The Mason Minute

The economy is putting a lot of strain on many people. And the current state of politics plays into that. But many businesses are still trying to recover from pandemic-related losses. Some companies try to push the extremes to increase profits. Others do it as a form of survival. But these businesses often push things too far. Panera Bread has admitted they’ve pushed things too far and is now reve...

Back in my younger days, when I came of legal drinking age, the choices were pretty simple. You had beer, you had wine, and you had liquor. Of course, there were different flavors and brands, but you basically had three distinct choices. Today, I can't even count the number of options we have. In addition to beer, wine, and liquor, we now have hard seltzer, hard cider, and something called hard so...

There's been an ongoing debate dating back at least to the 1970s. And it all involves your dishwasher. The hot topic? Should you rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher? The experts finally come up with a definitive answer. Of course, the answer isn't definitive because there are always exceptions to the rule. The good news is that, for the most part, you don't have to pre-rinse an...

Have you ever noticed that every vehicle key fob is different? I don't mean the size or shape, I'm talking about the placement of the buttons. From a safety standpoint, we'd want them all to be the same. In a perfect world, you'd like the unlock and lock buttons to be in the same place on every fob. It seems logical to me, but I'm not a car designer. My wife just got a new vehicle, and her lock bu...

So much of the Internet and social media has become clickbait. And some of it is amusing enough that you have to follow along. Recently, I've seen a rash of posts ranking the top 'fill in the blank' items, say, for instance, the top foods. I'm talking about restaurants that serve items including the best onion rings, hamburgers, and milkshakes. And for some reason, I always have to see it where th...

The holidays are fast approaching. And for many of us, I’ve been spending more time in big box stores and shopping malls than we’d prefer. Many businesses continue to struggle. First, they dealt with the effects of the pandemic a few years ago. But since then, the economy has been up and down, which has people worried. One store, Target, has a new policy that it believes will boost its business an...

A few months ago, I mentioned that the US government had decided to stop minting pennies. Well, it looks like it's finally happened. Yesterday, the US Mint produced its final series of pennies, for good. Many retailers are stressed about how they'll handle prices and change. Some people want a consistent policy for all retailers, whether they're stores, restaurants, or even small businesses. But r...

Some words are often associated with the holidays. Sure, words like merry come to mind, but today I'm talking about the word joy. I've noticed recently that a few TV commercials prominently feature the word. And while it's been around forever, it surprised me that it's playing such a high profile in these commercials. I don't feel much joy these days, and honestly, what does it really mean? You ca...

Today is Veterans Day. A day set aside each year to honor those who have served and fought for our country. It doesn't matter if you served two years or 25; it's a day for all veterans. It's also a day when many businesses try to use the situation to increase sales. Many offer free perks to those who have served our country. But just me, or have you seen more businesses offering freebies? How do y...

Today is a significant anniversary for an event that most of us would never know about if it weren't for a song. A song that talks about the gales of November, about how the Chippewa called Lake Superior Gitche Gumee. Of course, I'm talking about The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which happened 50 years ago today. In the song, it says the boat was on its way to Cleveland, and while many crew mem...

If you follow the NFL, you’re probably aware that fans of the Green Bay Packers are called cheeseheads. Many of them wear foam cheese wedges on their head to games and in public. It’s clever, it’s catchy, and it’s been a part of football culture for decades. Well, this week, another town known for cheese, or should I say cream cheese, is debuting its foam brick of cheese. Philadelphia brand cream...

When many of us hear someone say the word algorithm, we shudder a little. Working in social media, I often try to understand how algorithms work. Now I'm not talking about the computer code that drives it, but more importantly, what triggers our algorithm. In theory, everything is custom-targeted to our browsing history. But I often find times that fails. Recently, I've been seeing more suggested...

I sometimes discuss the Internet rabbit holes I follow, searching for knowledge. One of those recent items is about muscle memory. I can't play a musical instrument, and I often wonder how guitar players can remember hundreds of songs and know exactly the notes and chords to play every time.  I've got to think that after you learn a song and you play it enough times, it becomes muscle memory. What...

