A Splash of 21 Humor

Make it fun! Life, that is.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

"A Quarter of a Century....It Makes a Girl Think..."




















So I celebrated my 25th birthday on Thursday and received so much love from all of you!! Thanks for thinking of me, guys. I am blessed to have such beautiful people in my life and I love you all so much.

My birthday consisted mainly of eating (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). My friend Connie (from work) bought me some beautiful yellow roses and lilies for my desk and took me out to lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood mom & pops restaurants on Thursday. This place always makes me think of my grandparents, for some reason, so it was nice to have a piece of them with me on my birthday. Connie is thoughtful and sweet and a friend that I am very thankful for (she's the best thing to come out of my post-college work experience thus far).

I went out to dinner with Mom, Dad, and Doug at El Rodeo on Thursday night. El Rodeo is this amazing Mexican restaurant in our area that is probably as close to authentic Mexican food as you're going to get 2,000 miles north of the border. A very nice evening.

Last night was my birthday celebration with Dan. We got dressed up (gown and suit) and went to a late dinner at the Circular Dining Room at the Hotel Hershey (after a quick pre-prom-like stop at the Burlew household so the 'rents could see us in our Sunday finest and take some pics). It was elegant and romantic and very very formal. The food was delicious and my date was second to none :-). Dan bought half a bottle of Cabernet Savignon from somewhere in the Napa Valley to accompany dinner which was also fantastic. We laughed that we unexpectedly purchased a "wine steward" with the bottle. How very "Some Like It Hot" of them! I think we did a pretty good job of "pretending" to be upper class.... if they only knew that we met on the gridiron and fell in love over beer and wings.... haha.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Unofficial Lion Ambassador... Again!



Some people might think it would be strange to date someone who has a kid but it's really not. Dan's daughter, Erika, is 16 and sweet and lots of fun. It's actually kind of nice because we're only nine years apart in age, so we have a lot more in common than our affections for Dan. It's kind of a big sister/little sister relationship.

Anyway, I took Erika to State College with me this weekend for the PSU / Youngstown St. game. It was her first real trip to Penn State and we both had a great time hanging out, touring the campus, eating grilled Stickies, shopping, and enjoying tailgate fun. I think she was a little amazed at it all. And we discovered a mutual love for the Backstreet Boys that resulted in some heartfelt singing on the ride home (made me think of you, Joe, and miss you gals a ton). Here are some of the funny pictures we took:




















Stand-up JoePa taking a seat at a tailgate and enjoying a Key Light (crappy beer)...















Posing with the PSU David-Crosby-look-alike.




















Posing with the Pink Panther.















At the start of the 3rd Quarter, some guy behind us stood up and started going crazy shouting, "Candy, candy, candy!!!! Who wants candy?" Then he tossed several big bags of candy. We caught one and devoured it. This is what was left after our feeding frenzy.

Friday, September 15, 2006

How A Gladiator Celebrates His Birthday



































Doug the Gladiator proudly models Dan and Erika's thoughtful gift/costume (23 never felt so good!)




















West Coast love (notice the sideways helmet).















Gladiator battles and kills his mortal enemy.



Gladiator makes a wish & blows out the candles.

A Stamm family tradition - Gladiator stabs his cake.



A perfect stab.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

21 Humor at the Bar Pt. 2

As Dan reminded me, there was another 21-Humor moment at the bar last night that I failed to mention.

Back Story: We went out a few weeks ago after football, and our friend Chad* and some woman were macking on each other. He ended up going home with her (nothing happened, he tells us). We all love Chad, but I think even he would admit that he's a bit of a hot dog (the guy wins a variation of the ballerina /prima donna gag award every year at our football banquet, for goodness sake!).

So our regular waitress, Erika, came over to say hi to the table last night and says, "How did your night go a couple of weeks ago?" while laughing. Smiling Chad said it went fine. Erika proceeded to tell us that she wanted to warn Chad about the woman, but he looked like he was having too much fun. This is apparently the woman's weekly procedure... and she always gets the guy to go home with her (and it's a different guy every week).

