Impact.

I would say that my friends have had the biggest impact on me, besides my family. I have been through many experiences with the people that I've met and befriended. It has been such a wild ride, and the person that I am today is majorly a result of that.
I have been through good times and very, very bad times with my friends and it has definitely changed me over the years. I'm such a different person than I was a couple years ago, you wouldn't even believe it.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Weekend in Review.

I'm doing this now because I wasn't here on Monday.
I had kind of a crazy weekend. We learned Judo in Karate on Friday. I had to straddle and mount some guy that I don't even know. It was really embarrassing. Especially when we were rolling around on the floor.
Then, on Saturday, we had to take my sister to Homecoming which she was late for because she decided to go to a movie a couple hours before it started. So she subsequently freaked out and cried all over the place from being rushed and stressed out. Then when she was done getting ready and about to leave, she couldn't find her I.D. to get in. So she freaked out about that too. She decided to go without her I.D. and see if they let her in anyway, which they did and she ended up having a good time.
I spent my Sunday watching TV mostly. The final season of Desperate Housewives was premiering and so was the new season of Family Guy. I missed Family Guy to watch Desperate Housewives though. After Desperate Housewives, this new show that I'd just heard about called Pan Am came on. It was actually pretty interesting, it's set in the '60s and it's about stewardesses on Pan American Airways. I stayed up doing laundry and watching movies on NetFlix. I stayed up so late that I didn't wake up Monday morning, so I didn't go to school.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Ugly Leaders Make an Ugly Country.

Would America elect an ugly president? Well, obviously. I can't point out one president in particular who wasn't disgustingly ugly. We seem to keep electing people who just aren't that good looking. In my opinion, I think it would help our country if we had a strong, good looking man to inspire us all and to look up to. However, most Americans apparently don't feel the same way. So, obviously our country would elect an ugly person as president, since that's what they've been doing for the past  300 years.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Smelly Boy.

I smelled really bad yesterday. It had been a really long time since I showered last so I decided it would be best to take one, especially since I just came back from exercising at Karate. I took a really long one and made sure I scrubbed every nook and cranny. When I was done, I still felt smelly. I don't know why. I couldn't take another shower so I just went to bed.
Today, I still feel smelly and I feel very self conscious about it. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to take another shower when I get home. No, I probably wont. But I should. I don't understand why I'm still smelly. Maybe I have some kind of disease! That'd be cool.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

My Wife Left Me.

My friend Tia told me that she was moving a couple weeks ago. She said she'd stay for another week, but then she had to move to Mesa because her family got a house there for cheap. I'm really sad that she is gone, not only because I had just met her and we were turning out to be pretty good friends, but also because she was in my Economics "family" and she was my wife for the wedding project that we just started.
Because she's gone, I now have to marry myself because there is nobody else for me to partner up with. I'm pretty upset about that, It's a very hard project and the extra help would be nice. Plus, now I have to stand infront of the class and present a wedding project by myself: with no wife.
Anyway, I wish her and her family the best and I hope that I get through this project okay.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

TEDdy Bear.

The talk that I watched was given by Raghava KK. He was talking about biases and perspectives. He said that you can't have art or creativity without perspective, and if you are raising a child teach them about different perspectives and not to be biased on just one. I learned that children's books use a lot of biased propaganda. It made me think a little, I already have an open mind to all perspectives for the most part, so my mind wasn't really changed.

Playing Dress-Up.

Dressing up to show school spirit is a very fun way of expressing yourself and your love for your school. It can be kinda stupid, especially if the spirit day ideas are really dumb or weird. I was really into doing stuff like that when I was in elementary school, (tin foil day, crazy hair day, etc.), but as I got older and my school spirit decreased I really haven't done it. If it's something easy, like wearing a certain color, I'll probably do it depending on if I own anything in that color or not. I won't go to any added effort or trouble though. It's just not that important. You don't get a prize for doing it, except for looking like a weirdo for a day.
So, I think it's cool for people who are into it and actually care to show school spirit, but there's a lot of people who don't.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Test #2.

1. The spot healing brush tool is used to remove blemishes and other imperfections from the photo.
2. If a tool is set at 0% opacity, that means it is completely see through and, therefore, not visible.
6. The tool most similar to the magic eraser tool would be the magic wand tool, I think, because they both select a certain area based on the color of the pixils.
14. There was definitely enough time and I knew everything. The only thing that would've been kind of helpful is if you specified a certain color for each thing or just told us to use whatever color we wanted, because I just used black for everything and it looks kinda boring.
15.

Stupid People.

I frickin' hate people. While I was walking to this class, some stupid chick was walking right towards me and didn't move the hell out of my way. Then, she had the audacity to give me a dirty stupid look as if I'm the one who should've moved. What a bitch. This always happens to me though, and I assume to everybody trying to maneuver their way through this hell hole. We need to develop a traffic system where people always walk on the right side or something. We need hand signals or something. I don't know. People just need to have more consideration. That's all.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Bus Blues.

I hate the bus. There's always so many stupid people on it. It would be okay if there wasn't such a huge income of freshman this year. Now, when you get to the bus, no matter how early, there is absolutely nowhere to sit. It is the most embarrassing thing to walk onto a bus full of people staring at you and try and find somewhere to squeeze in. Every oppertunity I can find to get out of riding the bus I take it. Sometimes it's no big deal because I get there and there happens to be a seat open because I beat somebody to the bus or someone is absent, but usually it's a fiasco. I wish I had somebody to give me a ride, or my house was close enough to walk to. But for now I have to just suck it up and ride.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Trapped in the Drive-Thru.

