Michael Here in the city and further south in Silicon Valley, not only is the number of Tesla drivers steadily increasing, but more and more muscle-enhancing electric vehicles for short distances are now visibly zipping through the streets, mostly driven by so-called Millennials, or Internet lemmings, as I like to call them.

Angelika We don't fly very often, but whenever we do, we notice that it has become quite common for passengers to bring their dogs onto the plane. And these are not always small dogs or dogs traveling in a pet carrier. No, the dogs walk into the plane on a leash and then sit on their owner's lap. Flying has already become a pure ordeal because the seats are too small and cramped, and everyone thinks they need to bring half their household onto the plane since all airlines are now charging fees for checked luggage.

Angelika It's been over ten years since we were in Santa Fe in the state of New Mexico ( Rundbrief 10/2006 ). And since we really enjoyed it there back then, we decided to spend New Year's Eve in the desert again. Apple closes between Christmas and New Year, and I now have more vacation days than Michael, so I can easily take a few days off. We flew out on December 25th. Now, December 25th here is not only the first day of Christmas but also Christmas Eve, because in the early morning, Americans open presents with their families. Due to this circumstance, we managed to get a super cheap flight to Albuquerque in the morning, because at that time everyone is still sitting under the Christmas tree. However, even in capitalist America, everything is closed on December 25th.

Michael Today's youth hardly drinks beer anymore. Beverage manufacturers have adapted and now offer all sorts of stimulating energy drinks without sugar. I might still occasionally drink the Indian tea Yerba Mate, but that's about it. I can't fathom how anyone can drink Gatorade or Red Bull, except maybe in the last miles of a marathon just before a complete physical breakdown. I feel similarly about root beer, which doesn't taste like beer at all but rather like liquid Bazooka bubble gum, and the recently appearing "Birch Beer" in hipster supermarkets is just the same junk.

Michael San Francisco is a magnet for tourists, and offers plenty of attractions for visitors following the well-trodden paths of commercial tour operators. That's why almost no one thinks to explore the slightly hidden gems. Recently, we went to eat lunch in the Castro district and afterward were so stuffed that we thought a bit of physical activity wouldn't hurt. So, instead of walking straight home, we took the steep route and trudged up the steep "Liberty Hill".

Michael On our formerly so "Prenzlauer Berg"-like street, 24th Street in Noe Valley, more and more restaurants and shops are closing down and seemingly being replaced by two to three foolproof business models: nail salons and real estate agencies. Bank branches also seem to be doing well, but this monoculture is increasingly annoying the residents, who would prefer to see small fashion boutiques or old-fashioned hardware stores in the neighborhood. By the way, there are rumors that nail salons are good for money laundering, although nothing has been reported to that effect yet. In any case, I now like to call our neighborhood Noe Valley "Nail Valley".