Hair Spray

They came to pay off a wager, but they couldn't escape a little trash talk. California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer walked humbly to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's Capitol Hill hideaway on Thursday to pay off their Super Bowl bet, showering Mikulski and Sen. Ben Cardin with cheese, wine and crab -- the West Coast variety. "This is real crab," Feinstein said as she handed a Dungeness crab to the Maryland senators. "It was caught a few days ago in a trap off of the Golden Gate Bridge...It comes with our deepest congratulations.

It must be hard for David Lee Roth to accept what has become of his career.Once the leader of the greatest post-Led Zeppelin rock 'n' roll band in the world -- Van Halen -- Roth has now been relegated to the musical B-team and is even being upstaged in the minor leagues by upstarts like Cinderella and Extreme, who opened his show last night at Merriweather Post Pavilion.Last night's effort from "Diamond Dave" was nothing short of pathetic.Roth gave his solo music and the hallowed classics of Van Halen such poor readings that it was easy to believe he would stop halfway through the show and say it was all a bad joke.

There was one line for Elvis and another line for everything else.The postal clerk bellowed: "Is anyone here for anything other than Elvis?"No one answered.Everyone was in the Elvis line.By noon, it numbered more than a hundred, and had snaked out the door and into the parking lot.This occurred at the United States Post Office in Brooklyn Park, where, at noon on what would have been the 58th birthday of Elvis Presley, postage stamps honoring the King of Rock and Roll were offered to an eager public.

Howard County police and school health officials have wisely taken the offensive against an apparent increase in inhalant abuse among local students. Sometimes called "huffing" or "bagging," the practice involves inhaling the vapor from household products, such as glue and hair spray. Kids downplay it as a fairly harmless high ("It's not like it's going to kill you," one Howard student said in a recent Sun article on inhalants), but they're fooling themselves. Experts agree that abusing inhalants, cheap and accessible buzz, can lead to serious physicaldamage and to habitual use of alcohol, marijuana and other substances as youngsters get jobs and the cash to pay forharder stuff.

MIAMI -- Federal charges are expected within days against American Airlines, accusing Miami's No. 1 air carrier of endangering passengers by mishandling hazardous cargo and carrying it illegally on its jets.It could be the first time in aviation history that a major airline is charged criminally for transporting hazardous materials.Combustibles, pesticides, corrosives and other substances -- such as cases of flammable perfumes and dangerous hair spray canisters -- are some of the materials that have been loaded improperly, according to federal sources close to the case.

FAMILY FUN will be the theme for Spring Garden Elementary's annual Spring Garden Party on Saturday.The carnival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school on Boxwood Drive in Hampstead.Games that cost 25 cents each, a free magic show and food choices are scaled to the elementary school child.Crafts this year include sand art, bracelets that display one's name, spin art and colored hair spray -- perhaps the most popular choice for all ages last year, said one teacher.At noon, Hampstead magician Cal Horelick will present his "Magic by Cal" show on the school stage.

NEW YORK Sometimes the greatest challenge is to keep a straight face.Such was the case Monday as fashion designers unveiled their new wares for spring and summer '91 at the Carolina Herrera show in New York. A gentleman in the suit complained rather loudly that the woman behind him had, well, poked him in a sensitive place as he was sitting down.Note: Deborah Norville, co-host of NBC's "Today" show and noticeably pregnant, was sitting behind the man, but it was not she who "poked" him.And it took enormous control not to laugh out loud when the last outfit in the Rebecca Moses spring '91 show turned out to be a wedding gown with a totally transparent top. The model had a terrible time deciding where to hold her bouquet.

Know what to look for in a garmentAccording to the Leather Apparel Association in New York City, the key to buying leather garments is knowing what you want.Costs can range from $100 to $1,000 and up way up in the case of high-fashion designer labels depending on the quality of the raw material and the quality of the work involved.But most people judge leather by the "hand," an industry term for the way the material feels. Generally speaking, the softer the hand, the better the leather, and the more expensive the garment.

For more than three decades, the Anne Arundel Community College's Performing Arts Department has sponsored annual theater trips taking area residents and full-time theater students to Broadway shows. Until this year, Robert Kauff- man -- a professor affectionately known as "the Chief" -- organized and led most of the trips. He possessed uncanny abilities, predicting hits and securing choice seats to top shows. Before he retired in January, Kauffman passed the baton to Barbara Marder, chairwoman of the college's Performing Arts Department.

IF YOU HAVEN'T made plans for tonight, why not think about dropping by the Mount Washington Tavern for Brick Night, starting at six-ish, to benefit the Buy-A-Brick campaign for the Baltimore Harbor Endowment?We'll be guest bartending with Bill Gilmore of the Baltimore Office Of Promotion, Marty Lastner of Harborplace/Rouse Company, and consultant Johnnie Ponzie, with tips benefiting the cause. A special attraction of the evening's festivities will be Tarot Card Readings by developer, Ted Rouse, and an appearance by the "Baltimore Brick," the Buy-a-Brick Campaign mascot!