Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Una is so bored with dog haters

Yesterday morning I was taking Una on her morning walk and, while Una was sniffing the grass, a voice shot at us from across the street.

An unseen woman called out, "Miss, why don't you take your dog to the park instead of letting her go on people's lawns?"

I peered across the street but couldn't tell who was speaking. It could have been from any number of shaded windows on the block of row houses.

My usual policy is not to engage with aggressive people, so I simply gave Una a tug on the leash and walked away, thinking that this woman is clearly not a dog owner and has no understanding of what it involves.

Yes, I could take my dog to a park, but there are no dog parks within easy walking reach, and the accessible parks are frequented by children with mothers who would no doubt be just as disapproving of my dog following the call of nature. Even if I had a dog park within easy walking distance, I would have to diaper my dog on the walk there to keep her from relieving herself along the way.

Let me make something clear. I am a responsible pet owner. I carry a small purse with me in which I carry several plastic bags that can be used to pick up Una's leavings, so to speak. I also carry a bag of treats to reward her for good behavior, such as heeling properly when we walk by large groups of people, being polite and nice to strangers who come up to pet her, and sitting quietly while I collect her, um, presents.

But this isn't the first time someone has peremptorily yelled out of a window or a doorway at me, because my dog dared to set a foot on their lawn. "If your dog does something, you better pick it up."

This puts me on the defensive, and I wave a plastic bag at them and continue on my way. Maybe I should wear a blinking sign that says, "I pick up my dog's poo."

These same people would probably be offended if I yelled peremptory commands at them when they were doing nothing wrong. Say, when they're driving past me down the street: "Don't run over anybody!"

I know there are bad pet owners out there, but I'm not one of them. I keep my dog healthy. I pick up after her. She's safe around adults, children and other dogs. I keep her on a leash, and she's clean. The only thing more I could do to satisfy the dog haters, I suppose, would be to make her invisible.

Since I have no idea who the voice from the shadows was, I'll be extra careful at that end of the block, making sure that Una doesn't take any inordinately long sniffs. After all, don't want to give my unseen critic a brain aneurysm.

On the brighter side of things, I got a facial for the first time yesterday. I'd been thinking about it, because some of the bridal magazines recommended it as part of a pre-wedding beauty regimen. They suggested trying one first several months before the wedding so you can see how your skin reacts. Some people, apparently, break out just after a facial, since it opens up your pores and releases clogged up dirt.

I'd scheduled a mini-facial, or 30-minute facial, with the aesthetician who waxes my eyebrows at my hair salon. She was running behind, so we got started about 20 minutes late.

She led me into a room where the light was dimmed and soft music was playing. She handed me a towel-like Velcro wrap to use in place of my top but told me I could keep my bra on. I was to change and get under the blanket on the table. I did so while she was out of the room.

When she returned, she got things ready while we chatted about my trip to Vermont, since I'd mentioned it on Thursday when I had my eyebrows done. She'd gone to Atlantic City with a friend this past weekend, to sit on the beach. Funny, she didn't look tanned at all; probably because she uses sunscreen faithfully.

Before she started, she explained what she was going to do. She was going to use some different facial treatments, do some facial massage, check for blackheads and then put on a facial mask.

To open up the pores, she blew steam on my face, which felt pleasant, especially since she'd sprayed a little scent nearby. Then she spread some sort of cream over my face that felt like a scrub with a eucalyptus scent.

Several other creams followed, all of them smelling pleasant and natural. Between them, she'd put a hot towel over my face and then rub the cream off.

She did a massage of my face and shoulders, which was different from when my sister, who's a certified massage therapist, gave me a facial massage. Instead of focusing on points of tension, such as behind the ears and the temples, this massage was to invigorate the skin. It involved tapping and pinching motions, which sounds painful but felt relaxing.

In addition, she rubbed some heated rocks over my face, which felt very much like a massage themselves.

The only part of the experience which didn't feel so good was when she removed a number of blackheads, particularly on my nose. I'm not sure exactly how she did it, because she put something over my eyes first, but it felt like she was using some sort of sterile needle or similar device to remove the blockages.

She gave me advice on how to minimize blackheads in the future. She said that in addition to a cleansing routine, you should scrub your face once a week with a facial scrub to remove the dead skin that can block pores.

Last was the facial mask, which she said had vitamins in it, and it smelled like it did. She left it on for several minutes before removing it with the hot towel. She told me that, except for the blackheads, I have good skin, which was nice to hear.

Finally, she left the room and told me to take my time coming out. I put my top back on and looked in the mirror. My face showed some signs of redness, particularly around the nose, but otherwise it was very smooth and soft.

When I stepped into the main room, where they do manicures and pedicures and which smells like nail polish, I started to swoon. So the aesthetician got me some water, and I sat down and drank about half a bottle. She asked me if I'd had anything to eat, and I told her I was meeting my fiancé soon for dinner.

I was surprised to discover that it was nearly 5 p.m., which was an hour later than I'd expected, so I called The Gryphon to let him know I was running late. So was he, so the timing worked out perfectly.

He had his hair appointment that evening, and we usually go to dinner first before I drop him off. Since we didn't have much time, we ate at Bertucci's, where I had the Basalmic Grilled Chicken, which was really tasty. We finished with good time, and I dropped him at the salon for his appointment.

This morning, the redness has practically disappeared, and I can really see a difference, particularly on my nose. I have to plead ignorance: I didn't know that the darkness in my nose was from clogged pores. I thought it was from sun damage and thought that if the facial didn't help, I might consult a dermatologist. Hopefully, if I adopt a weekly facial scrub routine, it should stay a bit nicer.

Currently, I use Noxema every day to wash my face, followed by an astringent and then by a moisturizer by Oil of Olay which includes SPF 15.

I'll go in for another facial about a week or two before the wedding, just to refresh my skin. Maybe next time, I'll try the hour-long version.

Seeing my former belly dancing instructor, Salome, perform recently reminded me how much I missed belly dancing, so I ordered an exercise DVD by twins Veena and Neena Bidasha.

This DVD includes two toning workouts, one focusing on arms and abs, the other on hips, buns and thighs. I did both this morning, just to see what they were. The routines include primarily belly dancing movements designed to work the targeted muscles, with a few additional floor exercises in the case of the hips, buns and thighs workout.

I loved the workout, even though it didn't get into the realm of true dancing. I think they are both great toning exercises which can be performed individually or together instead of the toning workouts I have been doing on a daily basis. Combined with daily dog walks, two weekly weightlifting workouts at the gym, and daily aerobic exercise with the game Dance Dance Revolution, I'm sure that I will continue to maintain the fitness I've achieved, plus fine-tune the toning.

The only drawback to reaching this stage of fitness is that I no longer am rewarded every week by watching the number on the scale fall. Instead, the scale has crept upward about five pounds, while many of my clothes are fitting a little looser.

I'm not complaining, you understand. It's just a matter of readjusting my thinking so that I judge success by looking at my measurements and not the scale.

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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