To be honest…

I suppose it’s appropriate to do this on Easter Sunday. There are elements of rebirth in the air, right? Spring-time, squirrels maniacally chasing other squirrels, I’ve spotted a few pairs of jorts… It’s been a year and half since I’ve posted anything on this blog. I guess I got busy. I guess life is what happens when you’re making other plans. Those other plans included a lot of work. And many long days. And equally long nights. Personal and professional. Epic triumphs that overshadow just as many failures, personally and professionally.

Easter Sunday. Rebirth.

I do have something to say now, I think. Over time, folks reading the blog have reached out and asked what I’m up to since dropping out of a Phd program. I didn’t make the time to respond and I’m sorry. Maybe I was waiting for the right moment to write again. 18 months passed by and here we are. I realize that I need to get back into this. This blog is who I am and I need to retrace my steps. It’s my foundation, and it’s not just about who I am, it’s the self-reflection and introspection that I’ve been lacking that’s beckoning to be unearthed and brought back. I realized this week, in rather harsh manner, that there are things in my brain that need to escape, otherwise I’m a deluded prisoner in the solitary confinement of my own thoughts. And that’s not a good place to be. Ultimately, I’m a writer, so I’m gonna write.

Hi my name is Igor and I get into weird situations. This is a New Year’s celebration in Miami.

Also, for those more interested in less of my own BS Psychology (I carry a Psychology degree) and more real world advice, I think I have a story to tell now. I say I think because you see, I’m very unsure about all this. I can’t make promises. It feels weird opening myself up again. I’m gonna take it lightly with the writing, one day or week at a time. I want to see how I feel and I won’t force it. I’m pretty busy these days, bla bla, but I’ll make time. I hate it when people say they are busy. There’s always time to make time for someone or something.

But for anyone expecting IGORoamandreport 1.0? Nope, this blog won’t be the same. I’m not who I was two years ago. Maybe none of us are. Expect the topics I write about to be more random. For starters, I’d like to add some comedy. I like funny. I’m not that bleeding-heart liberal preacher I was back then. Also, going against past convention, screw the squeaky clean shit. Yes, I’m open to cursing, so cover your eight year old’s eyes if they’re reading. Don’t worry, they’re probably too busy watching the Kardashians to read anything worthwhile. I won’t be cursing much because I don’t curse much in real life. But I will, a fucking little bit at least. You see, to me it feels like release. I’m over the politically correct bit. This is my voice. And fortunately, I have more freedoms as an individual to be able to publish this and get away with it. I’ll explain all that later.

I like to operate on instinct. This photo felt right in so many ways.

I won’t be self-editing like I used to either. A lot of this stuff coming out will be first draft. Maybe the quality will suffer, but the content will be rawer than before, which I see as a good thing. I might do some SEO, I haven’t decided yet. So what will I do, you might be asking?

1. The journey is the journey. There’s something to say there. I went from a vicious combination of blogging, unemployment and depression to co-founding and running an exciting startup company in my field of interest. For me, it’s already been a somewhat long and winding road. You’ll get a ticket to ride.
2. I will be more personal. I want to unearth a deeper psychology. I get happy about stuff. I get bitter about stuff. Maybe I get happy or bitter about the wrong stuff. I want to explore it. These days I have a bit of public figure status and maybe I need to be more careful. Whatever. Fuck it. I’m living a fast life and I want to talk about it. I talk about it because I don’t want to crash.
3. I will share career advice. Okay, the truth is that I’m really trying hard these days to stay humble. So let me preface this by saying, what the hell do I know? I have, however, at my young age, been published in magazines, been featured in the papers, I’ve spoken at conferences at the world’s leading universities. It’s all good. I’m not trying to brag. I’ll just share what I’ve learned and if you want to listen that’s cool too.
4. Environmental stuff. The answer is yes, I’m still concerned about the health of our planet. Look, it’s what I do for a living. I’ll write about it.
5. I should probably update my About page too. We’ll get to that. Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.

I can’t think of anything else right now. The above list is not a guarantee. These aren’t promises. This is just a rough sketch of what’s to come. Or maybe not to come. I hope this is the beginning of something. In many ways, personally and professionally, I was once a baby, and maybe I’m becoming an adult now. I’m hoping these are my first steps. We’ll see where I can go.

This is me on the right. A youngin’ growing up in Munich, Germany. Go FC Bayern!

 

IGORoamandreport: A Personal Quest to Make a Difference

Lindsay Clark, a rising star in the world of travel writing and founder of nomadderwhere.com, gets the inside story about my life-changing adventures, my application for The Best Internship on Earth, and my decision to leave the stability of graduate school to pursue a lofty, uncertain dream.  A personal friend and mentor, Ms. Clark will undoubtedly take over for Anthony Bourdain on the Travel Channel one day, so this is an interview you don’t want to miss!

Check it out here.