Marseille, France

In my quest to stay psyched about my move to the south of France, I took a look at Google Images to see what people have posted for Marseille, France. Most of the images are of Le Vieux Port (The Old Port) which has so much history. I found this really cool map of Marseille in 1575. Since I'm a total map nerd, I had to have it to share. The body of water between the city and the hills is considered Vieux-Port today. My parents grew up in this city so when I showed them my sweet find, they were stoked. There is even a place on the map called "l'infermerie pour les pestiferez" which loosely translated is "the hospital for the plagued." My dad found that to be totally hilarious, so just for that reason I appreciate it even more.  Enjoy!

Count down

Alrighty guys, I've purchased my one way ticket to France. Departure date: September 26th, 2010. Seeing how today is the 30th of August, I've got less than one month before I say "adieu!" to Southern California and say "bonjour!" to the south of France. My days in my home town are numbered and I'm really feeling it. Packing things up has made me realize how much stuff I have. It's necessary for me to edit the possessions in my life and in my space. It seemed perfect timing when one of my favorite photography websites posted an article about buying less. The author of this article, Matthew Dutile, referenced an article from the New York Times and it really struck a cord with me. It tells the story of people living minimalist lives and having only 100 personal items. I need to accomplish this for my move to France. With airline baggage fees so high it only makes sense to edit. Fortunately, there are only a few materials at this point in my life that I will be bringing.

Here's a short list of the items I plan on bringing.

1. computer
2. camera gear
3. scuba gear
4. clothes

Luckily, that doesn't sound like much. However, some of that gear I will be carrying on, too precious to leave at the mercy of the airline baggage handlers. Items that I'm leaving behind that I'm sad about, my snowboard & gear, photos, historical kelly items, my dogs, my friends, my family, this life. I'm turning a page, I'm changing my scenery, and my daily life will be so different. I look forward to an improved quality of life, I look forward to bonding with my distant relatives, I look forward to la boulangerie et la pâtisserie! What a trip. See you next time!