The Dirty Grind

My goal is to inspire and be inspired. To some, this is unattainably ambiguous. To me, it makes perfect sense.

[thedirtygrind]

Afrojack Won EDC Vegas for Me

Afrojack's EDC Vegas set is so "new Afrojack Music" that it couldn't be any more perfect. I have listened to it about 10 times this week and each time I have had a new favorite part. Absolutely my set of the summer.

Listen below. I'm not going to ruin anything for you but just know that if the first ten seconds alone don't make you smile from ear to ear, then I hate you and you must be a Communist.

[thedirtygrind]

Change clothes, and go....

Or blog names.

What you remember as the former Dirty Grind, has now been transformed into The Daily Conundrum. Stay focused.

New posts coming soon!

[thedirtygrind]

My motto, as stated on my Tumblr account, and many of my various social media accounts is a personal quote of mine, "My goal is to inspire and be inspired. To some, this is unattainably ambiguous. To me, it makes perfect sense."

Last week I was at HubSpot's INBOUND 2013 conference in Boston, when I couldn't help but to notice this graphic that they had posted in the lobby. Too perfect.  

[mtv]

These guys just seriously killed the Grammys.

[thedirtygrind]

Best Grammy gifs.

[mtv]

Thank you for being you.

[thedirtygrind]

Hov is the best.

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This just says it all. Hov rarely makes his presence known on Twitter, but when he does, it is always a power move. This tweet now has over 34,000 retweets and almost 10,000 favorites. Such a power couple.

[thedirtygrind]

Tits in a basket

My writing is known for being nostalgic, informative, entertaining, and perhaps even without goal or purpose at times. Today, I am feeling inquisitive. Before I lose you, I must say that this is not inquisition about anything taxing or boring, it's actually quite funny and I hope I am not alone in having thought about these things, so here goes...

I have clearly always been interested in words and phrases, and the meaning behind them. I have also always found gender roles to be somewhat fascinating, and today the two worlds seemed to collide right before my eyes. As I was having a conversation with a friend about people and relationships, she alluded to the notion of a female having a man's balls in a jar on her desk. My friends and I often joke around by saying "balls in a jar," in reference to things even beyond a woman having power over her significant other. For example, if one of us asks the other to do something but we have work or other plans, we are known to say "ughh, balls in a jar, I'm already doing something." I'm assuming others have their own ways and unique phrases to express these sentiments, or at the very least say, "she's got him by the balls,"when discussing someone's relationship. Then again, maybe not...my friends and I are somewhat tapped, after all.

NOW, onto the inquisition. Why are there no common phrases or ways to express the notion of a man having power over a female in a situation? Do guys have a way of saying "balls in a jar," but the other way around? I've never heard anything of the sort and I think it's time to throw some new combinations into the mix. For the sake of creativity, let's throw some new phrases around...

Maybe next time my friends ask me to go out and I have to work, instead of saying "balls in a jar," I will say something like: "tits in a basket" or "ovaries in a trunk."

Maybe when I know a girl whose boyfriend owns her, I will say; "he's got her vag in a gladwear," or 

"he keeps her boobs in a bag..."

No? 

Is this the most vulgar I've ever revealed myself to be?

[thedirtygrind]

YOU DESERVE STARBUCKS!

As many of you can relate, going to Starbucks is an extreme guilty pleasure that I battle on a daily basis. It's absolute asinine that it is so expensive for only a grande-sized latte; nearly $5 for the equivalent of a small coffee anywhere else, but it can be so hard to resist the deliciousness...even if it's just for a regular coffee, which is still ridiculously overpriced. This battle with myself to not head to Starbucks has many times sparked a slew of justifications as to why it is okay for me to splurge on this delightfully caffeinated treat. Here's a list of all the reasons I have used to compromise my wallet for my fix: - It's Sunday. - I've been productive today. - If I have it, I will be productive today. - It's Monday. - I'm in a good mood. - I am pissed off and irresponsibly spending my money will make everything all better. - I didn't make any irresponsible purchases elsewhere - this is my reward. - It's Tuesday - the worst day of the week. BEAM ME UP. - I'm tired. - It's raining. - It's sunny - perfect day for an iced coffee! - It's Wednesday. - I DESERVE IT. - This will be the only one this week. - It's Thursday. - I'm bored. - I miss my barista. - Seasonal coffees are almost out of season! - I am going to try something different. - I went out last night. - I chose not to go out last night. - It's FRIDAY FRIDAAAY, I need Starbucks to get myself through to 5pm. - Someone else wants a coffee, I am doing them a favor by going for everyone. - I hate everyone today. - It's Saturday. - I'm having a GREAT day. - I don't want my barista to think I'm dead. These are just some of the excuses I have used for spending what has probably amounted to thousands of dollars at Sbux. I encourage you to refer back often in order to justify your need to spend your hard-earned money on coffee. Have you ever hit an ultimate low and used any of these as an excuse to indulge in something that is economically compromising? @heatherbramante @TheDirtyGrind

