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    <title>Jenny Isenman</title>
    <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman</link>
    <description></description>
    <dc:language>en</dc:language>
    <dc:creator>jennybgoodinc@aol.com</dc:creator>
    <dc:rights>Copyright 2009</dc:rights>
    <dc:date>2009-08-27T13:59:44+00:00</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>A Chilling PSA on Texting and Driving is a Must See for Every Driver &#45;Especially parents of teens</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/a_chilling_psa_on_texting_and_driving_is_a_must_see_for_every_driver_&#45;espec/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/a_chilling_psa_on_texting_and_driving_is_a_must_see_for_every_driver_-espec/#When:13:59:44Z</guid>      
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      <dc:subject></dc:subject>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This video could be such an important tool.&nbsp; It does more than talk numbers, it shows repercussions.</p>

<p>Yesterday I was asked to write an article in response to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk" title="PSA">PSA</a> after it was discussed on the Today Show.&nbsp; Today my article was the <a href="http://parenting.ivillage.com/teen/tsafety/0,,fwsv4ssz,00.html" title="&#8220;Top Story&#8221; at iVillage.com.">&#8220;Top Story&#8221; at iVillage.com.</a> </p>

<p>After writing the piece my head began to spin.&nbsp; The horrific images, seared in my brain, highlighted the scary statistics I reported.&nbsp; If texting and driving equates to drinking and driving, how many &#8220;(texting) drunks&#8221; are on the road at any given time?&nbsp; If you knew that so many people were driving &#8220;drunk&#8221; would you want to be on the road?&nbsp; What&#8217;s worse is that texting and driving is not illegal the way that drinking and driving is.&nbsp; Sure, it&#8217;s frowned upon, but so many people do it anyway. </p>

<p>Even if you don&#8217;t read my <a href="http://parenting.ivillage.com/teen/tsafety/0,,fwsv4ssz,00.html" title="article,">&#8220;Top Story&#8221; at iVillage.com.</a>&nbsp; make sure you watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGE8LzRaySk" title="PSA">PSA</a> and pass it on to everyone you know.</p>

<p>For more Jenny from the blog go to <a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle">Suburban Jungle</a> and Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/suburbanjungle" title="Twitter">Twitter</a>.
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      <dc:date>2009-08-27T13:59:44+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Goodbye Disney, Hello Backyard!</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/httpwww.suburbanjungle.netdear&#45;mickey/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/httpwww.suburbanjungle.netdear-mickey/#When:02:08:07Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>In response to a canceled vacation I was forced to write a scathing letter to Mickey&#8230; Mouse that is.</b></p>

<p><br />
<img src="http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/images/jenny_isenman/250px-Mickey_Mouse_svg.png" width="250" height="287" /></p>

<p>Dear Mickey:</p>

<p>Please don&#8217;t take this the wrong way, but I think we need to take a break. Sure, I love the way you and your friends with oversized heads eat breakfast with my family and entertain us with your theme parks, but you ask for so much in return.</p>

<p>I pay a near fortune to see you, then you woo my daughter into expensive princess attire and offer pricey oversized turkey legs, costly Pooh shaped popsicles, and expensive embroidered hats with ears&#8230; that don&#8217;t really translate in the real world. I&#8217;m sorry, that sounded like I was blaming you for the economy. I&#8217;m sure you and Minnie have a ton of Disney stock options, so I know you&#8217;re feelin&#8217; it as well.</p>

<p>According to the latest statistics, me and 1/3 of other American families are cancelling trips this summer and taking a &#8220;stay-cation&#8221; instead. I know you&#8217;re angry. The last time you waved at me and said, &#8220;See ya real soon,&#8221; you thought it would be sooner. I&#8217;m thankful you only have 4 fingers, because I know what you&#8217;d be waving at me now.</p>

<p>This summer, like most Americans, I will be visiting (Chez Pa Tio). I will take a portion of the money I&#8217;m saving and recreate much of the awe and wonder you provide, without ever leaving town.</p>

<p>I will save $60 on those mandatory Mickey mist sprayers, and have my family stand in the general vicinity of wet neighborhood dogs when they shake. Each night my husband and I will wrap ourselves in twinkle lights, and then we&#8217;ll run by the kids really fast and call it Space Mountain. Then we&#8217;ll slow down and call it the Light Parade. Who knows, we could wear them to bed and call it Pleasure Island.</p>

<p>I will cook pancakes in your likeness. Then I&#8217;ll have my neighbor with an abnormally large head come over and eat them with us. I&#8217;m sure my family will be none the wiser, as his head is really big. Have a great summer now, ya hear.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p><a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Jenny from the Blog">Jenny from the Blog</a></p>

<p>This was written for the new site <a href="http://www.salehop.com" title="saleHOP.com">saleHOP.com</a>.&nbsp; I am now the feature writer for this awesome site.&nbsp; Wahoo!</p>

<p>They provide bargain hunters with a better way to find items they need at any sale or event occurring in their local area; while providing sellers an affordable and effective way to attract shoppers; in a comprehensive and feature rich website that provides a safe and fun environment.</p>

