The Mason Minute

Growing up, I loved amusement parks. And having lived in numerous states, I've visited dozens. I even had the chance to enjoy the park in Chicago, where my father grew up before it closed in the late 1960s. I saw the news the other day that Six Flags America outside of Washington DC was closing after this Summer season. I've been to so many that are already long gone. Are theme parks like Disneyla...

Many chain restaurants are struggling. Especially the ones that have lots of locations. The COVID-19 pandemic affected all businesses in some way. However, some restaurants were having issues before 2020. Cracker Barrel was one of those restaurants. They went into the pandemic with profits lagging. New management came in and made some changes. They've added alcohol to their menu. They've removed s...

I love idioms, or, as they say on Jeopardy, quotable quotes. I'm especially fascinated with learning the origins of these quotes. While doing some research yesterday, I stumbled upon one of my favorites: "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." I've heard it for decades and used it myself numerous times. But I never knew the origin until yesterday. I expected the origins to involve war...

When you go to buy a new car, you expect the salesperson to try to upsell you. They want you to add some options or a protection plan. You can expect the same when you go to the department store to buy a new shirt or some pants. Back in my retail days, they called that selling multiples. But I never expected my pharmacist to try to upsell me. Yesterday, when I finally was able to fill my eye drop...

As we age, prescriptions become a fact of life. And, of course, most people complain about the rising cost of these medications. While I'm ranting today, it has nothing to do with money. My gripe is the hassle of filling them. Years ago, the doctor would write up what we needed on a piece of paper, we'd take it to the pharmacy, wait a bit, and they'd hand us our medication and send us on our way....

BOOM! It's not a common word. Sure, it's been around forever. Usually, when I hear the word, sports are involved. In basketball, the legendary Indiana Pacers broadcaster Slick Leonard used Boom Baby as his catchphrase for decades. It was an internet meme years ago, foo. But other than seeing it used for explosions in cartoons, it's not a word you often see until this weekend. Over the weekend, I s...

I spent the last few days watching the NFL Draft. The big story was the tremendous fall of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He was expected to be drafted in the first round but dropped until the fifth round. The experts were beside themselves. They claimed that nothing like this had ever happened before. I could only think of the Kevin Costner football movie Draft Day. That was part of the mo...

Why are oatmeal cookies so unpopular? I have no shame in admitting that I like them a lot. For most, chocolate chip cookies are the favorite. And I like those, too, but they're often inconsistent. They can be too dry, too chewy, and often very gritty. I don't find the same problems with oatmeal. The biggest complaint is when you add raisins. And those seem to bother a lot of people. I'm not a pick...

Traffic signals have mostly been the same since I started driving nearly fifty years ago. Three lights are stacked: red on top, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom. Back in the early 1900s, when the automobile started hitting the road, there was only a red and green light. It looks like this could be changing soon. There's talk of adding a fourth light that's white. This light is being d...

Doctors have told us that we need to limit the amount of red meat we eat. But it isn't easy for those of us who love our steaks and burgers. We're encouraged to eat more chicken and fish or, heaven forbid, go meatless. Now, new research tells us that we need to limit the amount of chicken we eat. And while this is only one study, the research tells us that we also consume it in moderation. The goo...

In the Summer of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was all the rage on social media. It was a viral sensation. It went away as quickly as it appeared. I shouldn't be shocked, but another challenge is upon us eleven years later. This time, a student organization at the University of South Carolina has brought it back to shine the spotlight on mental health. They posted their first video on social...

Today is Earth Day. And while many people know that it is, they don't know what it means. Earth Day was an idea that started in the late 1960s. With all the issues we faced back then, the Vietnam War and race relations, the people who came up with the idea had the vision for creating events similar to the sit-in protests that were so popular. The initial idea was for Earth Day to be a teach-in. It...

Insurance rates are going up. I know that's nothing new. Let me clarify: Your auto insurance rates are about to jump. And it doesn't matter if you don't have any accidents or speeding tickets on your record. Your rates are about to jump because of the pending foreign tariffs. The price of insurance isn't based solely on your driving habits. It's also based on the price companies pay to repair vehi...

