Two things happened today that made me a better parent.
First, I got a facial. Even the aesthetician’s aghast remark that she had never
heard of anyone putting oil on her face as a moisturizer (huh?) did not
interfere (very much) with the serenity of lying in near silence for 60 minutes
having the furrows in my brow steam-cleaned, masked, and massaged. The
forbidden oil is Spectrum organic coconut oil, packaged as skin-care oil. Right
now it’s on sale at New
Seasons. A few months is too soon to tell if it has a marked effect on the
furrows, but at $8.29 for a giant 15 oz. tub, it is worth finding out. This in
contrast to $30 for the little ½ oz. pot of eye cream that my spineless,
age-phobic self bought after Aesthetician’s (presumably) casual remark about
fine lines. Hmm. Next time I’m going to Zenana.
The second was finding my copy of Husker
Du’s Zen Arcade that I got signed by
the band in a Eugene record store, back when Eugene had a downtown mall and
there were record stores. Back when I was 17 with a furrowed brow but no fine
lines (though I think my friend J. and I went looking for some after meeting
the band and before the show). As a parent, I would now say we weren’t making
good choices, but then . . . it was the 80’s. If you don’t already have one,
you could go get your own copy of Zen Arcade and look for the secret messages
scratched in the runoff area of the disc (“Falling, Shirley, Every Time I
Square Off Against Someone’s God”). Music
Millennium has some on backorder. Or whatever makes you feel 17 again.
60 minutes of facial and 30 minutes or so of playing some of
the record (“Never Talking to You Again,” “Turn On the News” and “Reoccurring
Dreams”) allowed me a little time to be the person who deserves some
unrepentant hedonism and also the one who never ever wiped someone else’s bum
and usually got to finish a sentence. It made me agree to painting, group
cookie baking, multiple games of Candyland AND a screening of “It’s the Great
Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” all in the same afternoon. This is a big deal for my
kids, maybe not for yours. Probably you’re not as humorless. Maybe you’re a
better parent.
My absolute favorite place to go when I need to be a better
parent and have more than 90 minutes is Loyly
Sauna (2713 SE 21st Ave). The best deal is to buy a 5-visit card
for $80. Given that you can stay up to three hours at each visit, that’s a
lemon-grass steam room, cedar sauna, super-cool magazines, and glorious quiet
for less than $6/hour. Its sleek, spare interior emphasizes the lack of
sharp-edged toys to step on. Water comes in corn-based plastic cups. For a few
dollars more, Jessica will give you generous dollops of organic Dr. Hauschka
scrubs and masks, or even a steaming hot flower-filled foot soak. Or cleansing
tea. Or dark chocolate and red wine. Women-only, men-only, and coed times. It’s
the best place to go in SE Portland when you need a time-out, hands-down.
Finally, if 80’s hardcore and self-indulgence just aren’t
enough, there is the Portland
Parenting Connection Conference this weekend (10/20-21). Naturopathic
physician Ed Hoffman-Smith is bringing in Aletha Solter, a developmental
psychologist and founder of the Aware Parenting Institute. Local sponsors
include Zenana
Spa, Yoga
Bhoga, and gDiapers (www.gdiapers.com,coupon in Chinook Book for $2 off).
Now if I can just find that journal Henry Rollins signed
back in 1985 . . . More...