[thedirtygrind]

New Year Plights & Conundrums

Another year has come and gone, and as with every yearly happening, holiday, and event, this stirs up some serious emotion and thought for many. If you frequently read my posts here, then you are aware of the fact that I am as emotional as we come. Everything from videos of Justin Bieber's dancers dancing the the Atlanta airport (THEY LOOK SO HAPPY!!!), to movies like Marley & Me, make me cry. This being said, it is no secret that I have gotten emotional time and time again as the clock has struck midnight on New Year's Day. However, this year this was not the case. Instead, I have been filled with feelings of discontent these past few days, and here's why... Maybe it's because I'm a psycho with an English degree, but if I see one more person post something on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Keek, AIM, Google+, MySpace, Yougetthepicture, saying "Happy New Years," I am going to get irrational. It's not a new years, it's a new year. There's only one of them. You quite possibly celebrated New Year's Eve, the eve of the new year, or asked someone "What are you doing for New Year's?," which is the possessive form of the noun, but STFU with wishing everyone a Happy New Years!!!! You don't wish people a Happy Thanksgivings, do you? Additionally, I realized yesterday, as I slept past noon, that as a society our entire notion of setting resolutions is complete asinine. Think about it...we are taught that at the end of each year we should set new goals and aspirations to fulfill within the coming year, and each day we are supposed to be working towards that goal and bettering ourselves. We then follow this up by partying and drinking our faces off on the last day of the year, leaving us useless and lazy on January 1st. Nothing says "chase your dreams" and "lose that muffin top" quite like a hangover and a greasy brunch. It's as though we have collectively agreed that the official start of the new year isn't until January 2nd.

[thedirtygrind]

Jay-Z Where I'm From

Given the most recent posts on The Dirty Grind, one could now rightfully state that this has become predominantly a music blog; but hey, much of my life has revolved around music. Not only do I work for a Spring Break travel company, which focuses on putting together large-scale EDM shows, but I also work for the two largest radio stations in Boston; one of which is a Top 40 station, and the other is a Hip Hop station. Take all of this, wrap it up with the additional fact that I grew up as a dancer, and am now a writer who is unfathomably obsessed with words...you could say that I am quite fascinated by music.

With this all being said and taken into consideration, I have just finished watching the Jay-Z "Where I'm From" YouTube documentary, and HOLY AMAZING. I shed tears watching this piece, not that this is surprising. Jay's work ethic, vision, and sheer genius is absolutely breathtaking. Everyone knows that I have always been obsessed with rap music and R&B; especially with the likeness of artists such as Biggie, Tupac, Kanye, and Jay-Z...my two pet fish are even named Tupac & Biggie...tragically, Tupac died a couple months ago, but I digress...

If I could go back in time, I would  have 100% made it a point to go to the Barclays Center for one of Jay's performances there for the arena's opening. I have seen him live before, but there are so many days that I wish I could go back to that last time he was in Boston on November 21, 2011...to relive the musical perfection that was delivered at the Garden. Additionally, if you were to ask me who my dream boss is...the answer would be Hov. To even spend 10 minutes with him to witness his creative and writing process would be a dream come true. Chills just thinking about it.

Check out the documentary below...My two critiques: 1) not long enough, 2) not enough Beyonce, but we can't have it all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mr. Carter!! Hovibabyyy

@HeatherBramante

@TheDirtyGrind

[thedirtygrind]

There's obsessions, and then there's Rihanna.

Rihanna - Stay - SNL 11-10-12 from IdolxMuzic on Vimeo.

