My kingdom for these cakes and marzipan figures from Dean & DeLuca.
2. Halloween music
Halloweenradio.net has three channels — regular Halloween radio, Halloween oldies, and Halloween atmosphere (creepy sounds like “Rats All Over the Body”). Halloween oldies is my favorite because their playlist includes “Do the Rigormortis,” “Zombie Jamboree,” “I’m in the Ground for Good,” and this classic:
3. Halloween products
Decorative Halloween gear can be odd in the middle of summer, so I prefer functional items which can be used year-round — like mini bottles of hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works. I have “Vampire Blood” and “Bat Bite”; they smell nice.
The “go goth!” and “free cuff bracelet!” are dubious, but the names of these OPI nail polishes override that: Unripened, Nevermore, Sanguine, and Obscurity.
A few weeks ago I bought a bat cookie cutter in Delaware for 29 cents. That was an exciting day. I also want these cupcake baking cups.
4. Halloween smartphone apps
Angry Birds has already taken over my life; now there’s Angry Birds Halloween. Doodle Jump has a cute, free Halloween update and Plants vs. Zombies is on sale for 99 cents until the end of October!
5. Halloween TV shows
I enjoy being inundated with special Halloween episodes and horror movie marathons, but it isn’t really Halloween until It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is on TV. One of my favorite scenes:
A 24-hour donut shop in the Nob Hill neighborhood. Hot donuts taste even better after midnight.
They start making donuts around 9-10 PM. You can call ahead or check their Twitter to see when they’re ready, but we got lucky and arrived in the middle of a live donut making session.
A whole rack of cooling donuts. Cool faster, damn you.
At last, paradise by the neon light. This classic glazed donut was fresh and hot and so, so delicious.
Lots of people come here for the apple fritters. I liked the fresh apple chunks inside, but after having a hot donut, a room temperature one just couldn’t compare.
We tried an old-fashioned cake donut too (not hot); I really learned the best plan is to get whatever’s fresh out of the deep fryer, regardless of what kind it is.
Late night donut paparazzi showdown.
If every neighborhood had a 24-hour donut shop like Bob’s, the world would be a happier place.
Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop / @whatsfreshest
1621 Polk Street
(between Sacramento Street & Clay Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 776-3141
An important thing to consider when thinking of a band name: if it looks good on a marquee.
VAMPS is a Japanese rock band formed by Hyde — the lead singer of L’Arc~en~Ciel — and K.A.Z from Oblivion Dust. They were in New York last weekend as part of their world tour and New York Comic Con & Anime Festival.
Here’s Hyde. He’s 41 years old. His Dorian Gray situation kills me. I had a crush on him in high school — how come he still looks the same?
K.A.Z and his awesome hair.
They played a fun, high energy show that lasted two solid hours. The setlist included a few covers, including songs by Bowie and the Beatles, but my favorite was probably their version of Shampoo’s “Trouble.”
There was also neat VAMPS merch for sale at relatively cheap prices (concert posters were $5 and tote bags were $10). They should add Hyde’s youth elixir to the lineup.
