When I talk about the End Zone, I'm not referring to my favorite calzone from D.P. Dough or the spot where Penn State football players found themselves frequently this past Saturday, but instead the infamous strip club located just outside State College.

Known to be a pretty entertaining place, this site is notorious for having Penn State men -- and women -- check out a few extroverts shake some of their best assets.

Recently, a group of my friends ventured in to check out what truths lie beneath the hype of the End Zone, as well as what lies beneath the stripper's clothing. We came away with mixed reviews. Some liked it, some hated it and then there were those among us who had to be dragged out of the place kicking and screaming.

My friend Andrew, who fell into the reluctant-to-leave category, made quite a big mistake when coming home from the End Zone. When he saw his girlfriend, Cindy, he was still in post-stripping mode and proceeded to tell her exactly how pleased he was with his favorite stripper.

Cindy's loathing for this stripper grew when she discovered that Andrew had spent more money on an eight-minute lap dance than on their last anniversary present. Not surprisingly, Cindy didn't share Andrew's enthusiasm for a blond with boobs big enough to put Betty Boop's pair to shame.

I have no idea what Andrew was thinking when he said these foolish comments. It led Cindy to feel paranoid and not convinced that her own 32-Cs were keeping Andrew satisfied, and she decided that Andrew should never visit the End Zone again.

Naturally, this situation was completely blown out of proportion. But this problem could have been effortlessly avoided with just a few simple words. Had Andrew come home, seized Cindy's breasts because he was still feeling excited from the strip club, and talked about how he's positive the End Zone would double their annual profit after hiring someone of her beauty, he probably would have scored almost as many points with Cindy as our Lions did against Indiana. Also, throw on a few bonus points if he had mentioned how the best part of his night was just hanging out with the gang, and how the 40-plus stripper in the back had actually scared him about becoming old and decrepit.

These casual comments would have probably made Cindy try to convince Andrew to visit the strip club more often, because after his return she felt even more appreciated and loved.

Now ladies, this kind of thinking works both ways. We can't expect our men to be perfect without also being able to hold our tongues ourselves. This means refraining from commenting on how you want to pinch one of our Big-Ten-champion soccer players' behinds to wish them the same good luck next season. Or wondering out loud what the men's swim team would look like without their Speedos on, while sitting right next to your man.

Good self-esteem isn't like having a personal creamery in your backyard, which would be really cool to have, but isn't necessary to your everyday living.

Everyone has to have self-esteem. It gives you the courage try to face challenges and believe in yourself. It allows you to make mistakes, because in the end, with high self-esteem you can still respect yourself the next morning.

The best kinds of relationships are ones where both partners mutually respect and admire each other. So the next time you're thinking about commenting on how hot Gwen Stefani or Pete Yorn looks in their latest video, think about first complimenting the person sitting next to you.