Ever since the second Harry Potter book came out, we've been dressing up like witches and wizards and heading to our favorite bookstore, whether it's in Kennebunkport, Maine at the Kennebunk Book Port or in San Francisco, California, when a new J.K. Rowling book is released.

This year, these mere Muggles will be in San Francisco. Our biggest Harry Potter fan of the family, who is ten, has just finished reading Rowling's first, second and third HP books for the fifteenth time. She has read the rest of the series at least ten times.

Needless to say, we are ready for the sixth book to arrive on July 16th, and then some.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince makes its debut at midnight on July 15th around the world.

Actually, Rowling's latest masterpiece is available for devouring at 12:01 am, Saturday, July 16th, and not a moment before.

Books can and should be ordered ahead of time -- no matter where you decide to pick them up.

Even San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom has gotten in on the fun. Newsom has declared July 15th "All Potter's Eve in San Francisco."

Mayor Newsom's Proclamation states:

Whereas, San Francisco's own Books Inc., the West's Oldest Independent Bookseller, is hosting midnight release parties for the 6th book of the beloved JK Rowling series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, on the eve of the release date of July 16; and

Whereas, the Harry Potter series has created a whole new interest in youth literacy, in both San Francisco, and throughout the world; and

Whereas, Books Inc. is donating half their profit from sales during their "All Potter's Eve" Midnight Release Parties to local school libraries, in addition to the already impressive annual contribution of their Michael P. Grant Literacy Fund benefiting San Francisco School Volunteers; and

Whereas, many citizens of the City and County of San Francisco, including adults, are unusually excited about the new release, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; now

Therefore Be It Resolved, that I, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco do hereby proclaim July 15, 2005 as ...

ALL POTTERS EVE

IN SAN FRANCISCO!

Here is a list of bookstores in the city and throughout the Bay Area that will be open before midnight on July 15th.

A number of stores are hosting a costume party for all of us dedicated J.K. Rowling, Harry, Ron & Hermione fans.

AP Photo by Paul Sakuma

Call it clever marketing or just a good sense of humor. A Shell gas station in Menlo Park has posted a "tell-all" sign for the price of gasoline these days: Plus will cost you "an arm" and Premium "your leg."

A prosthetic hand and leg lay on the checkout counter to reinforce the point that gas prices are sky high. Hardly inspiring, especially with summer's prices heading toward $3.00 per gallon at this Northern California station and around the nation.

The sign is not new. The owner of this station put up the same sign last year when prices climbed.

A Mobil station in Georgia picked up on the unique advertising opportunity by adding their own twist to the painful price of gas. Their Regular gas will cost you an arm and their "Special" will cost you a leg. The price of their Premium? Your First Born.

Prices are required to be posted. Sometimes, the truth hurts. You could call this a case in point.

If only they would offer a free Mercedes with every fill up, or Dom Perignon in the bathrooms...

The challenge: With everyone giving an arm and a leg to buy gas, it's going to be awfully tough to drive. Our second mortgage maybe, but there's no way I'm giving up my first born, so perhaps we should boycott OPEC and go back to riding horses instead of cars.

Or perhaps I'll try to understand the dilemma a bit better by reading Stephen and Donna Leeb's s road map for investors, economists and parents (Feb 2004) called, "The Oil Factor: How Oil Controls the Economy and Your Financial Future" or Caltech physicist David Goodstein's sobering new book (Feb 2004) "Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil."

All kidding aside, we should be grateful we have gas to pump.

Goodstein talks about the prospective of considering going back to coal-based fuel or moving toward a methane-based fuel economy when we run out of oil.

Another resource that provides in-depth coverage on environmental issues from animals, the atmosphere, biodiversity, climate change, conservation, environmental activism, forests, genetics, nuclear issues, oceans, pollution, renewable energy, rivers and soils, is the Internet portal OneWorld.net

The Ford Escape Hybrid

A short-term practical move is to consider purchasing a gas-electric hybrid. One example is the new Ford Escape SUV, which gets 35-40 miles per gallon. The hybrid version of the Escape will begin shipping in the fall and is now available for pre-order. No price has yet been announced.

We commend our friend George for buying a hybrid Toyota Prius, another hybrid car. Although, from our eyes, the styling leaves something to be desired, George says that the car still attracts many admirers.

In fact, Cameron Diaz liked the eco-friendly car so much that she purchased a 2002 model for herself.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and wise living!

~Jennifer King