If you have kids, shopping for shoes can be frustrating.  Finding something affordable, stylish, and durable is the quest. As I've discovered through the years, even if you don't have children, it's still a challenge. I've never enjoyed it, whether it was for me or my wife. I've spent my fair share of time in shoe stores, trying to help them sell products, not as a salesman, but as a radio persona...

I have always loved election coverage. It doesn't matter if it's on TV, the radio, in the newspaper, or online. To me, it's like watching sports. But there's one phrase that always comes up in election coverage, in political conventions, and even on the floors of our government that's always puzzled me. It's when someone says, "Please recognize so-and-so from the great state of," then fill in the...

Libraries are often something we take for granted since the launch of the Internet. Children don’t need to spend as much time there researching school papers. Back in my day, I spent more weekends at the public library, and I like to think about it. I was constantly researching something for school, and we never seemed to have the materials in our school library. But the Internet has changed all o...

I have long been fascinated with sports fandom. While I’ve always considered myself a sports fan, I never understood the true meaning of being a fan until I moved to Northeast Ohio in the mid-90s. I never realized the extent to which some people take their fandom to the next level. And it never ceases to amaze me how fans react during championship celebrations. Why people feel the need to go out i...

Twenty years ago, when I first started working in social media, I marveled at the possibilities of connecting families, friends, and businesses in a new yet simple way. But boy, has it changed over the last two decades. There's no way I could have predicted all of the political hatred and silliness caused by memes. A recent meme has taken over social platforms like TikTok, and it has finally hit t...

For many of us, it’s tough to look in the mirror and reflect upon our lives. When I dig deep, I often think about the mistakes I’ve made throughout my life. But there’s one day a year when I only think positive thoughts, and today is that day. It’s the day my wife and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. And for 28 years, I’ve done something right. I’m blessed to have found the person who makes me...

Every year, TV news, newspapers, and even the Internet remind you to check your treats. That reminder goes all the way back to my days of trick-or-treating. But while you’re checking your children’s candy, take a look at the wrappers first. You may notice some changes there, too. Many chocolate makers have changed their formula, and you’ll no longer see the words milk chocolate on the package. Tha...

We live in a world where there's a lot of sameness. There are very few local or regional businesses anymore. These days, you can find the same gas stations and stores like Walmart or Target in nearly every city. And most of the places to eat, whether they're fast food or you can sit down, are now chain restaurants. It's easy to find an Olive Garden, Red Lobster Chili's, or a Buffalo Wild Wings in...

I've had a fear of needles since I was young. Yet that never stopped me from getting my vaccinations then nor now. As I mentioned recently, I just got my flu shot for the year. And I know that vaccines are a political hot button right now. I think of vaccines like insurance; they're a hassle, they may or may not protect you, but it's better to be safe than sorry. One of the vaccines many of us had...

The onset of Christmas advertising is hitting earlier and earlier. Over the weekend, I saw Christmas commercials for both Walmart and Home Depot. And literally as I’m writing this description for The Mason Minute, a Macy’s holiday commercial is playing on the TV. Many would prefer these commercials start after Thanksgiving or, perhaps, next week after Halloween. But with the economic uncertainty t...

Sometimes you make plans and then don't follow through. Yesterday, I had the best of intentions. We've been out of town Friday and Saturday, and I knew I had some errands to run. But when I woke up Sunday morning, my body said, "Don't even bother." I knew I could put the errands off for a day or two, and I'm glad I did. We've been on the road a lot the last few months, watching a couple of our nep...

One of the joys of being a kid is when a carnival shows up in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. The rides, the games, the noise, for youngsters. It’s a lot of fun, and you usually never know when it’s coming. But often, in the spring or the summer, a small carnival will appear in a shopping center nearby. But I saw something the other day that surprised me. Driving down the road a few m...