... whee....

It has been just a few days over five months since I've been laid off from a computer high technology company that has the bright idea of shipping jobs and intellectual property(IP) to China. It doesn't matter that 60 years of IP development is being handed over to a developing nation capable of using this very same technology against the US. What matters is that the CEO and his "free cash flow" henchmen get very very rich in the process.






In these five months my wife and I have arranged our affairs, made connections into Europe, sold our home, sold or given away most of our belongings, and are about to board a one way aircraft into another life.

Our life now fits into 5 pieces of 29inch luggage.

It sometimes feels like a rather risky adventure.

We listened to speakers at the local Alliance Française who live in France. All of them maintain two or more homes. One home in the US and at least one home in Europe. It must be nice to be able to live wherever you want and still have access to memories and things where you grew up.

We have no such luxury.





We don't have those kinds of resources.

No, it's taken everything we have to get to this place. This is why our move feels much riskier than the moves folks at AF talk of and experience.

There is much to be running away from. The US is not the country of my youth nor of any consistent citizen supporting ideology. While I worked I could only dream of leaving this place, even if only temporarily on holiday.





Now that I no longer work and after having carefully managed what few resources we have, I feel it's time to live One Last Dream before I'm planted in the ground for the Long Sleep.

Fortunately, it feels like there is a lot to be running to.

We very much look forward to exploring a new city, a new country, a new continent. There are deep histories, interesting peoples, and articulated ideals about life and living worth delving into.





This isn't about living the "Ooo La La" life. That's too bourgeois for us. Besides, we can't afford bourgeois-ness. No, it's about experiencing everything we can in a place where experiences, thoughts, and feelings are not issued pre-packaged for our protection. It's about breathing the air of philosophies and alternatives. It's about being. It's about awareness. It's about sharing. It's about art. It's about life. It's about living.

So long, America. Hello Paris!!!

We land in the 16th arrondisement on 11 April, 2012.