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      <dc:date>2009-07-27T02:08:07+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Mothering By The Seat Of My Pants</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/mothering_by_the_seat_of_my_pants/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/mothering_by_the_seat_of_my_pants/#When:22:24:03Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Figuring out that your parents knew as little about raising children as you do is a mind altering experience.</b></p>

<p>I spend much of my time in disbelief that I am the mom of two amazing kids, because I often feel like a kid myself. How did this happen? When did this happen? Just yesterday I was getting my license, graduating college, moving to my first apartment&#8230; and somehow I am an adult with a home and children. Children that come to me in the middle of the night with growing pains, and nightmares looking to be comforted. I&#8217;m mothering by the seat of my pants. I creatively make up feel better songs or merely relay the advice my mother gave me as a young child.</p>

<p>How is it that I am winging it and my mother seemed to know everything? I walk around sputtering a slew of medical advice I got from this woman who was so thoroughly competent and mature at 35, they may have even let her practice medicine in some states, like West Virginia.</p>

<p>Was Dr. Mom wrong? Was she all knowing or just a teenager, stuck in a &#8220;mommy&#8221; body, spouting the information imparted by her mother before her? If your tongue has a green tint, do you not need to make a BM? If you get stung by a bee does toothpaste not soothe the sting? It all made perfect sense when I was 8.</p>

<p>I took these practices as gospel, logging the protocol in my &#8220;future motherhood file,&#8221; for safekeeping. I filled my arsenal with pertinent and sometimes even magical remedies, only to find myself at 35 in a CPR and safety class being jeered by the instructor, the &#8220;movie star&#8221; hot instructor.</p>

<p>Because I am mentally no more than 21, I was secretly praying he was a stripper, hoping his snug manly fireman&#8217;s uniform would Velcro straight off to the sound of some cheesy disco accompaniment. Don&#8217;t think I didn&#8217;t whisper, &#8220;bow chicka bow wow,&#8221; to get the ball rolling.</p>

<p>I attempted to impress him with the vast medical knowledge I had learned from the omnipotent Dr. Mom.</p>

<p>&#8220;Butter for burns?&#8221; He laughed. &#8220;Coke Syrup? &#8220; He questioned. &#8220;Who taught you this stuff?&#8221; He prodded and not in a flirty teasing way. Apparently, my medical knowledge was archaic. Not only did it make me seem old, it made me seem Amish.</p>

<p>I was about as sexy to this strapping buck as the Snapple Lady. There it is, that four letter word that is so hideous so heinous&#8230; L-A-D-Y. To this stud I was just some &#8220;lady.&#8221; My mom was just like me&#8230; some kid who was a &#8220;lady&#8221; to everyone else. Some of those brilliant treatments she made up on the fly and the others she just relayed as I did, hoping to sound as if she knew what she was talking about. She believed what she was told as a child, because her mom, another &#8220;Lady,&#8221; of maybe 25, told her it was so.</p>

<p>My entire foundation crumbled in 3 hours and a snack break. Realizing your mother was no more prepared or mature than you are is a shocking and mind altering epiphany. It&#8217;s like trying to figure out what was here before the world. If you think about it too much your head may spontaneously combust.</p>

<p>My mind was swimming. I tuned out the sexy EMT, well muted him, to think this through. Have I found the key to motherhood? Is it not in the actual knowledge but in the belief? My ultimate goal as a parent is for my children to be safe and secure. Is that not what my mother, the witch doctor, did for me? Having trust and faith in her knowledge was a necessary part of making me feel safe and secure.</p>

<p>Maybe we don&#8217;t need to know everything or be ultra mature to be good parents. Maybe the answers we have are enough. My epiphany was making me hyperventilate. I considered throwing myself to the ground, grabbing my throat and kicking resuscitation Annie out of the way. Look, sometimes you take it any way you can get it.
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      <dc:date>2009-06-01T22:24:03+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Adult Swim  &#45;I&#8217;m the crazy lady that shooshes at other peoples children</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/adult_swim_&#45;im_the_crazy_lady_that_shooshes_at_other_peoples_children/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/adult_swim_-im_the_crazy_lady_that_shooshes_at_other_peoples_children/#When:11:59:52Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a night away this weekend, a night away.&nbsp; It has been 6 months, almost to the day, since the last time I had a night away.&nbsp; Yes, I am on the half year excursion plan.&nbsp; Twice a year I take the long ride from Weston to Fort Lauderdale, or South Beach, or Naples and spend a single night with as much day wrapped around both sides as my parents or in-laws will allow.&nbsp; We couldn&#8217;t go far, and because I was looking for optimum veg time, proximity was second only to my first criteria - NO KIDS.</p>

<p>Yes, I said it &#8230; NO KIDS.&nbsp; I had to find a close hotel that was kid free during spring break, when every cold frostbitten family packs up their 2.5 children, takes their pets to the kennel, and comes to Florida hoping to thaw out.&nbsp; I, on the other hand, needed to chill out and the best place seemed to be this boutiquey hotel on Lauderdale Beach called The Atlantic.&nbsp; The pool was off-putting to children, a long and narrow rectangle with no slides or falls.&nbsp; The d&#233;cor was very hip, mod in an Ian Schrager, &#8220;don&#8217;t touch that kid, it will break&#8221; kinda way.&nbsp; I would avoid a place like this at all costs with my kids, as it blared &#8220;BORING&#8221; to anyone under sixteen.&nbsp; I banked on other families&#8217; sense of &#8220;funless&#8221; to be on par with my own.</p>