The rest of us erupted in laughter and Chad turned beet red. Talk about our buddy being knocked down a few pegs...


*Name changed to protect our friend's integrity... haha.

21 Humor At the Bar

So last night after football, I went out to our favorite neighborhood sports bar with Dan, Mike, Keith, and Doug for some wings and lager. We sat down at a bar table and our waitress walked over to give us menus. We ordered a few pitchers and I looked at her and thought, 'This woman looks familiar... I've seen her before' - then it hits me. I know her because she works at my doctor's office. The funny thing in all of this, as some of you might know, is that I still go to my pediatrician. Yes, I know I'm 25 and it's rather ridiculous, but I like the guy (my doctor) and I'm not sick often and I'm generally just too lazy to find another doctor. Anyway, the waitress' day job is working as an administrative nurse at my pediatrician's office.

The waitress then walks back over, as if on cue, and asks to see our IDs. This struck me as oddly hilarious - I was being IDed and surved beer by my pediatrician's assistant.

The moral of the story: It think it's finally time for Kristina to find an adult doctor.


ps - Big happy birthday wishes to my little bro who is turning 23 today!! Love you, Sweet!

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Class

Wow. I don't even know what to say about that Penn State / ND game yesterday except I was disappointed on several fronts. Our boys played hard, but it was basically a Penn State-worst-case-scenario situation. The score wasn't reflective of the quality of athletes on the field - it was a reflection of inexperience, stupid mistakes, and crappy calls (clipping?! wtf?!).

I can handle a loss like this, as painful as it is. What I can't handle, however, are classless fans. There is no excuse for it. I went to a block party that my town was having. There were big screen TV's, food, and beer and a good representation of fans from both teams. And I must say, I have NEVER experienced the rude comments and constant straight-up taunting throughout the game like I did yesterday from a handful of Budweiser-drinking ND fans at the event. It was so unnecessary and really made me happy I didn't travel to this game because ND fans often come with this reputation, unfortunately.

And it's not like I don't have thick skin. I've seen away games at Temple and Michigan (two very different calibers of fb teams) and both were wonderful experiences. I had such a great time at Michigan and at the hands of my classy midwestern hosts, I'd consider going to grad school there (quite a thing to say being that they handed us the only loss (and a questionable one) of our near-perfect 2005 season).

I can understand a passion for your team. I can respect cheering for your team and being excited by a good performance out of your team. But I cannot understand making it a personal issue with fans from the opposing team that are minding their own business and trying to watch the game. These people were getting in our faces and creating an uncomfortable viewing atmosphere for everyone there.

I don't think I'll ever understand bringing religion into sports. Touchdown Jesus? God's team? Seriously. Disrespectful and borderline sacrilege.

I'm proud to wear the blue and white and be a kind and classy host to any visitor to JoePa's house. And I'm not ashamed to shout "GO BLUE" at the top of my lungs next week when ND takes on Michigan. I think 106,000 of my best friends will join me in that.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Christianity Gone Terribly Wrong













Notre Dame is so freakin full of themselves (way more than Penn State) ... I snagged this photo off the internet to share with you all. It's the carved facade over the entrance of their church on campus (to which I was unhappily drug along to tour by my Catholic ex-bf, I might add).

All this media coverage about ND tradition is driving me nuts. Let me enlighten you... we were playing the game first. Penn State's first season - 1885. Notre Dame - 1887. JoePa IS tradition. Don't even go there.

And if I hear any more BS about "Touchdown Jesus" and them being "God's Team," I might have to find a new religion.

(*just as a side note, although I strongly dislike this team, I will always love a certain few ND fans and respect their love of the blue and gold... the Delutises, Dave Williams, hmm... that would be about it.)

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Desdemona: Chalk it up to Hell, Shakespeare, and Jimmy Buffett










Why does such a sporty little car have such a big name?

