to stoop or not to stoop?

Hey Arnold! was one of my top five cartoons when I was younger next to Doug, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers and Rugrats; all had the qualities that kept me glued to the TV in my babysitters living room, incorporating simple jokes and a load of

adventurous shit that I always wished I could do. Tommy Pickles always had some shit up his sleeve, Spunky was an idiot dog who had crazy eyes, Skeeter honk-honk'ed after every phrase and Norb played the french horn in his spare time, what's there not to like? But, compared to all those enticing qualities, Stoop Kid was the epitome of a cartoon character; he was a dick who refused to let anyone look at, step on or go on his stoop.

Coming home from class today, I realized I had no food in my cupboard. By no food, I don't mean that there was nothing I felt like eating; there was actually nothing there, completely bare. So, I instantly thought to go to Kimmy's down the street, chat with the legend herself, and possibly get a $5 steal of a sub, chips & soda. Looking around as I was roaming the streets of Philadelphia, I saw a kid, most likely 20, sitting on his stoop, drinking a keystone, just enjoying the view. He was the king of his stoop, with his feet up on a coffee turned pong table and damn it, I was jealous.

With Stoop Kid's mindset and the kid near Kimmy's real life engrained in my head, I have

made it a priority to one day (preferably my senior year in college) have a stoop. With a stoop, anything is possible: grilling, lounge chairs, jam sessions... all the essentials. Researching the real estate around the Philadelphia region, I found some pretty respectable stoops, but damn are they expensive, ranging anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 a month. The ones that I could afford are either no where near my school or in the worst neighborhood in Philadelphia, but hey, who says you still can't get a little barbecue/pre-game action going?

With not enough cash, will or bravery, I don't think I will be moving on to a beloved stoop anytime in the near future. So, for all you that have a stoop around school, be prepared: I'm adopting it.

here's a little pittsburgh sound brought to you by the one & only Wiz Khalifa. Enjoy the weekend!