<p>Wearing my too teeny bikini, I immediately found the pool and within moments I was donning an ipod, reading my book and sipping champagne.&nbsp; Totally enthralled with my book, I must not have noticed the influx of people at my tiny boutique pool.&nbsp; But then I heard someone scream, &#8220;Marco!&#8221; and though I am in South Florida where a name like Marco is not so uncommon, I could tell this was not some adult woman calling her adult husband to come put sunblock on her back.</p>

<p>&#8220;What the heck was that?&#8221;&nbsp; I asked Mark, like I had just heard a gunshot.&nbsp; &#8220;A kid,&#8221; he nonchalantly replied, like my gunshot was just some car backfiring.&nbsp; I looked up and, Lo and behold, it wasn&#8217;t just one kid it was a whole pack of them.&nbsp; Maybe five ranging in age from about 4 to 10.&nbsp; I shuddered as the largest one, who was undeniably their bossy leader, demanded another pool game that had them screaming answers to random questions, and swimming all over my tiny boring lap pool.</p>

<p>Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;WHAT&#8216;S YOUR FAVORITE SHOW?&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp;  &#8220;WHAT?&#8221;<br />
Kid 2:&nbsp;  &#8220;She said what&#8217;s your favorite show,&#8221; the little one repeated shaking in fear.<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;OH, I&#8217;LL GIVE YOU A HINT, IT&#8217;S TWO WORDS.&#8221;</p>

<p>Why are they screaming?&nbsp; They&#8217;re 5 feet apart.</p>

<p>Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND.&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;I SAID 2 WORDS!&#8221;<br />
Kid 3:&nbsp; &#8220;I think I know what it is.&nbsp; Can I guess?&#8221;<br />
Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;NO! GIVE ME ANOTHER HINT.&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;FINE IT STARTS WITH AN I.&#8221;<br />
Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;INDIANA JONES?&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;YOU SAID A SHOW NOT A MOVIE.&#8220;<br />
Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;GIVE ME ANOTHER HINT.&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;NONANA NOPE NOPE&#8230;NOPE  NOPE.&#8221;</p>

<p>Oh, come on, give her another hint already.</p>

<p>Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;I. C. AND IT&#8217;S ABOUT THE INTERNET.&#8221;<br />
Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;WHAT IS IT?&nbsp; I DON&#8221;T KNOW.&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;WELL, I&#8217;M NOT GONNA TELL YOU TILL YOU GET IT.&#8221;</p>

<p>iCarly, iCarly, don&#8217;t suggest the game if you suck at it.&nbsp; I mean hello?</p>

<p>Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;UMMM, I GIVE UP.&#8221;<br />
Kid 1:&nbsp; &#8220;I CARLY!&#8221;</p>

<p>I knew it.</p>

<p>Leader:&nbsp; &#8220;THAT&#8217;S CHEATING.&nbsp; MAHHHHHHHM MOM! HE CHEATED HE SAID IT WAS TWO WORDS AND iCARLY IS JUST&#8230;&#8230;..&#8221;</p>

<p>Had this really happened?&nbsp; Had my ipod faded into the background and the passage of my book still not registered after reading it 3 times over?&nbsp;  I was actually angry.&nbsp; I am so capable of tuning my own kids out, why was I not able to use this skill on someone else&#8217;s?</p>

<p>My penthouse suite, which was graciously extended to me when I explained my bi-annual excursion plan, wouldn&#8217;t be ready for hours.&nbsp; I watched as kid 4 goaded kids 2 and 3 by bobbing up and down chanting &#8220;DIVE!&#8221; every time his head cleared the water.&nbsp; I guess he hoped this would annoy them. I gave the parents a sideways glance to let them know that it was working on me, but they pretended not to notice.</p>

<p>Then it dawned on me.&nbsp; I am the crotchety lady that shushes other peoples kids.&nbsp; Maybe it was all the trips to the cardiologist, maybe my patience had been worn paper thin trying to get my own children to listen to me for half second.&nbsp; Each &#8220;Can you do it for me?&#8221; &#8220;Not now, Mommy.&#8220; &#8220;No way, Jose.&#8220; scratching one more layer from the surface.&nbsp; One would think, out of politeness, I would be less overtly bothered by other people&#8217;s children, but the truth is I have to save that rigorous acting job for when mine send me over the edge.&nbsp; So as my son would say to my daughter, &#8220;Too bad, so sad.&#8221;</p>

<p>The bobbing continued and noodles burst across the pool like fireworks. This is the reason they invented adult swim&#8230; and boutique hotels.&nbsp; While frantically searching for someone with a whistle, I noticed the other adults.&nbsp; Why were they so calm?&nbsp; Why weren&#8217;t they shooting looks at the over-permissive parents like I was?&nbsp; Were they not being over-permissive?&#8212;-allowing their children to have so much fun around the pool on vacation?</p>

