Full Circle

By Bob Cooney | Dec 2, 2016

In 2015 I quit my job and took off on a by now well-documented road trip in my old VW Campervan. There were many memorable moments during that journey of self-discovery.  The first was driving northbound out of San Clemente on I-5 and trying to decide what to listen to on the stereo. Wolfmother cried out to me from the ether and I cranked it up. That reminded me that I had first discovered Wolfmother…

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Tipping isn’t a city in China

By Bob Cooney | Dec 1, 2016

An old joke lobbed at restaurant customers in America that fail to leave a gratuity is “Tipping isn’t a city in China, you know!”  America has by far the most pervasive tipping culture in the world.  And as long as service workers are paid a non-living wage this will continue. Some restaurants in bigger cities are experimenting with eliminating gratuities and building higher wages into their prices. About half of Americans surveyed don’t like this…

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Off to Bali

By Bob Cooney | Nov 29, 2016

I’ve been remiss in writing lately, but that’s been mainly intentional. So much has changed for me this year that I needed to find my voice again. Last year was about finding myself and letting that guide my direction. My path has taken me around the country and to Australia, Amsterdam, and England. Now I’m off to Bali for December to reconnect with my purpose. I look forward to sharing my experiences and learning over…

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Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

By Bob Cooney | Jul 6, 2016

(Add steve jobs commencement you tube) In what is considered one of the greatest commencement speeches ever given, even if Aaron Sorkin did have a hand in penning it, Steve Jobs tells three stories to the graduating 2005 graduating class of Stanford University. All three of these stories have deep meaning for me.  Steve talks about dropping out of college so he could stop spending his working-class parents’ hard earned savings, and so he could…

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Declare YOUR Independence

By Bob Cooney | Jul 4, 2016

As I sit here in midtown Manhattan waiting for the fireworks to begin, I’ve been reflecting on the meaning of this holiday. As many of our holidays have, this one seems to have lost its relevance to me.  From a historical perspective, we are celebrating our freedom from the tyranny and oppression from what is now our greatest ally and closest cultural relative.  We’ve had a great relationship with England, at least since World War…

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Independence Day

By Bob Cooney | Jul 4, 2016

Hello friends, it’s been a while.  I’m writing this from New York City, midtown Manhattan to be specific. I know my story left off in Tofino, at a music festival last summer.  As you know, I fell behind in my travelogue.  One of the effects that had was I was unsure of how to post about more current events without finishing that story first.  But now I realize that the story is always developing, and…

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New Interview on Uproxx.com

By Bob Cooney | Jan 28, 2016

This Man Dropped Everything To Turn A Simple Road Trip Into A Multi-Year, Multi-Continent Journey LIFE UPROXX “Bob Cooney is an interesting cat. For a long time, he lived the life that we’re all told to strive for. He had the 9-5. He had the house. But at some point, he realized he had a lot more living to do — so, shortly after his 51st birthday, he packed up his VW camper and hit the road. Bob’s…

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What’s Your Biggest Regret? Mine is….

By Bob Cooney | Jan 25, 2016

Biggest regret video They placed a blackboard in NYC and asked people to write down their biggest regret in life.  There was a very common theme in all the regrets: they were for things NOT done, actions NOT taken.  What is your biggest regret in life.  It is not living the life you were meant to live?  It’s never too late to start. My biggest regret is spending the last 25 years not pursuing my…

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Day 2 Tofino

By Bob Cooney | Jan 24, 2016

I woke up to sun and airplanes taking off.  The campground is right between the golf course and the airport. The airport is more like a runway, but it suffices.  Most of the air traffic I have seen up here has been seaplanes. After a quick breakfast I decided to look for some surf.  I packed up and drove down to Long Beach, the spot I first checked out upon arrival.  I pulled into the…

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Samurai Swords, Alpacas and (Finally) Tofino!

By Bob Cooney | Dec 16, 2015

Dan had introduced me via email to a couple of his friends that inhabited Vancouver island.  One of them was a blacksmith who Dan insisted was one of the coolest dudes he knew, and his sense was that we would get along great.  A few emails and text messages with instructions flew, and I pulled up to a house in the countryside of Dave Friesen. As I got out of the van, Dave waved to me…

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