I have been listening to this song on repeat all day, which originally features Mikky Ekko, and I am so glad that I decided to search it on YouTube to see what results came up. Could Rihanna be any more flawless than she is right here? I'm obsessed with her when she's a nutcase, posting photos of strippers' booties in my face on Instagram, I'm obsessed with her when she is rolling a blunt on a bald man's head while on his shoulders at Coachella, and I'm obsessed with her when she is tamed down for performances like this. Absolutely stunning. This is probably the most honest and vulnerable I've seen her in a while - besides her interview with Oprah, but it's safe to say I cried the same amount under both circumstances. I will be the first person to come out and say that when Rihanna first popped up in the music industry, I was not thrilled with her live performances; as I saw her live a couple of times back in the early 2000s. I then saw her two summers ago on her Last Girl on Earth tour, and then last summer on her Loud tour, and each time I saw her I was more and more impressed. People often forget that underneath her craziness, the large-scaled spectacles she puts on, and her sometimes frowned-upon social life, she is a true talent; as is clearly evident here. Count me in for Rihanna's Diamonds tour. Get 'em, Rih. @TheDirtyGrind @HeatherBramante 

[thedirtygrind]

Happy Halloween! Love, Sophia Grace & Rosie

Everyone knows and loves Sophia Grace & Rosie, the two little girls from the UK who became famous from their YouTube video where they are performing Nicki Minaj's song "Super Bass." Since then, they have become little stars and are on The Ellen Show constantly. She has them go do fun things, they get to interview celebrities at red carpet events, and even have their own segments on Ellen Degeneres' show.

  When it came time to decide what to be for Halloween, my best friend and I decided we should be Sophia Grace and Rosie. This was our final product...

We even went live from the dance floor!

SOOOOO GOOOD!!!

[thedirtygrind]

Where Brooklyn at?

A few months ago, one of the guys in my department decided he wanted a pet, so he went to the store and ended up coming back with not one, but two Beta fish. I was given the task of naming the two, in which case they were dubbed Tupac and Biggie. Tupac, the red fish, and Biggie was the blue fish. Fast forward to a couple months later, and the fish owner put in his two weeks and asked if I would like to adopt the fish. Of course I said yes.

Rewind to yesterday...we came into the office and history repeated itself. Tupac was dead, as Biggie remained alive and well on the East coast. It was a sad day, and I then came to realize that I would only be adopting one fish come Friday. I decided that because of the tragedy, I wanted to give Biggie a new and improved home...

...in Brooklyn.

[thedirtygrind]

Lil Wayne - Take me out to the ballgame

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Wait, but what? Who made the call to have Tunechi "sing" Take Me Out to the Ballgame at this weekend's San Francisco Giants game? Plus, is it just me or was Wayne the only one in the entire stadium who was excited about and pleased with this performance (besides the announcer who is clearly amped beyond belief)? 

Lil Wayne was blatantly trying to get the entire crowd involved in the musical  tradition from the the word "go." Literally. THE MAN SAID "1, 2, 3, GO," PEOPLE! Join the hell in! For the entirety of this performance I was waiting for him to pull some sort of flip-out and cuss out the entire place because they weren't as hyped as he was, or singing along. I was literally on edge the entire time in anticipation.

[thedirtygrind]

Jay-Z & Beyonce - Young Forever

The things I would have done to be at Jay-Z's final show on his opening run at the Barclays Center last night. This brought tears to my eyes to watch; although I do cry at everything. Nonetheless, this was perfect. Jay-Z and Beyonce can really do no wrong. Happy Sunday =)

@TheDirtyGrind

@HeatherBramante

[thedirtygrind]

I have issues...

Let us recall a quick post I made back a couple of weeks ago, entitled First World Problems.... Let us now take a gender at a conversation I had today with a dear friend, Allison Kowalik.

Bitch put me in my place right quick. I need therapy. 

@TheDirtyGrind

@HeatherBramante

@Alli_Koala

[thedirtygrind]

I have an obsession with Clint Eastwood

It's awkward. It's inexplicable. It feels so right. There is something about this 82-year-old man that is so charming and charismatic. All I'm saying is, I would. Especially in is heyday, he was quite the stud...and still is. Clint is looking damn good for being elderly. I'm all about respecting my elders, so let me just say...looking sharp, Mr. Eastwood. Do you. I don't always like old men, but when I do, I make sure they're loaded.

Who do you have an awkward, inexplicable obsession with?