<p>Then it hit me&#8230;the hot tub.&nbsp; The one refuge that still belongs to us serious adults.&nbsp; With my book in hand I crossed the trendy stretch only to find another pack; they were multiplying faster than I could count, and now they had infiltrated the sacred whirlpool area.&nbsp; An area that actually has an age requirement.&nbsp; It was so unnatural, like seeing raccoons scavenging during the day, it was just wrong.&nbsp; Two kids watched the third one diving to the bottom against the current of the jets, kicking his feet all the while.</p>

<p>I thought, can I tell these kids to scram?&nbsp; But wait, aren&#8217;t I supposed to be representing the next generation of parents?&nbsp; The cool parents.&nbsp; Not our parents or their parents&#8217; generations who would have scoffed before entry and sent the kids running for the hills.&nbsp; We &#8220;hip parents&#8221; have a rep to protect, right?&nbsp; We&#8217;re like kids ourselves.&nbsp; In fact, if you hadn&#8217;t met our children you would think we were too young, too fun, too awesome to be &#8220;parents.&#8221;</p>

<p>I told myself, say something funny and endearing thereby shattering their vision of adults as naysayers and fun-enders.&nbsp; So, after carefully choosing my words I let my tension go, eased into the whirlpool and said, &#8220;Could you please stop splashing, it&#8217;s getting my book all wet.&nbsp; I don&#8217;t know if you guys should even be in here.&#8221;&nbsp; I turned to pat my book with my towel and when I turned around they were gone.&nbsp; &#8220;Awesome, shmawesome.&#8221;</p>

<p>As always find more from Jenny at<a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle">Suburban Jungle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net"><img src="http://suburbanjungle.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/logo33.jpg" /></a></p>

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      <dc:date>2009-05-15T11:59:52+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Is it just me or does money seem tight these days?</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/is_it_just_me_or_does_money_seem_tight_these_days/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/is_it_just_me_or_does_money_seem_tight_these_days/#When:20:53:51Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://suburbanjungle.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/money1.jpg" width="230px" /></p>

<p> I don&#8217;t know about you guys, but I have watched my investments plummet.&nbsp; it&#8217;s probably just me.&nbsp; I must have made bad choices.&nbsp; Reeling from the tech fallout of 2002, I cautiously invested in low risk things like bonds, and solid proven companies like GE and CitiBank.&nbsp; What was I thinking?</p>

<p>Oddly, I also assumed that my husband would receive his weekly commission based paychecks well, weekly.&nbsp; I appear to have been wrong on both counts. The constant chatter I hear on line at the supermarket, where people are pulling coupons out of their Chanel bags to save a buck on T.P. (one ply), makes me think, &#8220;maybe I&#8216;m not alone.&#8221;</p>

<p>I want to know when I started to sound desperate and entitled?&nbsp; Was it when I complained that I have to make my own coffee? Or when in an attempt to avoid such a dreadful task, I offered my barista a BJ in return for a Grande latte?</p>

<p>You know Sally Struthers once said, that a child in a third world country could live on the price of just one cup of coffee a day.&nbsp; There&#8217;s probably a Starbucks like every 8 huts in Ethiopia, but how can I buy them coffee everyday when I can&#8217;t afford my own?&nbsp; Oh, the irony.&nbsp; You know Sally also said, &#8220;Stop calling my husband Meathead, Daddy.&#8220; so I don&#8217;t know why I&#8217;m letting her make me feel guilty in the first place.</p>

<p>Here in the first world&#8212;- America, there are people who struggle everyday of their lives and in the face of that I still manage to be upset that my husband and I haven&#8217;t exchanged gifts this year.</p>

<p>In an attempt to be frugal and responsible I recently returned $200 worth of &#8220;barely&#8221; used makeup and creams to Sephora.&nbsp; Look, we all know that stuff looks perfect in the blinding color melting lights of the store and not so perfect in the natural lighting of &#8230; reality.</p>

<p>That was a resourceful plan.&nbsp; Unfortunately,&nbsp; I couldn&#8217;t use the credit to buy groceries or vaccines, so I did the next best thing and prudently bought myself new creams and make-up that probably won&#8217;t look good in reality either.&nbsp; I may have, in a hopeless attempt to feign normalcy, wrapped those items and given them to my husband to give me for Valentine&#8217;s day.&nbsp; Don&#8217;t judge, the manager said I could bring back anything that was barely used.&nbsp; Under that premise, I&#8217;m going to try to return my diaphragm to Walgreens tomorrow.</p>

<p>As is obvious, I am using as many creative saving outlets as possible.&nbsp; Yesterday, I caught myself thriftily gazing upon my husband&#8217;s pile of dry cleaning and wondering how much of it a little spritz, elbow grease, and a strong wind couldn&#8216;t fix.&nbsp; That thought gave me quite a chuckle and then I spit on the stains, rubbed them together, and blew them with my hair dryer.&nbsp; It worked&#8230; I may have discovered the &#8220;Ancient Chinese Secret.&#8220;&nbsp; Let&#8216;s keep that one between us.&nbsp; I&#8217;m using the money I saved to stave off my barista for couple weeks.</p>

<p>This morning I went so far as to wrap a barely read book for Ryan&#8217;s book exchange.&nbsp; Actually, that one kinda falls under laziness.&nbsp; A big sorry to the recipient, I think the one time we read it, Ryan had hand foot mouth, but I&#8217;m sure the dog hair tumbleweeds and pet dander in my house just scrubbed those germs right off.</p>

