Reading: Lots of web stuff on my Palm (am I a geek, or what?) using AvantGo, a kind of mini-browser for the Palm. AvantGo converts Web pages into Palm-readable format and automatically transfers them to the device whenever I synchronize my Palm with my PC. I get the local weather, articles from Salon Mothers Who Think, and (thanks to Tab, who found the URL for me), news stories from the Philadelphia Inquirer every morning. I also have a couple of books loaded in my Palm, courtesy of the good folks at Project Gutenberg. For an insatiable reader like me, it's comforting to know that I always have reading material at my fingertips.

New Uses for Chapstick

A couple of months ago, I bought cherry-flavored Chapstick lip balm for Stephen and Matthew, who had long coveted Daniel's Chapstick. A day or two later, however, Tab discovered pink markings, suspiciously waxy and cherry-scented, on the arms of our off-white couch and love seat. Each twin professed innocence while at the same time accusing the other. Acknowledging the futility of trying to determine the responsible party, Tab immediately confiscated both tubes of Chapstick.

In the following weeks, the boys lobbied hard for the return of their Chapstick. "My lips are hurting! I need Chapstick!" was their constant refrain. Last week, I noticed that their lips were indeed becoming sore and chapped, a consequence of the cool, drier air of autumn. I returned the Chapstick to them after extracting their promises not to treat it as a drawing instrument. Stephen lost his tube within a few days of its return, but Matthew, who is always more careful with his possessions, still has his.

Yesterday, Matthew bumped his head against a door during a typically boisterous game with Stephen. His forehead wasn't cut, nor did it swell, so he must not have hit it too hard. A little later I noticed his forehead was quite pink. I thought at first I had underestimated his injury, but when I examined him, I discovered he had coated his forehead with Chapstick. He evidently thinks that it is a kind of universal antidote.

This morning we attended the Halloween parade and party at Daniel's school. Tab was able to come, too, having taken a comp. day off. After Daniel dressed and ate breakfast, I applied his Darth Maul makeup. This was my third attempt and the most successful to date. I think I have the hang of it, now. Tab, watching, said, "You could be one of those face painters at festivals."

"Yeah," I responded. "Except, I only know how to do Darth Maul. Children would be coming up and asking for rainbows and butterflies on their faces, and I'd have to say, `It's Darth Maul or nothing, kid.' "

With his red and black face, black sweats, and Darth Maul belt and hooded cloak, Daniel cut an impressive figure. He wanted to bring his double light saber, but the information sheet that was sent to the parents earlier this month stated that masks and weapons were forbidden from the Halloween parade.

Stephen and Matthew are the unofficial mascots of Daniel's class and were invited to take part in the parade. They were adorable as a ladybug and a bee, respectively.

At 10 a.m., the costumed children, from the pre-schoolers on up to Daniel's group, assembled out in front of the school and were lined up two by two. The "parade" was nothing more than a stroll to a nearby park and back, but it afforded photo ops for the parents and an opportunity for the kids to display their Halloween finery.

The hot costumes among the smaller set this year seem to be Pokémon characters. Of course, as one of the mothers said to me, only parents of young children are going to recognize those characters. Superheroes remain popular among the boys: I spotted at least two Supermen, two Spidermen, and one lone Batman. Two preschool girls were dressed as Dorothy, from hair bows and gingham pinafores down to ankle socks and ruby slippers. There were no other Darth Mauls (Darths Maul?), but there was one Anakin Skywalker.

Daniel's costume was a big hit with everyone, especially his teacher, who is herself a Star Wars fan. "Where's your double light saber?" she asked. I reminded her that the kids weren't supposed to bring in weapons, and she whispered to him, "I would have made an exception for you." She loved Daniel's face makeup, and she told him that if he wanted, he could leave it on for the rest of the day. I was pleased about that; having spent more than forty-five minutes working on his face, I would have been disappointed to have to wash it off after just an hour.

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