Smooth surfing

Chafing boardshorts have been a problem since surfers first started wearing Jams. The shorts catch on your knees and thighs, creating friction that can lead to an embarrassing itch. Boardshort makers have a variety of ways to deal with this.

Quiksilver uses a fabric with a diamond-shaped pattern, so there’s less fabric in contact with the skin, thus less friction. Billabong has a stretchy fabric, and Rip Curl has boardshorts with smooth, glued seams that don’t grab.

These Quiksilver boardshorts cost $50 at local stores. — Steven Mark

It’s a pumpkin party

Linus van Pelt and I have one thing in common: We can’t wait for the Great Pumpkin to make its annual fall visit. There’s Pumpkin Smash at Jamba Juice, pumpkin cheesecake at Buzz’s Lanikai and, especially, Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but when PSL is on the menu, the Enchanted Lake Center barista and I become close friends.

Maybe not that close this year. Newly discovered at Safeway is Lucerne’s Pumpkin Pecan coffee creamer ($3.49 on sale), which does wonders for the home brew and my budget. Leaves me more cash for my other seasonal indulgence: Christmas ornaments. — Cindy Luis

Bejeweled blitz

It started so innocently.

"Whatcha playing?" I asked my wife as she lined up one three-jewel row after another, each providing a satisfying ping or enticing explosion.

"Try it," the temptress cooed. "Just one time won’t hurt."

So the first one-minute dose with the online puzzle game featured on Facebook came and went … then a second … and a third. Soon a day without a hypercube became interminable.

The app tracks your cumulative stats, providing a metric for the minutes, hours and days it took to achieve your current ranking of Gemcrafter Level 3. Of course, dwelling on such things could lead to considering more redeeming pursuits like — oh, I don’t know — collecting rain with a sieve? — Jason Kaneshiro

Mmm, mmm, prune mui

My latest favorite snack is the delicious Cookies In Paradise prune mui from Costco. With the exception of the holidays, I don’t often see prune mui in larger sizes, so I was delighted to see the plastic tubs when I went to Costco. I love the apricots and prunes, but the cranberries give it a nice touch. There is just the right amount of sauce, too! It’s nice to take to the mainland for omiyage. The price is reasonable ($7.99), and the picture on the container lets the giftee know it’s from Hawaii. I try to support local companies when I can, and Cookies In Paradise is a small local company that makes its products fresh on Oahu. — Sandra Shomura, Mililani

Waiting for the fat man

They can decorate the stores in September. They can put out holiday sale signs in October. They can post Salvation Army bell ringers in November. But in my heart the Christmas season doesn’t start until Santa arrives at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual balloon fest has been a favorite family ritual since I was a little girl, and now I look forward to watching it on TV with my own children. The parade airs at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day on NBC. — Donica Kaneshiro