<p>PS  I am still negotiating with said barista.&nbsp; He countered my offer with a week of free Grandes with extra whip (wink wink).&nbsp; To which I replied, &#8220;Make them Ventis, and we got a deal.&#8221;&nbsp; He drives a hard bargain, but I am confident that I am coming out ahead on this one, pun always intended.</p>

<p>As always, you can find Jenny at <a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle">Suburban Jungle</a>
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      <dc:date>2009-04-06T20:53:51+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Want pancakes?&amp;nbsp; Have a mammogram.&amp;nbsp; A funny and friendly reminder!</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/want_pancakes_have_a_mammogram._a_funny_and_friendly_reminder/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/want_pancakes_have_a_mammogram._a_funny_and_friendly_reminder/#When:17:55:50Z</guid>      
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I had a mammogram this week.&nbsp; I have to get one every year; though mine are small there is still room for fibroids.&nbsp; My tech went so far as to comment on them, saying they&#8217;re &#8220;perfectly perky.&#8221;&nbsp; Well, she said that after laughing aloud at the thought of getting my A&#8217;s to stay up on the shelf of the machine.&nbsp; After getting a good chuckle she stuck on a set of stunning nipple markers, which are stickers with silver balls that resemble starter earrings.</p>

<p>Tech:&nbsp; &#8220;Sorry we&#8217;re all out of fringe.&#8221;</p>

<p>Me:&nbsp; &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry, I have some at home.&#8221;</p>

<p>I guess she was right to laugh.&nbsp; The first time on the shelf they slipped right out.&nbsp; The intense squeezing actually slung-shot them back towards my body.&nbsp; The second time she got a couple ribs on board.&nbsp; I&#8217;m guessing as anchors.</p>

<p>Me:&nbsp; &#8220;Um, excuse me, is it okay that you have bone in there too?&#8221;</p>

<p>Tech:&nbsp; &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry they won&#8217;t break.&#8221;</p>

<p>Squeeze, squeeze, squeezing harder.&nbsp; Shelf lifting&#8230; on my toes to avoid bosoms being ripped clean off.&nbsp; More squeezing.&nbsp; Crunch.</p>

<p>Me:&nbsp; &#8220;What was that?&#8221;</p>

<p>Tech:&nbsp; &#8220;Just a little bone.&nbsp; Alright, just one more squeeze.&#8221;</p>

<p>Me:&nbsp; &#8220;Fine, but I think milk might come out.&#8221;</p>

<p>Tech:&nbsp; &#8220;Oh, are you breast feeding?&#8221;</p>

<p>Me:&nbsp; &#8220;No.&#8221;</p>

<p>After flattening my boobs into pancakes, I felt like a cartoon victim of a falling piano or anvil.&nbsp; I patiently waited for them to snap back, or for an animated squirrel to come along, stick a tube in and pump them back up.&nbsp; Nothing, no squirrels or skunks or other well meaning rodents came to my rescue, so I shoved them back into my sports bra and went to wait for my ultrasound.</p>

<p>While in the waiting room I noticed a woman, not a day under 100, shakily stick her nipple markers in a plastic baggy and into her pocket book.&nbsp; Either there&#8217;s one kinky  grandpa with a bottle of Viagra awaiting her return, or she&#8217;s like my grandma and takes everything.&nbsp; &#8220;You never know when it could come in handy.&#8221;&nbsp; Well it&#8217;s true, you never know when you&#8217;ll be at a coffee shop and they&#8217;ll run out of sweetener and you&#8217;ll need 1000 stolen Sweet &#8216;n Lows.&nbsp; You never know when you&#8217;ll be super hungry and those rolls from a bread basket that are now stale and linty from sitting in your handbag, will really hit the spot.&nbsp; Especially, when you have trouble chewing anything harder than soup.&nbsp; And if your boobs hang down to your knees, you might need a some assistance finding your nipples.</p>

<p>Whether you can find your nipples or not, don&#8217;t forget to get your mammogram!</p>

<p>As always, if you want more, go to<a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title=" Suburban Jungle"> Suburban Jungle</a>.
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      <dc:date>2009-03-23T17:55:50+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Starbucks is like it&#8217;s own country, and I am applying for citizenship.</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/starbucks_is_like_its_ow/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/starbucks_is_like_its_ow/#When:17:54:23Z</guid>      
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When you walk into a Starbucks it&#8217;s a little like entering another country.&nbsp; Some of the language is &#8220;Italianish&#8221; and the rest is completely made up, yet universal to all citizens.&nbsp; When you visit Starbucks for the first time you might be overwhelmed by the cultural gap and the language barrier.&nbsp; You see, Starbucks drinkers have an acute understanding of this made up ordering system, the terminology, how to conjugate the verbs, and the proper phrasing of the request i.e. size first, then special requirements, then drink type.</p>

<p>The employees, or should I call them caffeine scientists, are trained to do far more than make a cappuccino.&nbsp; My barista knows the make, model, and color of my car and when he sees it drive up, he starts my drink.&nbsp; He deduces that if I&#8217;m wearing golf or workout clothes I will require my usual to be iced and quickly dumps it and has the appropriate drink ready by the time I hit the door.&nbsp; He is keenly aware of my standard approach speed and if I seem to be ambling he&#8217;ll throw in an extra shot.</p>

