May 17, 2009 9:08 PM

Andy Rooney: I'm Staying Home

By
CBSNews
(CBS)  The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.



It would be good if someone could find a way to make money by talking people out of going anywhere this summer.

The airlines are predicting that even though there may be fewer travelers, they're going to be more crowded then ever. That's partly because airlines have scheduled fewer flights and partly, I think, because they just don't give a damn.

Going someplace will be more time-consuming and more expensive than ever too. Don't even mention less comfortable. I don't mind hearing about it because I'm not going anywhere this summer that I can't get to on foot or by car. The airlines can count me out.

I'd like to fly to London to see my daughter Ellen and I'd like to fly to Los Angeles to see son Brian and his family but I can't face the flight to either place. I have the money - I just don't have the patience. If the airlines are crowded this summer, it's going to be with people other than me.

When you consider how expensive and uncomfortable travel can be, it's surprising that so many of us choose to go somewhere so often. Where we get to is almost never as good as where we came from.

It would be interesting too if it were possible to compare what people spend on a Saturday when they stay around home with what they spend if they're on a trip.

I am almost certain that I spend more staying home on a weekend than I spend when we're traveling.

When you travel, you know how much gas costs, how much meals are, and how much a hotel room is going to be.

At home you never know how much you're going to spend or what you're going to spend it on.

Saturdays can be very expensive.


Written by Andy Rooney

Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved.
Add a Comment See all 24 Comments
by al snowball August 5, 2009 5:29 AM EDT
i HAVE ANOTHER BOOK TITLED CAN YOU SEE AN ANGEL? WRITTEN BY AL SNOWBALL, PUBLISHED BY AUTHORHOUSE.COM NOW i HAVE MY MOST RECENT BOOKS, A JACK OF ALL TRADES, BUT THE MASTER OF NONE. THIS BOOK I TALK ABOUT COINCIDENTAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH I BELIEVE ARE NOT TRUE. EVERYTHING IN LIFE GENERALLY HAS BEEN PREPLANNED. THROUGH MY EXPERIENCES IN LIFE ISTATE THEM ALL IN THE BOOK. BY GOING INTO MY PAST, WITH PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIMES, AND EVENTS IN MY LIFE. i NEED TO SEND ANDY ROONEY A COPY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE HIS MAILING ADDRESS. wOULD YOU PLEASE SEND IT TO ME?
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by al snowball August 5, 2009 5:19 AM EDT
I RECENTLY WROTE A BOOK ENTITLED, A JACK OF ALL TRADES,BUT THE MASTER OF NONE. MY PEN NAME IS AL SNOWBALL, MY LEGAL NAME IS ALLAN S. COOPERMAN, i WANTED TO SEND ANDY ROONEY A COPY OF THE BOOK, BUT I CANNOT GET HIS ADDRESS TO MAIL IT TO HIM. IN THE BOOK THE THEME IS, IBELIEVE THAT THERE ARE NO COINCIDENTAL CIRCUMSTANCES,.i CANNOT PROVE ANY OF THIS BUT SUGGEST, THROUGH STATING THE MANY SITUATIONS, PEOPLE,PLACES, AND TIMES I HAVE MET. CONTACT ME AT ALLANCOOPERMAN@SBCGLOBAL.NET. THANK YOU, SINCERELY aL sNOWBALL, TOO.
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by rodgert-2009 July 15, 2009 8:40 PM EDT
Who The Hell Is Andy Rooney?
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by GiveMeFreedom July 9, 2009 1:34 AM EDT
It is a great year to stay close to home. No need to spend money we do not have on frivolous travel costs and meals when we can stay home and enjoy what our area has to offer. Great article and right on.
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by barbaram99 June 23, 2009 10:22 AM EDT
Andy,
Greeting from Seattle.The last time we travelled was by bus from Maine to WA state in 98. We stay home.
Loved that about the apron.They don't make them like GramMum's Apron today.I am 54.
It is too costly to travil today.
Reply to this comment
by barbaram99 June 23, 2009 10:16 AM EDT
Andy,
Greeting from Seattle.The last time we travelled was by bus from Maine to WA state in 98. We stay home.
Loved that about the apron.They don't make them like GramMum's Apron today.I am 54.
It is too costly to travil today.
Reply to this comment
by CharlieChanFan June 18, 2009 6:23 PM EDT
The History of 'APRONS'

I don't Think our kids know what an apron Is.

The Principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress
underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses And they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming
oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the Fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to
dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Best regards,

Chris Grant
Renton, Washington
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by nebmuggins May 21, 2009 3:34 PM EDT
I agree with Andy Rooney. I am tired of being squished in an airline seat, especially when the person in front of me reclines- ramming my tray table into my ribs. I'm a baby boomer with the money to spend traveling by plane but not as a sardine in a can! Too bad the airlines can't see that this may be part of the reason they are losing business. Boomers have money to spend but you've got to make us comfortable! ! ! !
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by hagar39 May 19, 2009 11:27 PM EDT
With Andy's money he could take cruise liner to England. To LA he could rent a camper and see the USA. Andy go see your FAMILY. It's later then you think. ; )
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by mommamarz May 19, 2009 11:58 AM EDT
Andy Rooney is obviously running out of interesting things to talk about...I don't go any where because it's too expensive, and it cost almost nothing to stay home if you are use to living off of pennies....as is all of the world right now. Who can afford to travel right now, anyway, besides Andy Rooney and all of the other "rich" people?
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