you not, walking down the street talking on the phone.  Now okay, I know this is normal unto itself but she had to go and have some old fashioned rotary shiny gold phone jacked into her iPhone.  It was one of the dumbest and stupidest things I have ever seen.

Quite possibly the most stupid accessory I have ever seen.

I couldn't believe this crap even existed.  So I googled it. Yep you guessed it, they exist and you too can buy one for the low-low price of just $45.  Yep, you can look just like that fool I saw walking down the street on your very own shiny gold rotary handset.  The greatest part is that she thought she looked like the coolest and most 'trendy' person on 5th Avenue.  Now this is besides the fact that I loathe shiny gold, and think it is one of the tackiest things in the world.  Of course the only place I find gold to be acceptable is on the inside of a treasure chest, or gold bullion in my safety deposit box.  There was just simply no excuse for this tacky gold piece of plastic muckery.  The best part was the look she gave me when she walked by & noticed I had burst out laughing inside my car sitting there...

So one of my other all-time favorite stupid people stories is when I went in to a McDonalds no, it wasn't for Mr. Bricks this trip, jut for me. (before they had the McCafe coffee bar mind you) and asked the genius behind the counter if they had iced-coffee, (yeah imagine that, me asking for an iced-coffee).  So anyway, there I was expecting to get a nice iced cup of magic in my hot little hands, and I got nothing.... they looked at me like I asked them to explain the theory of relativity (all well knowing they'd probably explain how their mom and dad were related or one or both parents were in jail.) So anyway, they told me, "nope we don't got iced-coffee." So I asked them, "Do you have coffee?" "Yep", they replied.  "Do you have ice?" "Yep", they replied again.  "Then you have iced-coffee don't you?" "Ah but we can't sell it like that" they tell me.

All I am saying people is if you are gonna do stupid, act stupid or just plain be stupid you should probably wear a sign that reads, "Warning Warning - I may just surprise you with my idiocy".  You just gotta love stupidity.  Sometimes you just have to smile, breathe, laugh, and realize, yes they do walk among us.

Blessings, Love & Music,
Ava xox
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

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

   

You Don't Have to Like What I Like

Paula Abdul's  Opposites Attract

When you are in your own home and you don't even know the person across the dinner table from you, you can chalk it up to "opposites attracts", or hello, you just invited a stalker for dinner. Let's hope it's because opposites attracts and you and your soul mate are having a Mars vs Venus moment.

However, this is not just a romantic issue, because even many of your BFF's and close co-workers can be totally opposite than you, and not like what you like, yet there still could be a good working relationship or friendship built upon the differences with that person.

Take my manager Mr. Bricks (Take him please, SFX: rim shot) Thank you, thank you, thank your very much. I will be here on this blog all week. (SFX: rim shot) Tonight you have a choice between fish or chicken and I recommend the fish. (SFX: rim shot) Don't forget to tip your waiters and waitresses.....Seriously, Mr. Bricks and I are polar opposites, yet somehow we stumble along in our business relationship just fine.

Here are some examples:

Ava's Favorite Beverage:  Vitamin Water Zero

Mr. Bricks' Favorite Beverage: Diet Coke

Ava's Snack of Choice:  Zone Bars

Mr. Bricks' Snack of Choice: Slim Jim's Sausage Sticks

Music on Ava's Ipod: Goo Goo Dolls, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkston, U2

Music on Mr. Bricks' iPod:  Disco

Ava's Favorite Workout Trainers: Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper, Brett Hoebel, Tony Horton

Mr. Bricks' Favorite Workout Trainer: Ronald McDonald

Ava's Favorite Chain Restaurant: Panera

Mr. Bricks' Favorite Chain Restaurant: McDonald's  (tied with Wendy's, Arby's, Carl's Jr., Taco Bell, Subway, Quiznos, Zaks, White Castle,   Popeye's Chicken, Dominos

Ava's Favorite Phrases: "Muckery", "Good Gravy" and "What's wrong with your noggin?"

Mr. Bricks' Favorite Phrases: "Do fries come with that?" and "Can I Supersize the meal please"

Ava's Favorite iPhone App:  iTunes App, Doggies Mamas App

Mr. Bricks' Favorite iPhone App:  None. Rotary dial phones don't  have apps

In my fan mail I get all sorts of muckery sent to me. Clearly, I am thrilled with each and every person who takes the time to write to me, but I can tell from what some fans wrote and send that they sometimes like very different things than me, and perhaps my music is the only thing we might have in common.  That is OK with me. You don't have to like what I like. I enjoy learning about different places and different things. This whole learning thing is pretty cool. It keeps my noggin free of cobwebs.

Blessings,

Ava

xox

There's an App for That

More than 500 million applications have been downloaded from Apple's iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. I highly recommend the Greek Speak app - just sayin.

Last night I was chatting on Skype with my manager Mr. Bricks about another really cool new app I just downloaded for my iPhone called my fitness pal. I love this app because I can log my meals and exercise even when I am on the road. You know this Greek girl loves her work outs and health food. I am not trying to lose any weight, but for those who are it's a perfect way to customize to your unique weight loss goals -hint, hint Mr. Bricks!!

Let's see what other apps do I have on my phone? Oh, I have a US Constitution app, Flickster app, Drudge report app, for my music I have a MySpace App, sneaker freaker app, Facebook app, TwitPic app, Kohl's app (for store locator and sale ads), Chase app for my mobile banking, bible verse app, Ebay app and many others.

It truly does seem like there is an app for absolutely everything. Here are some just plain weird apps that are out there:

Hello Cow! Touch the cow on the screen and hear it go “moo” in a variety of different ways. This one is apparently aimed at kids and toddlers, to keep them distracted on long trips etc. Thank you, Steve Jobs and ‘Hello Cow’ creators, for neutralizing kids’ incredibly annoying thirst for knowledge, answers and candy.

Hold On. With this app you must hold down a (virtual, on-screen) button for as long as possible. That’s it, seriously. You can compete against the world though, but finding out that you’re the best in the world at this particular app could, and probably should, lead to depression.

Hang Time: This is a good one. ‘Hang Time’ senses for how long your iPhone is in the air. Not for people who have trouble catching objects.

Zits and Giggles. Pop the zits on-screen. Proper disgusting.

Rimshots and Crickets. Featuring sound effects such as Rimshot (badum-tish), Crickets (*chirp*), “Sad”, Trombone (wa-wah-wahh) and Golf Clap /Slow Clap, this amazing app is for you if you like to mock you friends with ironically placed rimshot sounds. And the Cricket sound is there to fill the awkward silences, so you’ll never get bored next time you hand out with your friends.  Note to Self: I think I need to get this app for my conversations with Mr. Bricks.

CSI Finger Print and Spy Kit. Ever wanted to be as cool as James Bond or for that matter ever wanted to go into FBI but couldn’t? Well, this app might help in healing some old wounds for you. You can fulfill your espionage fantasies using this app. This app includes features such as Advanced CSI Finger Print Scanner, CSI Lie Detector, CSI Metal Detector, Dog Attack, High frequency sound gun, Spy Recorder and Most Wanted List.

So virtually anything you can think of, yes, there's an app for that!

And yes I do have a PayPal app, just in case you go to my website and order a CD. Your order will show up instantly on my phone and I will ship it out, to you - from me, with love the very next day - just sayin'

Blessings,

Ava

xox