<p>But, sometimes even I am shocked by how intricate requests can get.&nbsp; I think some of these drinkers actually believe they have learned another language and revel in this false sense of intelligence.</p>

<p>Today the woman in front of me ordered a tall 2 splenda, extra dry, machiatto with extra foam, on the fly.</p>

<p>Extra dry? Really? &#8220;What is extra dry&#8230; just beans?&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;No, it&#8217;s more froth.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;Didn&#8217;t she imply that when she said extra foam?&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;No the frothiness actually refers to the consistency of the foam.&#8221;</p>

<p>Why do I feel like I&#8217;m having a conversation with NASA? And yet, who am I to talk? I know that a standard latte is made at 160&#176;, which would be bad enough, except that I also know that I prefer mine at 150&#176;. My barista who also writes, Jenny from the block on every cup, actually figured this out by watching my drinking ritual. He said, &#8220;I noticed you seem to wait about 8 minutes for your coffee to cool. I think the problem is an over sensitive pallet and I suggest you drop the temp about 10 degrees. Look, this is just a hypothesis, I will investigate further.&#8221; Soon this will be something you can major in, like criminal investigation or a show, &#8220;CSI Starbucks.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;Everyone step away from the mocha, CSI unit (Coffee Scene Investigation) is here. There is nothing to see here, please disperse. What&#8217;s seems to be the problem, ma&#8217;am?&#8221;</p>

<p>Disgruntled Customer:&nbsp; &#8220;My mocha is not rich enough, and it&#8217;s too wet. I specifically said grande, 18 pump, extra fat, mildly damp, 157&#176; Mochachokaccino with extra whip that is dolloped in the shape of a pygmy monkey.&#8221;</p>

<p>The area around the cup is taped off and a bit is spilled into a petri dish and run out of the store to a mobile CSI van. The maverick of the team fearlessly swipes his finger through the java then smells and licks it, as if it&#8217;s cocaine. One more lick for good measure and an extra jolt. &#8220;Well your first problem is this is only 17 pumps. It&#8217;s also a mere 142&#176;, which if my calculations are correct mean 7 minutes ago when it was made it was 155&#176;, and not a degree more. Your other problem was in the call. The cashier/Mayor should know not to call a whip sculpted in the shape of anything other than the Starbuck&#8217;s mermaid goddess on our logo, who we in the biz affectionately call Flo.&#8221;</p>

<p>Disgruntled Customer: &#8220;Like flow of the coffee or the ocean?&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;No, like cash flow. Look, we&#8217;re gonna take this downtown to the lab, but just for the record Cappy Joe, or Cuppa Joe as we like to call him, is the best. He&#8217;ll have this coffee and a full report back to you by day&#8217;s end. Please enjoy a maximum of 2 hours free internet access in the mean time. And don&#8217;t forget to try one of our new hot breakfast sandwiches.&#8221;</p>

<p><br />
As always enjoy more of Jenny from the blog at <a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle">Suburban Jungle</a></p>

<p>
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      <dc:date>2009-03-09T17:54:23+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>The Water Retention Is Diluting My Sanity</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/the_water_retention_is_diluting_my_sanity/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/the_water_retention_is_diluting_my_sanity/#When:15:24:03Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net/bloat" title="How to retain fluids and bloat up, FAST">How to retain fluids and bloat up, FAST</a> cont&#8230;</p>

<p>WEEK 6</p>

<p>My fingers are so fat, I had to dictate this. I also had to order one of those large number phones for the visually impaired, a clapper, and a medic alert necklace in case I fall and can&#8217;t&#8230; I&#8217;m scared. The fluid retention may have water logged my brain and I fear I have officially lost it. I am babbling to myself and cannot walk across the house without a nap. I tried to cut down on salt and substitute it with garlic as was recommended by VirtualDoctor.com to even blood pressure. I ate 2 whole cloves last night. </p>

<p>WEEK 6 -day 2 </p>

<p>I brushed my teeth and tongue 27 times. My tooth brush is too short. The garlic is rising from my intestines and oozing from my pores. My closest friend asked that I back up when speaking, I was down the aisle from her to begin with. I told her I needed to apologize to the sales lady for having no idea what I was looking for and she suggested I apologize for talking to the sales lady in the first place. </p>

<p>I warded off three vampires,or were they more sales people? I don&#8217;t know, they ran so fast in the other direction, I just assumed they were vampires. One was working the register I was at and actually turned into a bat and flew away shrieking. </p>

<p>I cannot take it anymore.&nbsp; I must get away from myself. In the carpool line I went crazy and started swallowing Altoids whole with the hopes that they would dissolve in my stomach and take care of the guttural odor, at the source. First, I swallowed a half, then I started thinking, &#8216;What have I done? I don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s safe to just swallow an Altoid without chewing it.&nbsp; They are curiously strong.&#8217; </p>

<p>Me: &#8220;No, that&#8217;s silly, it&#8217;s fine. People accidentally swallow gum and mints all the time, it just takes 7 years to digest, but they survive. Just shove the other two in your mouth and be done with it.&#8221; </p>