Today, many kids will get a visit from the Easter Bunny. Many will get candy, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow Peeps, and money. In my day, we dyed Easter Eggs. It was the same thing every year. My parents would buy a dozen eggs, my mother would hard boil them, and then I'd pull out the Paas kit to make them colorful. Then, the Easter Bunny would stop by our house, go to the refrigerator, and hide t...

Diet soda is a big business. It has been for decades. Today, everyone loves Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. But they weren't the first, not even close. Coke first gave us Tab. Pepsi offered the short-lived Patio. However, the first brand that paved the way for artificially sweetened soft drinks was created by RC Cola in the 50s. It was called Diet Rite. I say 'was", because Dr Pepper/Keurig, the company...

I'm not sure if you'd consider this an acronym, but I see a slang term on social media almost every day: IYKYK. Often, it's written as a hashtag, but rarely do you see it written in full. It's short for the phrase, if you know, you know. It was cute the first hundred times I saw it in the 2010s. Now, not so much. I spend a lot of time on social media, so I probably see it more often than you do. B...

I've never been a trendy dresser, but I always had my own style. Sometimes the choices were silly, but I don't have many regrets. Back in my high school days, there was talk about instituting a dress code at our public school. I was part of the protests that changed the school board's mind. So when I saw the story the other day, where Starbucks announced that they going to have one for their baris...

Most of us have the desire to live longer. And we all know that a sensible diet and moderate exercise will help us achieve those goals. But one doctor claims that he has an addition to the basics. Sunshine is one of those, but the other might be controversial. This doctor recommends jump-starting your hydration each morning. We all know that drinking enough water is essential. But the doc feels yo...

If you have a 401k, IRA, or any other type of retirement account that relies on stocks and bonds, you're likely feeling nervous right now. With the potential for a recession near and the on-again, off-again tariffs from the White House looming, it only makes sense to worry. The closer you are to retirement age likely plays into your stress level. I just received my quarterly IRA statement over the...

If you grew up as a baby boomer, anytime you see a giant ceremonial check, your mind likely drifts to the Publishers Clearing House and their prize patrol. Their contest forms have been found in our mailboxes for decades. The PCH is the latest iconic American company to file for bankruptcy. But they don't plan on going away. Back in the late 1990s, they began pivoting toward the internet. While th...

Domino's is currently running a commercial for their new stuffed crust pizza. The premise of this ad is that people claim that Domino's Parmesan Stuffed Crust pizza is better than their old version. There's only one problem: they've never offered this style of pizza before. But people think they have. When you're the top brand, people often think that a product offered by a competitor is yours. I...

I read something the other day that surprised me. A candy bar that's been around for over 80 years is no longer made in a full-size version. Hershey discontinued the regular full-size Krackel bar. Actually, it was first discontinued 28 years ago. It never totally went away. You could always find it in the Hershey Miniatures bag. The regular-size bar came back for a brief moment in 2014 but again d...

For the last 20 years, you've been told that the Real ID is coming. There have been numerous delays, but the day is almost here. On May 7th, you'll need a passport or one to board an airplane. If you've been putting it off, you want to move quickly. While you don't have to get one, not having one could be a big hassle. If you already have a US passport, there's no rush. The wait times at your loca...

We haven't bought any postage stamps in quite a while. I've lost track of how much they cost. Ever since the debut of the Forever Stamps, they haven't listed the price on the front. The US Postal Service is floating a trial balloon. They want to raise the price of stamps by five cents this summer. That will make them 78 cents. I know that the post office is having problems. They've been in the red...

With the new Presidential tariffs going into effect, many manufacturers warn people that prices will rise. We all know that, but now some toy companies are telling parents they should shop early for Christmas. Yes, it's still eight months away, but companies are worried. With so many toys imported worldwide, they're already worried about their holiday business. Some items may never get shipped, an...