Spousal Shenanigans Are Unmasked--or Are They?

Since it’s that time of the year, the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society’s Web page (snopes.com) carries a recurrent tale about a married couple who are invited to a Halloween costume party.

Just before they set out, so the story goes, she decides to stay home because of sickness. But she urges her hubby to go anyway. Later, feeling better, she dons her outfit and makes a late arrival at the party. Since her hubby hasn’t seen her costume, she reasons, this would be a good opportunity to monitor his behavior.

Alas, he’s flirting with several women. Without identifying herself, she silently seduces him in a bedroom at the house--motioning for both to keep their masks on. She leaves immediately.

When he arrives home later, she pretends she hadn’t gone to the party and asks him if he had a good time. He says that since it was no fun without her, he loaned his costume to someone else and played poker in a back room the entire evening.

He adds that the fellow who borrowed his costume reported having a terrific time.

THE COOKIE MONSTER CRUMBLES: A reader pointed out that Lake Forest used to have several colorful street names clustered in the Thomas Bros. Street Guide, including Sesame Street, Grover Lane, Kurmit Drive, Oscar Way, Big Bird Lane and Cookie Monster Road (see accompanying).

No word on why Kurmit was misspelled.

Whatever, they’re nowhere to be found in the latest guide. Instead, those streets are represented by unlabeled broken lines.

Thomas Bros. says that the streets were erased a while back after it learned they’re private roads inside a mobile home park and are not recognized by the U.S. Postal Service.

I’d hate to have heard Oscar the Grouch’s reaction.

The identity of the informant was not disclosed. But it could have been one glamorous blond who felt snubbed. There was no Miss Piggy Road.

THE HUMAN TOUCH: “I needed some information from my brokerage firm,” writes Diane Kravif of L.A. “I asked them to fax it to me at my work number and also asked them to mark it ‘personal.’ Here’s what they sent me.” (see accompanying).

YOU DON’T SAY: Patricia Davey of Northridge happened upon a firm that was no doubt responding to the item here about the Oxford English Dictionary’s search for new words (see photo).

MEMORABLE GLITCHES (CONT.): With the Staples Center opening this weekend, I reminisced on Thursday about Disneyland’s first-day problems in 1955.

Here are some other stadium bugs that Staples will also be striving to avoid:

* Dodger Stadium, 1962: Fans complained about an absence of drinking fountains on opening day (small wonder: There were a total of two, one in each dugout). One woman told The Times that a worker told her she was welcome to drink from the taps in the restrooms.

* The Pond, Anaheim, 1993: A raucous singing mascot named Iceman was such a non-favorite with the fans at the Mighty Ducks’ first game that he was benched after the second intermission--forever. He blamed his horrible voice on technical difficulties.

* The Pyramid, Long Beach, 1994: Soon after the basketball arena opened, it developed some leaks. They were repaired, however, dispelling fears that the Pyramid was being tormented by the curse of the pharaohs.

* The Getty Center, Brentwood, 1998: Visitors complained of a shortage of restrooms and drinking fountains. There was no shortage of bottled Getty Water on sale, though.

miscelLAny:

Did you hear about the guy who allegedly broke a window, sneaked into an L.A. church and was cooking a turkey in the kitchen when he was arrested? The suspect told the LAPD he had arrived early to help prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.