<p>So I did and before I could talk myself out of it, I washed them down with coffee.</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;Holy shit. What did I just do? I swallowed more, and with coffee no less, a stimulant. What if they&#8217;re like Poprocks and my stomach explodes?&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;That never really happened, or did it? I don&#8217;t know for sure. My stomach is feeling a bit sour. Should I drink some ipecac?&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;No by the time I get out of carpool line they will already be absorbed into my blood stream. Maybe I should call someone and tell them what I&#8217;ve taken, so they can inform the paramedics when the ambulance arrives.&#8221;</p>

<p>Still Me: &#8220;This is ridiculous Jenny, could you imagine if people just died from swallowing mints? You would hear about it. It would be on 60 Minutes or the news. Whew.&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;Wait, I don&#8217;t watch 60 Minutes or the news. I only watch Cartoon Network, HBO and reality TV.. Fuck, I&#8217;m screwed&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;No, you would have gotten one of those mass emails warning you about swallowing mints, like microwaving saran wrap, or using plasticware with the numbers 4,6, or 7. Whew.&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;Maybe I&#8217;m the first person to swallow so many Altoids and wash them down with coffee. You have to admit it&#8217;s a bit random. Why would any sane person like myself do that?&#8221; </p>

<p>Me in a British Accent: &#8220;Pip pip and all that&#8230; Don&#8217;t worry luv, all will be splendid. Now, let&#8217;s have a spot of tea, shall we?&#8221;</p>

<p>Me: &#8220;I&#8217;d love to.&nbsp; You French people make every idea sound smart.&#8221;</p>

<p>(As always check out <a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle">Suburban Jungle</a> for more amusing articles)
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      <dc:date>2009-02-27T15:24:03+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Useless Tip:&amp;nbsp; How to retain water and bloat up, FAST!</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/useless_tip_how_to_retain_water_and_bloat_up_fast/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/useless_tip_how_to_retain_water_and_bloat_up_fast/#When:18:53:45Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last month I had a scary episode.&nbsp; I was driving and out of nowhere I felt like I was about to lose consciousness.&nbsp; I was luckily in a parking lot.&nbsp; First, I debated if I should just put the car in park out of fear that I would pass out and glide into something.&nbsp; Then, I spotted an open space, sideswiped a pedestrian that then gave me the bird, and quickly parked.&nbsp; My mind was racing, &#8220;Something is wrong, people don&#8217;t just pass out.&#8221;&nbsp; I called my husband unlocked my doors, so he could get to me, and searched for something to eat.&nbsp; I shoved a lollipop in my mouth&#8230; nothing.&nbsp; I was hanging on by a thread, when I saw my daughter&#8217;s morning sippy cup of milk.&nbsp; I sucked out the milk as fast as I could and after a rush of boiling heat radiated through my body, the feeling slowly eased.&nbsp; After a meal during which I was barely lucid, I told husband I was okay to drive myself to the doctor, which by the way took very little convincing.&nbsp; Thanks Mark.&nbsp;  </p>

<p>Now let me tell you a bit about my Doctor.&nbsp; He is a Jewish Jamaican with a strong accent and the stereotypical laid back attitude you would expect of people who use the word irie, though he does not.&nbsp; I go to him because I am too big of a hypochondriac to go to someone high strung.&nbsp; When I arrived I found him outside taking a smoke break, he rolls his own, so there&#8217;s no telling what it was. </p>

<p>&#8220;Ello luv,&nbsp; I see you got yer pretty self all worked up.&nbsp; I don&#8217;t mean to trow the book at ya, but yer blood pressure is very low&#8230; too too low.&nbsp; Yer passin&#8217; out cause yer not getting enough oxygen to yer brain daarlin&#8217;.&nbsp; </p>

<p>&#8220;That actually explains some other issues.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;Well, ya got ta take care of dis yerself, cause yer not gonna like the medcine I&#8217;d &#8216;ave to put ya on.&nbsp; Now go to the store and buy everyting wid salt.&nbsp; Get some matzoh ball soup and put extra salt init, put salt on yer salt.&nbsp;  Everyting you been taught, ferget it.&nbsp; Rememba ya need tons of fluids, &#8216;cause ya &#8216;ave to retain &#8216;em.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;What about water?&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;Water? No. That&#8217;s terrible fer ya, that just washes the sodium away.&nbsp; I prefer you &#8216;ave a coke, that &#8216;as yer, salt yer caffeine, and yer sugar.&nbsp; It&#8217;s the perfect drink fer yer &#8216;ealth.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;Yes, I believe that&#8217;s their campaign slogan.&nbsp; Drink Coke, It&#8217;s Perfect For Your Health.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;OK then, I love ya daarlin.&nbsp; &#8216;Ave a space cake fer the road.&#8221;</p>

<p>Did I mention he takes his appointments in a small shack?&nbsp; I&#8217;m totally kidding, it&#8217;s more of a trailer.</p>

<p>So, if I want to stay awake, I must retain water and eat and drink crap, and if I want to stay thin, I must pass out. Hmmm, well I certainly wouldn&#8217;t be the first person who passed out trying to stay thin.&nbsp; It is against everyting, sorry everthing, in me to purposely retain fluids.&nbsp; But apparently, this medicine is something I want to avoid so here goes.</p>

