The Mason Minute

Two businesses that consistently thrive, regardless of the economy, are convenience stores and fast food restaurants. But recently, both of those types of businesses are struggling. Experts say one reason is that people aren't drinking as much soda anymore. Both make a lot of money from their soda fountains. That's why you could always get free refills and jumbo sizes for low prices. But some stor...

I've been under the weather for about a week and a half, and haven't had much of an appetite. And for a guy like me, that's extremely rare. For a few days, nothing sounded good. I had to eat something, but the desire wasn't there. I didn't want chicken soup or even a grilled cheese sandwich. When my wife went to the grocery store, she brought home some Jell-O, hoping it would help. I couldn't tell...

I've long been fascinated with cravings. Some people crave sweet, while others crave salty. Some have expensive tastes and only desire the finest foods like steak or caviar. Of course, I'm odd, and I crave things like corn dogs. I loved eating them when I was younger, and you used to be able to find them everywhere. There were shops in the mall, and many fast food joints; they were pretty easy to...

It’s an understatement to say the pandemic changed our views on work. This battle isn’t just baby boomers versus Gen Z. Today, everyone’s opinions on the work-life balance have changed. Many companies struggle with the desire to get everybody to return to the office. More people than ever prefer to work remotely. And some are satisfied with a hybrid schedule. But when we’re in the office, there’s...

I know many people have struggled with the oppressive heat this summer, especially at night. Some nights I go to bed and it’s still 80° outside. Well, I haven’t had a problem dealing with the heat when trying to sleep; I’ve had a different issue. Some nights, I’m too tired to sleep. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but I’ve experienced this more as I’ve gotten older. While your body wants to s...

August is always one of my favorite months for sports. No major sports are in the playoffs. College sports aren't back on the field. But the young ones are doing what they can to head to Pennsylvania for the Little League World Series. I try to watch as many Little League World Series games as possible during August. I love the passion and the honesty from these preteens. And while we're often rem...

We usually associate teenagers with the need to be fashionable, but as many parents learn going through the back-to-school season, that desire starts much earlier in life. Kids need to fit in. And sadly, a lot of that can revolve around the clothing you wear. For families with money, it's a lot easier situation to deal with. For those without it, it can have lifelong implications. Style, back in m...

No one likes to find themselves in uncomfortable situations. That’s especially true the younger we are. As we age, we realize we sometimes have no choice. But according to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, we should do everything we can to encounter more uncomfortable situations. His advice to Gen Z is that by doing that, they’ll become more successful in life. Now, I don’t think he guarantees they’ll bec...

It may sound like I'm nitpicking here, but bear with me. Recently, I've seen some ads for a new product, or at least I think it's new, called RYZE mushroom coffee. Actor Neil Patrick Harris has starred in a few of these commercials, and they just confuse me. How can something be coffee if it doesn't just use coffee beans? What's the process that makes it into this coffee? I'm honestly confused. Th...

Many parents are wrapping up their back-to-school shopping, as the kids head back to the classroom over the next couple of weeks. For many kids, wearing the right shoes or clothing is essential. But it seems that one of this year’s key status symbols for kids when they head back to school is their backpacks. I always focused on the function of the backpack rather than the brand. But I’ve never bee...

I'm a very blessed person. I'm not saying that I've accomplished a lot, but I have done so much. Following my father around the country throughout his broadcast career, then into my 20+ year career, followed by my 10+ years in the music business, I've experienced a lot of things. And sometimes I've experienced so much I've forgotten about things, or don't remember exact details. My wife has been a...

Whenever I'm under the weather, my wife reminds me that there'd be no harm if I were to miss a day of the podcast. It's not like it's a job. I don't get paid to do this. And it's not like I'd be disappointing millions of people. I've had another encounter with a cold or the flu this week. This summer, it's hit me hard. And I don't know why. But yesterday, I almost took a day off from The Mason Min...

