Angelika Fires are as much a part of everyday life here in California, just like earthquakes. Every year, there are fires somewhere in late summer, often in Southern California, where it is hotter and drier. However, this year the wildfires are reaching alarming proportions. Over 1,700 fires, many of them in Northern California, have been burning since June 20, and more than 300 of them are still not extinguished.

Michael In early June, we once again went on an old folks vacation to Hawaii. To European ears, this might sound absurd, but if we want to hang out on the beach for a week relatively inexpensively and without much hassle, Hawaii is our preferred destination. The flight from San Francisco takes about five hours, which is easy to endure. You don't need a passport, just a California driver's license, and you can shop in familiar supermarkets and pay with the same currency on the island paradise as you do at home.

Michael And this time we even took in the cultural program around Pearl Harbor. If you paid attention in history class, you know that a battle took place in this harbor near Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, after which America immediately entered World War II on the side of the Allies against Germany.

Angelika Good things come to those who wait. Since June 16, same-sex couples in California can legally say 'I do.' This makes California the second state, alongside Massachusetts, to allow this. You might remember how it all started. In February 2004, our Mayor Gavin Newsom gave the green light, and thousands of same-sex couples got married in an ad-hoc ceremony at San Francisco City Hall ( Rundbrief 03/2004 ).

Michael If you get ripped off or were treated rudely, you should complain. But how do you do that in the USA? If you're stuck on the line with some idiot from the call center and can't make any progress, you ask to speak to the boss. "Can I speak to your supervisor, please?" you ask, and then the idiots usually wake up and try to appease you. Politely but firmly, you point out that you didn't get the information you were looking for and now want to speak to the supervisor. Yes, really. The call center people have to do that.

Michael As you know, gas prices have skyrocketed in the USA. Those who drive fuel-efficient Japanese hybrid cars are quietly pleased. On the other hand, drivers of gas-guzzling American cars are left empty-handed.

Angelika In addition to the car dealer gimmicks described by Michael, we've been flooded with tips on saving gasoline. These include everything from driving less, removing unnecessary weight from the trunk, staying slightly below the speed limit of 65 miles per hour on the highway, maintaining the correct tire pressure, to downright absurdities like turning off the engine when driving downhill. The latter, however, prompted an immediate outcry from the AAA (the American equivalent of the ADAC) because it is dangerous. It is slowly becoming clear here that gasoline prices will remain high in the long term or may even rise further. I am sure that $10 per gallon is on the horizon in the near future (in Germany, if you convert gallons to liters and dollars to euros, you already have $9.57 per gallon of premium gasoline).

Angelika Driving in San Francisco and the surrounding areas can often drive you nuts. It's not just the heavy traffic that's to blame, but also the many drivers who seemingly won their driver's license in a lottery or drive as if they don't have one at all. Which, by the way, is not that uncommon in California.

Michael And one more note on my own behalf: For the tenth anniversary of the magazine column that I write every month for the German Linux Magazine, the magazine had a kind of Home-Story published, which is now finally available online. With some photos, our exciting life in San Francisco is documented and my heroic deeds are praised. I think it turned out quite well, quite entertaining, and even relatively accurate. My next goal is to be on the cover of the German finance magazine "Capital", when I finally achieve the big breakthrough with a startup company. I'm working on it, but I can't perform miracles!

Angelika Summer is here, and the dollar exchange rate is incredibly low. The tourism office in San Francisco is rubbing its hands with glee because San Francisco is still highly popular among American and European tourists! And since we don't want you to wander along the well-trodden tourist paths, today I'm going to share a little insider tip with you once again.