I've had my car, Desdemona, for a little over a year now (yes, I am one of those people that names their cars). She is a small and sporty with an amazing mp3/CD/iPod stereo system and a moonroof - and attitude to match it.

Naming a car takes some insight... because even if you like a name it may not fit your particular new vehicle once you have met it and discovered its "personality." The name Desdemona seemed a natural fit from day one.

For one, the name literally translate as "she-devil." When buying a car in response to an ugly breakup, Hell does bring inspiration to the naming process in the very least.

On another front, the villainess in Shakespeare's legendary Othello is named Desdemona... another "she-devil". Othello has always been one of, if not my favorite, of Mr. Shakespeare's plays.

The most important reason for naming my car Desdemona, however, doesn't have to do with a mis-behaving woman at all. It has to do with a misbehaving man- Jimmy Buffett. One of Jimmy's favorite recurring fictitious characters in both his books and his songs is Desdemona.

"Her heart is in the kitchen, but her soul is in the stars," is how he describes her in his song "Desdemona's Building A Rocket Ship." This is a woman who appreciates the comfort and love of home but yearns to explore and to experience the world... and she makes it happen. She also has the ability to laugh. She can appreciate all the crazy people that come in and out of her life (the people who were taken out of the oven a little too early by the cosmic bakers...).

My car is a combination of adventure and she-devil, English literature and American pop culture, home and far away, where I have been and where I am going.

Desdemona is an extension of me.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Sweet 16




















Erika (Dan's daughter) turned 16 today. Dan and the girls (his two sisters, sister-in-law, mom, and me) went out to dinner with her to celebrate. Gotta love El Rodeo!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Penn State Fun on Labor Day Weekend















Everything you need to start a fire... matches, newspaper, a bag of wood, and BEER.

Labor Day weekend was just about perfect. I got to talk to Cait on Friday night for a long time, so that started things off well. On Saturday morning, I got an early start and drove up to Penn State (amidst Hurricane Ernesto's lingering downpour) listening to the Miami/Orange Bowl Power Hour to tailgate for the first game... I'm SO happy it's football season again! I had on several layers and a full rainsuit including overall pants (really sexy, I know), and I still managed to get completely soaked as the day wore on. Still, what's a little rain when the Nittany Lions are in town?

It was a decisive victory: PSU 34 - Akron 16.

I sacked out at Sandy and Joe's house on Saturday night and spent Sunday shopping on campus and walking around with Doug and Lexie (Make sure you check out the new Creamery Building the next time you visit PSU... it's gorgeous.) The three of us met up with Ben, Erika, and Curtis at Cafe 210 for dinner and drinks. This turned out to be more drinking than dinner and spawned a great drunken scheme: Why don't we go get some beer and fire wood and go hike Mt. Nittany in the dark? So we did. It was quite the strenuous hike considering 1) it was pitch black, 2) none of us really knew the exact route, and 3) we were all half in the bag and carrying more beer. I believe drunken Ben said it best: "I have everything I need in the world right here... my girl, my friends, beer, and wood." (yes, there were way too many inappropriate jokes about wood, Ben's sack filled with wood, getting the wood up (the mountain) etc. I know all you sickos were thinking it, too).

Speaking of amusing inappropriate comments, there was another series of discourse on the hike up about who out of the group a wild animal would eat first. Curtis, who is of Asian descent, chimed in (as his name wasn't mentioned) -"Hey! Are you saying wild animals don't eat Chinese?" Doug replied, "Oh yeah... tastes just like Kung Pow Chicken!"

I love my friends.

We built a nice little fire and hung out overlooking State College for a few hours before stumbling back down the mount and heading home. Yes, we made sure the fire was out even though we didn't have water... we'll leave that scene to your imagination.

On Monday, Doug and I went to my friend Joy's picnic. It was really nice to catch up with her and her family and a great ending to our weekend (well, actually the BEST ending was coming home and getting to see Dan. :-) )

Can't wait to kick some IRISH ASS next weekend. Let's Go State!