The Mason Minute

If you have teenagers at home, they're likely playing video games. And you can often say the same things about younger and older kids, too. Video games are everywhere. And even though I'm not a huge fan, I sometimes enjoy watching my nephews play games against one another. The other night, there was an NFL game on TV, but the youngsters were too busy playing Madden 25 rather than watching an actua...

I've long been fascinated with neon signs. The glow of their lights is one of my earliest childhood memories. One of my hobbies is to take photos of them whenever I get the chance. Anytime I travel, I'm always on the lookout for a sign I've never seen. Nashville's tourist area, Lower Broadway, is filled with neon. Nearly every restaurant or bar that opens puts up a neon sign. They pop up almost ev...

I don't know if you experience this, but it throws my whole week off kilter whenever Christmas falls on a Wednesday. It's not a bad thing. But since my routine is thrown off, I'm not sure what day it is. I know it's Friday, but it sure doesn't feel like one. I'm not complaining; it just makes me feel out of sorts. The days all blur together. I'm off until after January 1st. So, it'll be tough to g...

Today is my wife's birthday. As we often do, we're celebrating with family. It's a combined Christmas and birthday celebration. When my wife was younger, she frequently got together with family to enjoy Christmas and her birthday combined. That's one of the significant downfalls of having a birthday that falls so close to Christmas. The upside for me, I never have to worry about planning a big tri...

Yesterday, I talked about my longtime love for NORAD's Santa Tracker. Another one of my favorite holiday memories is playing Santa. Looking at me, you might think this was a recent event. While I've spent most of my adult life built like the jolly fat man, I actually wore the red suit over 40 years ago when I was in college. I played Santa as part of a charity fundraiser for my then-girlfriend's s...

Today is likely the busiest day of the year for the North American Aerospace Defense Command. You know them best as NORAD; they're the organization that has been providing the Santa Tracker every year since the mid-1950s. There's a lot of folklore about how the Santa Tracker started, but if it weren't for the Cold War, we wouldn't have this Christmas Eve tradition. It's one of my favorite parts of...

With the end of the year almost upon us, many businesses look at their books and ponder if they can survive another year. No company wants to call it quits, but sometimes, the reality stares you in the face. In the last few weeks, both Big Lots and Party City announced they were shutting down for good. Between them, they have over 1500 locations. That's a lot of physical space that will soon be em...

We tend to watch a lot of reruns on TV, so we often watch TBS. Recently, they started promoting the new season of their game show, Wipeout. I know it's been on and off the television for over a decade, but I still don't get the appeal. I don't begrudge anyone who watches and enjoys this type of silliness; I just don't get it. I realize there are different strokes for different folks, but it's just...

It may be the weekend before Christmas, but we've decided to stay put. Our Christmas shopping is done, but we have a few items we could pick up at the store. But the crowds are so crazy right now. Our malls are in high-traffic areas, and when holiday shoppers panic, the roads come to a standstill. We live near one of the malls, and that means traffic is heavily congested all day and into the night...

When people talk about the fun cities in America, places like New York, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, and Orlando likely come to mind. Some might even include Nashville in that list. Well, WalletHub has done a study comparing 180 U.S. cities to determine their fun factor. And it's not just counting how many bars, casinos, or amusement parks you have. WalletHub ranked the cities on 65 different metrics....

Do you have any travel plans for the holidays? If you plan on flying, you may encounter the latest scourage of the airways: seat squatters. People on TikTok are talking about them, and many airlines say they're getting worse. If you have an assigned seat on an airplane, you might encounter someone already sitting in your seat when you board. These rude people decide they would prefer your seat, so...

In many communities, body cameras are a controversial subject. Citizens are demanding police accountability, which makes many law enforcement departments uncomfortable. But what if employees at your favorite retailer started wearing cameras, too? Organized shoplifting is becoming a major problem for many stores. No longer is it just one person stealing a shirt or a bottle of wine and running for t...