<p>WEEK 1-&nbsp; Filled pantry with  pretzels, pistachios, popcorn, pickles, peppercorn jack, and Pepsi.&nbsp; I know, you&#8217;re thinking they all have&#8230; salt in them, and that&#8217;s why I got them.</p>

<p>WEEK 2-&nbsp; Ate and drank all of the above.&nbsp; Wide awake.&nbsp; Feelin&#8217; gooood.&nbsp; </p>

<p>WEEK 3- Feeling sluggish. Fingers pruning&#8230; Must have sweet, in need of a cupcake.&nbsp; I secretly busted a pi&#241;ata at Ryan&#8217;s friend&#8217;s 4th birthday, and ravaged the remains.&nbsp; I blamed it on a little kid that teases Ryan, who just happened to be the birthday boy.&nbsp; Ahhh, sweet sweet revenge.&nbsp; </p>

<p>WEEK 4- Cannot look at another saltine.&nbsp; Putting MnMs in my soup instead of oyster crackers.&nbsp; Can no longer wear rings.&nbsp; Thighs are becoming too friendly with each other.&nbsp; Mission accomplished.&nbsp; Do I cry or cheer?</p>

<p>WEEK 5-&nbsp; Too bloated to cook.&nbsp; Can&#8217;t get fingers around pan handles.&nbsp; Oven mitts don&#8217;t fit.&nbsp; Had Mark install salt licks around the house for convenience.&nbsp; Lick them each time I waddle by.&nbsp; Will write more tomorrow, sausage fingers too swollen for keys.</p>

<p><b></b><b></b>Check out more from <a href="http://suburbanjungle.net" title="Suburban Jungle ">Suburban Jungle </a>.&nbsp; Also, feel free to join the new FB group and pass it on to friends.
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      <dc:date>2009-02-18T18:53:45+00:00</dc:date>
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      <title>Why Do People Insist On Forwarding Those Annoying Chain Emails?</title>
      <link>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/httpwww.suburbanjungle.netblog&#45;voodoo/</link>
      <guid>http://blogs.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/jenny_isenman/httpwww.suburbanjungle.netblog-voodoo/#When:03:08:08Z</guid>      
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      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am not a fan of the chain letter. I know you&#8217;re thinking why not? Everyone loves a good threat. Well, I erase them right away because as ridiculous as it sounds, there is a part of me that feels that once I&#8217;ve read one of those things, the clock has started. How the universe is somehow connected to my AOL account, is a mystery. My password is pretty easy, maybe that&#8217;s the problem.</p>

<p>Some chain letters go so far as to mention G-d. The idea that The Almighty is busy checking my inbox and confirming that I have forwarded the mail to the specified amount of people, in the allotted amount of time, seems like a stretch. Yet, that irrational side is like, &#8220;What if?&#8221; &#8220;What if G-d wants me to pass on this sentimental poem about growing up in the 80&#8217;s.&#8221;</p>

<p>Yesterday, I got one of those emails. In the subject box it read, &#8220;Sorry, I Had To. &#8220; I have to say, if your subject is an apology for sending an email in the first place, rethink pushing that forward button. This particular one was a message about empowering women and asked that I forward it to 9 of my Sista&#8217;s. The list of recipients was 50 scroll-downs long. Apparently, Sista&#8217;s all over the world are passing this thing around.</p>

<p>All I do each day is think about how to get my blog circulating, and here&#8217;s some poorly written warning- that actually refers to women as Sista&#8217;s - and it&#8217;s more popular than my well thought out, hilariously funny articles. So I will apologize in advance for the rest of this post.</p>

<p><b>If you forward <a href="http://www.suburbanjungle.net/blog-voodoo">http://www.suburbanjungle.net/blog-voodoo</a> to 5 of your friends, within the next hour you will meet with great fortune. Your children will be smarter, your hair will be thicker, your boobs will be fuller, and you will receive a check for $10 MILLION! This may be a humor column, but it&#8217;s NO JOKE! I had a paralegal look it over and she said it&#8217;s legit. Just yesterday a woman in Westchester sent this on to 5 of her friends and the minute she hit that button, she got a call from her Mother-In-Law saying they couldn&#8217;t make it over for dinner! Need I say more?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, if you do not take this seriously, I must fear for your safety! A mother in Idaho who ignored this request, was shopping at a Gap later that day, and inadvertently smashed into the window trying to exit the store. She was not physically harmed, but she was extremely embarrassed. </p>

<p>I guarantee misfortune if you do not send this, because I will personally come out to your home or place of work and open fire. I will! I have a moderately powerful Nerf gun that shoots like ten rounds, and those suctions cups can have a very strong stick factor. I could get one right between your eyes and then it would take a lot of spit and pulling to get it off. I don&#8217;t know for certain, but it could leave an unsightly mark! All I&#8217;m saying is think about it&#8230; $10 MILLION or my saliva all over your face? </p>

<p>Okay, tick tock&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.</b></p>

<p>Seriously, pass it on. Help a Sista out!
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      <dc:date>2009-01-26T03:08:08+00:00</dc:date>
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