You go to Munich and hang a right
Tomorrow morning I’m on a flight from Denver, Colorado to Kiev, Ukraine. While Ukrainians cannot enter American without first obtaining a visa, Americans can enter Ukraine and stay for up to 3 months with our passport. That’s how long I’m planning on staying.
My daughter thinks I’m crazy. My friends say they think I’m eccentric, bold, and adventurous, which is probably a nice way of saying crazy. But, beyond the unusualness of the surface story, there is a much bigger plan.
I’ve got an opportunity to make my first documentary film with my friend Sean Mathes (and you thought I was eccentric?) We’ve already gotten the green light from our media broker in Hollywood, who believes that we’ve got a great shot at selling the film to HBO or Showtime, and to leverage the footedge we are shooting in Ukraine for multiple videos from The Travel Channel to a possible reality show! The details of this project will be profiled in multiple case studies on The Stardust Factor.
Opportunity, Timing, and Fear
Of course this window opened up just over 3 months after a surgery that threatened my life and scared the living daylights out of me. I was all set to start radiation and chemotherapy to sterilize my neck in an attempt to destroy the “unknown source squamous cell carcinoma” they couldn’t find, but when none of the biopsies showed any traces of cancer, they put that on hold.
So I’m on hold?
The physical effects of the surgery have left me unable to raise my right arm above my waist from the side. So I can no longer flap my arms like wings and do my Gertrude and Heathcliff imitation. The nerve in my neck and shoulder is returning to feeling again and physical therapy has been really helpful in regaining my strength, but am I really ready for International travel and suitcase humping?
No, I’m not really ready, but as the great Zig Ziglar once said, “if you want for all the lights to turn green before leaving for town – you’ll never go.”
So this window opened up with the timing of author Mark Edward Davis taking a group of guys to Ukraine and the opportunity to get everyone together from around the world to capture the moments on film. So with Sean’s help I’m just going to pull up my tent pegs and go.
Little Dog Dilemma
Should I take my dog? Little Dog Too has been my constant companion for 10 years. I made her a promise during the tumult of my divorce that I would never leave her. While that promise was made in the midst of a big emotional crisis, I’m pretty sure she’s going to hold me to it. If you’ve never cried tears on a dog this may seem silly, but, we have a bond.
She’s got the arthritis and big travel is not her bailiwick. Walks are getting shorter and naps longer. As the vet said, at this age they basically want to eat, sleep, and be near their owner. And at my age, I kinda want the same things – only change the last part to being near my dog! Oh, yeah, and I want to write a bunch of books, make films, and have the adventure of a lifetime.
If I end up moving to Ukraine permanently I’ll want her there, but this trip is just too much chaos and movement for her. I’ve found some amazingly cool people to take care of my kid while I’m gone. They have 2 Jack Russell terriers who have that terrific optimism and 2 super cool teenagers. Natasha is 13 and loves to pamper Little Dog, so my guilt is assuaged. I’m left with only my own deep psychosis about abandonment – and this may be a good time to deal with that!
Living in Ukraine – Are You Nuts?
Part of the secret back story of my journey is that I am very interested in possibly relocating permanently to Eastern Europe. This idea was solidified after reading The Four Hour Work Week – by Timothy Ferris – where he extolled the virtues and radical cash flow benefits of as he says it, “earning US dollars, living on Pesos, and paying Rupees.” Leveraging the currency exchange rate is the fastest way to watch your money grow.
“Is this some half-baked idea, son?”
“No Dad, it’s fully baked.”
Dustin Hoffman to his father when telling him of his plan to drive up to the college and intervene in the marriage ceremony of his ex-girlfriend in the movie “The Graduate.”
The current exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Ukrainian Hryvnia is currently 8 to 1. Want to get an 800% return on your money? This means that many things are very affordable in Ukraine, so there’s the practical side, the rest is pure adventure and fun. Wanna go to Greece for the weekend and lay out on one of those porcelain white verandas overlooking the azure Aegean sea? Let’s go.
