Good Riddance

Let the countdown begin!

Well I was just about to write this weeks blog about the things I most would like to see happen in 2014. Then I happened to be watching the news and heard that Saturday was the seventh annual "Good Riddance Day" in NYC.  Yeah you read it right, I was thinking the same thing, it is not a joke. For real, people actually gathered in NYC's Times Square to say goodbye to bad memories from 2013.  They even dumped actual memories into a giant shredder to destroy them once and for all.  

I gotta say, I wish I knew where this shredder were all these years and that this "day" actually existed cuz this Greek Girl has a few memories of her own she wishes she could put in the hopper and say "Sayonara" too.  Yeah, believe it or not, even I have things I wish I could erase from my brain.  So, in honor of this day I decided to make a hybrid blog.  Instead of just listing the Top-10 things I wish I could erase from my memories from 2013 I will be including a replacement option for 2014 to go along with those unwanted memories.

10. Boston Marathon Bombing.
2014 Replacement: How about - no bombing, anywhere.

9. Twerking, Wrecking Ball and well pretty much anything Miley Cyrus.
2014 Replacement: Congressional ban on Twerking and Miley Cyrus joins Bieber in retirement, wouldn't complain if Lady Gaga joined them as well.

8. GLAAD's crying foul over the Duck Dynasty "Tolerance" issue.
2014 Replacement: GLAAD is disbanded and embraces the fact that there are more Christians than they think, and the Word of God is more powerful than anything they can cry about.

7. Kim Kardashian and her selfies.  Do we really want to see her butt again in 2014?
2014 Replacement: People stop taking "Duck Lip" selfies, they are stupid.  No more selfies in the mirror where you can see the camera you are holding up.  No more celebrity nudie selfies - period.

6. Wolf of Wall Street.  My eyeballs are still burning and it's been almost a week since I saw that debacle of a half-rated porno.
2014 Replacement: How about a little Saving Mr. Banks and Mary Poppins for good measure to cleanse my noggin.  Or better yet, how about bringing back the NC-17 rating since Hollywood is a bit too obsessed with graphic nudity these days. (We actually don't "need" to see everything to get the point) Just sayin'.  

5. The time I took a bite out of that Twinkie and allowed myself to be caught on camera while doing so.  No I didn't have three of them either as my husband would like the rest of the world to think.
2014 Replacement: Low-fat Oreos.  Hey, if I am gonna splurge on sweets it should be good.  That Twinkie tasted like cardboard.  

4. Beyonce's Superbowl Halftime Show.  My eyeballs are still burning from that too.
2014 Replacement: Definitely not Bieber, Miley or Gaga.  I would rather have Barney or Mickey Mouse do it.  No matter what for the love of God, please let it be a real band or somebody who can actually sing. On key preferably, and who doesn't need the words to the Anthem written on their hand.  

3. The Obama Inauguration.  I am still in denial that he actually won... again.  Ask me, it was rigged.
2014 Replacement:  We dig up Reagan. In my world we would have Rush Limbaugh as President and Mark Levin as the VP.  Don't like it?  Too bad, it's my Top-10 list so GLAAD can kiss it.  

2. The millionth season of American Idol. Seriously... how many more sad sappy stories do we need from mediocre singers? Do we really need another "Idols Tour? Good gravy.
2014 Replacement: How about record labels actually doing their job and finding actual talent. There's plenty of it out there, just not all of it has orange hair, crack addicted parents, or missing a limb.   

1. The disastrous Obamacare implementation and rollout.
2014 Replacement: Obama Impeachment. Need I say more?

So there you have it.  As we move into the new year of 2014, I pray and hope for good things to come.  

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

Business and Pleasure

Put on the glasses and bam we look like we're "working" ;D

Yeah we all know the term and sometimes actually try to make sense of the actual act of mixing business with pleasure.  Unfortunately most of the time when we say that it means we are going away on a trip or doing something that is work related and try to have fun at the same time.  Or on the other hand we go away on a trip or do something that is meant to be fun and somehow we will attempt to build in some form of work/business activity into the fun-filled event we were supposedly set out to do.

The problem most people have with this, me included, is that we tend to over do one and not the other.  We try to squeeze that little bit of business into our pleasure and vice versa and never really truly get a solid balance.  It's like that Nik Wallenda guy trying to have fun while walking across the tight rope over the Grand Canyon.  Sure it starts out as entertainment which is supposed to be fun, but it's insanely frightening.  Meanwhile he is "working" his but off to not fall off that wire.  Ironically he has those moments where he catches a glimpse of the beautiful, yet otherwise frightening world below him and somehow finds pleasure in it.  Which if anyone knows anything about this Greek Girl, me and heights don't mix so I can't see how any of that could be pleasurable.

So this week I've been mixing business with pleasure as best I can.  I was given an opportunity to head out west and spend some time on the "left-coast" (as the too cool for school hipsters like to now call it - Los Angeles).  This trip however has some strings attached, like business but of course with pleasure mixed in.  What am I talking about?  Well, I came out here to hang out with some of my friends and fellow "Politichicks" gals along with some entertainment industry folks for a few major networking events.  During all this time my focus is on how to make the most of the time I have and have it benefit my career without being too focused that I am not able to have a good time.  The good news is, since I love what I do and do what I love sometimes those lines get blurred.  So when I am doing the work side of things it ends up being pleasurable.

Heres a few examples of what I am talking about:

1.  I am able to wear flip-flops almost everywhere, except a dress one night for a "bash" of sorts.

2.  I am staying with a friend, who also happens to be the editor in Chief for the Politichicks. Slumber-Party!

3.  I went to a networking event at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

4.  I will be traveling to San Diego, (3 hrs away) to be on a TV show and do an in-studio interview.

5. Did I mention I had my picture taken with the Gipper? ;D

Do you see what I am talking about?  It's a mix of business and pleasure all balled up in one.  So sometimes it's hard to differentiate between the two.  I guess in a way it's a wonderful problem to have. It just means I am doing what I love and loving what I do.  I just hope the same goes for you and if not, I pray you can find a way to bring some balance into your own life.

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