I often say that advances in technology are great until they fail. Sometimes it's the simple things. Years ago, you'd order something by mail and wait. The package would show up in days, weeks, or sometimes months. But now, we can track our packages online. The system is great, sometimes. Often, it just leaves me scratching my head. Yesterday, I was waiting for a package. Early in the day, I got a...

I'm sure you've heard the news about these mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey. There are also reports they've been seen in Virginia. Federal and state government officials are concerned. They don't know who's operating the aircraft and worry someone might be spying on us. Some people claim that these drones are as big as SUVs. That would make them bigger than some small airplanes. And that fa...

With hundreds of cable channels and dozens of streaming services, every content provider seeks a way to break through. It was much easier for shows to be successful back when there were only three or four television networks. With all of the 'noise,' it's difficult to get noticed. While reboots aren't new, they're one of the best ways to build anticipation and get noticed. Some reboots like Fuller...

A couple of nights ago, we stopped at the mall. I was looking for a shirt, so we stopped at one of the department stores. I used to love going to the mall to shop and hang out. Much of my formative years was spent working at a jeans store. We had a lot of good times, but sadly, the mall's nothing like it was back in the day. Now, the shops all seem the same. That got me thinking back to some of th...

In recent weeks, there have been numerous stories about burglars stealing from some of the top NFL players while they're playing. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and now Joe Burrow all had their homes robbed while they were 'at work'. Like musicians, actors, and other celebrities, they're easy targets. Thanks to the internet, we now know more about the lives of these stars. We know where they live...

Every so often, I have to remind myself that most of my problems are first-world problems. Even though I sometimes complain, I have a great life. But I do have an Achilles heel. Like so many people, I'm addicted to the internet. I'm not one of those people who is always on their phone, but when I need to do something online, I want it to work. And when it doesn't, it will ruin my night. Lately, we...

How many different dictionaries are there? I'm betting there are over a dozen. I know of Cambridge, Oxford, Collins, and Miriam Webster. How many do we need? Don't they all have the same words? Over the last few weeks, I've discussed some of the year's words from these companies. Oxford gives us brain rot. Cambridge thinks the word is manifest. Collins claims that brat is the word that sums up the...

I remember back in the 1970s when one of my friends got a portable camera to make home movies. Having a father who worked in television, I was familiar with the professional versions but never imagined having one at home. In the 80s and 90s, camcorders were everywhere. Now, almost everyone has video cameras in their pockets that also make phone calls and send text messages. You can't hide from the...

It's been a little over a month since our presidential election. And I think our societal divide is getting worse. There is no middle ground anymore. And it's not just America that is experiencing this divide. Many countries across our world are facing the same dilemma. But one thing tells me it could get worse before it gets better. Last week's biggest news story was the shooting of the United He...

Across America, Big Boy restaurants are long known for their double-decker burgers and statues of their chubby mascot outside the front door. The restaurant is a franchise, so many areas of the country have different parent companies. It all started with Bob's in California. For many years, the Pennsylvania locations were named Eat and Park. In Ohio, people know them as Frisch's. And for many year...

In the 80s and 90s, if you wanted to eat at a nice Mexican restaurant, you would probably go to Chi-Chi's. Technically, it was Tex-Mex. But for many, it was the first place where people tried fajitas, chimichangas, and fried ice cream. But by the 00s, it was struggling financially and finally faded away after a breakout of Hepatitis A caused by a bad batch of green onions. Many have fond memories...

Now that it's December, we're seeing the Winter weather moving in. In some parts of the U.S., heavy snow, and in places like Middle Tennessee, it's getting colder. We've had a couple of what I call southern snowfalls. That's where you get a light dusting of snow, but it only sticks to the grass. It doesn't last long, but it can still get a bit slippery. I don't miss real snow, and neither does my...

Have you been to the mall lately? It used to be a magical place this time of year. But it's not the same. Christmas shopping used to be unique, but not anymore. It's always been crazy. The crowds, the noise, the people have always made it special. I worked in retail when I was younger, and Christmas was exhausting. But almost everything has changed. The stores are still crowded but in different wa...