When it comes to the workplace, there are two kinds of people: managers and people who report to them. Now technically, I’m oversimplifying things. And there’s a significant shift going on in the workplace right now that you might not even notice. It happens gradually, but over the summer, Millennials have overtaken Generation X as the largest number of managers in the American workforce. And whil...

If you've followed the podcast, even for just a short time, you know I can head down internet rabbit holes at the blink of an eye. I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and saw a survey that listed the 15 least attractive hobbies to women. I began investigating the origin of the survey. When doing that, I found another study: the 15 most attractive hobbies to women. I never knew women had...

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been out of school roughly 2/3 of my life. While I recall some aspects of both high school and college, many of the details are a blur. They occurred so long ago. Recently, I’ve seen numerous TV commercials for a program that can help you earn your high school diploma. And this isn’t aimed at young people who dropped out in recent years. This program is targeted at e...

I may be oversimplifying things here, but essentially, you can categorize the world into two types of people: runners and non-runners. I say this in jest, but I do believe there's some truth to the subject. All you have to do is take one look at me, and you can tell I'm not a runner. I've never liked running, not even when I was a young skinny thing. However, I know many people who love it. It's p...

The other night, my nephew Ty and his high school football team enjoyed their annual preseason steak dinner. It's a yearly tradition to reward the players for working hard during the summer. For teenagers, what's better than steak, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, and dirt pudding? To teens, it doesn't matter what kind of steak they're eating. Connoisseurs say, when it comes to steak, the ribeye a...

Through the years, many retail stores have offered perks for shoppers. Long ago, it was green stamps. Over the past couple of decades, many retailers have established loyalty programs that enable customers to earn points and receive special discounts. Often, these discounts were in addition to their normal sale prices. Some stores even offer price matching. With the advent of online shopping, many...

I'm sure I've talked about this before, but I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I'll drink it in social situations, but I don't start my day with a cup or two. I've always been more of a tea fan. Iced tea, hot tea - it doesn't matter; I love them all. But I cut back my tea drinking to drink more water. Recently, I went looking for an iced tea maker. I had one back in the day, but I don't know where...

When I was a teenager, I used to earn extra money mowing lawns. And we didn’t have a gas-powered mower. I had one of those old push mowers. But I didn’t mind. A few extra bucks in my pocket gave me a little freedom. I don’t get the sense that teens these days ever think about mowing lawns. It’s now a business. I encounter more professional trucks rolling through neighborhoods, even on my daily com...

Through the years, I’ve known many people who were uncomfortable driving through tunnels. I spent some of my formative years living in Virginia Beach. And when you live in Southeastern Virginia, you have to learn quickly how to handle driving through them. I can’t remember the first time I encountered one. It was likely when I was 5 or 6 years old, and we were driving through the Rockies. They’re...

Now, I'm not sure if this is a law in every city or state, but in most places, you're required to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. In many areas, that's no big deal; there isn't a lot of foot traffic. But when you live in a big tourist town like Nashville, you've got to watch out for people not paying attention. Where I work, near downtown, is filled with tourists. And nearly every day, I encou...

There’s a lot of discussion about what’s wrong with America these days. But it’s not just America, it’s the world. I’ve noticed this coming on for a long time. I often feel it’s a lack of self-awareness. People only care about themselves today. They don’t think about the others around them. Being a big guy, I’ve always had a lot of understanding about the space I take up, about how it’s easy for m...

Last week, I talked about listening to some Classic country music on SiriusXM. This week, I've also found some playlists on Spotify to add to the mix. I've discovered many songs that I hadn't heard in a long time. Some of them I loved, while others I didn't. One of those songs is a 1982 hit from country music singer David Frizzell. It was a number one hit called 'I'm Gonna Hire A Wino'. It's a fin...

Most of us dream of one day being rich. As a youngster, I thought making six figures a year made you rich. Then, when you start making more money, you realize that's still not a lot of money. Then you dream of being a millionaire. But compared to some of the richest people in America, that's nothing. We all know that Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in America, but it's fascinating to note that...