I love to eat. I like many different types of food, mostly American. Burgers, fries, milkshakes, etc. We go through drive-thrus and to fast food restaurants a lot because we rarely have food in the house and nobody cooks anyway. I'd say my favorite place to go would probably be McDonald's. We go there a lot, which isn't healthy, but it's delicious. I love everything on their menu, and usually get the Chicken McNuggets. Mmmmm! I love their chicken nuggets, with some ranch. French fries and a milkshake or soda on the side. Yummy. I assume I'll eventually get diabetes or die of a heart attack or something, but who cares? I love to eat.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

New Blue? No.

Everybody's been commenting on my shirt today. I don't know why. I wear this blue t-shirt almost every week. In my first period today, which is actually second period, three different people asked me if this was a new shirt. What the heck? Then I get to my fourth hour and my friends notice it as if it's the first time they've seen it. I don't know what's going on, but it's weird. Maybe it just looks new because I've washed it too many times and the color has changed. I've also gone swimming in it, so that might have washed out the color as well. I don't know. It's weird.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Redundancy.

After high school I see myself lounging on the couch everyday, watching television, eating a whole lot and getting fat.
I'm hoping that's not what happens though. I'd like to go to college, and like I said in my "Career Goals" blog, I'd like to study English and possibly become a teacher. I want to move to Flagstaff and stay in the cabin I have up there while attending Northern Arizona University. Before I get into all of that I think I want to study at Glendale Community College, maybe online, just to get the hang of things. I don't really see myself getting a job right away, you know, with my people skills and such. I also always keep my original idea of working at Disneyland open.
I don't know. I hope all these plans come together in one way or another. I guess we'll see.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Follow Up on Family.

Well, I don't really have anything to write about. I guess I could probably follow up on the blog I posted about us getting separated into "families" in Economics a few weeks ago.
I'm really happy to say that it's turned out really well. I've gotten to know the people I'm with and they're really cool. I'm with this girl named Tia (like Tia and Tamara from Sister Sister), she's black. And I'm with this really cool guy named Al, he's Mexican. They're hilarious and they make me laugh all the time. I'm really glad that it didn't turn out horrible and awkward like I thought it was going to. I look forward to working with them more.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Exposure Therapy.

Well, I figured out that I have a phobia of talking to people and being social. As with any phobia, exposure therapy is a good way to help and hopefully get me past my fears. Therefore, I need to force myself to start talking to people or start asking questions no matter how uncomfortable it makes me feel. Hopefully, as I do it more often, I get more comfortable with it and it eventually becomes no big deal.
On the other hand, I could just become an alcoholic. Wikipedia says that most people in my situation start using alcohol as a coping mechanism because it loosens them up and allows them to be more comfortable in social settings. That seems like it might get expensive in the future though.
I'm hoping that if I expose myself to more and more situations in which I have to talk to people then I can just get over it. Counseling and therapy might help also. Who knows? I just want to be normal.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Ka-ra-te.

I started doing Karate on Wednesday night. My mom is forcing me and my sister to do it which I'm kinda pissed about, not because I have to do Karate, but because I have to interact with people. My aunt owns the company and my uncle works there and is attending the class too. Anyway, I have another class tonight, this time my other aunt will be joining us.
After my first class on Wednesday I was kinda excited. It's really interesting and I do want to learn it. I was in Karate for about ten minutes when I was eight. Now I want to take it seriously. I'd love to learn how to defend myself in case somebody starts a fight with me or something. I don't know.
Either way, I hope I have fun doing this and I benefit from it, which I'm sure I will.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Test #1.

1. The slice tool is used to slice an image or webpage into different sections, making them easier to work in seperately.
5. The tolerance makes the wand tool more or less sensitive depending on how high or low you set it.
8. Use the ruler by selecting it under the eye dropper tool, click and drag from one point to another to measure and press "Straighten" to straighten the image to the edge of your selection.
10.

11. The test was very easy. I would definitely say it was a fair test of our skills, as everybody should know how to do these things in photoshop by now. I did okay when asked to learn the buttons, most of them I already knew. My overall experience was very good and I'm pretty sure I aced this test.

Me, Myself and I. (The Most Important Thing.)

It's very tough to decipher what exactly the most important thing in my life is. I don't care about much, really. If I had to choose something it'd probably be alone time. It is very important for me to relax and spend some good old quality time with myself. I love to take naps and watch movies, and even just sit by myself. It is the best thing ever to just take time out away from everybody else and feel comfortable in your own skin.
Taking aside my family and friends, the time I spend alone is the most important time spent in my life. If you don't have at least an hour or so to yourself in a day, you should try it out. It is the best way to calm down, and destress. For serious.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

Cheeseburger Slideshow!

18 and Voting. Maybe.

When I turn 18, which will be next year, I'm not sure whether or not I will vote. At the moment I'm not interested in anything like that. I don't know the first thing about politics or voting. It is possible that in the next year I might become interested. Something, or someone, might change my view and I might want to vote. I know that as a citizen and for my country it is the right thing to do and I should put my votes and opinions out there, but as of now I wouldn't know what I was talking about or how to even judge who I would vote for. I think I should try and make an effort to learn and become a better citizen, and maybe in the future, an avid voter.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

SAD.

So yesterday I did some research on Social Anxiety Disorder. I really think that I have this disease since I find it impossible to go places or interact with people comfortably. Many people, when I tell them I might have this, tell me that it's just a bunch of crap. They think it's just some made up thing for average shy people to label themselves so that people will feel sorry for them. I say otherwise. If I can find out more about this it might be the secret to breaking out of this awkward shell I've been living in for almost five years.
I have an appointment to see my doctor this week and I'm planning on asking him if he knows anything about anxiety disorders or Social Phobia. I'm hoping I can get some kind of counseling, therapy or some other kind of medical treatment for this. I'm hoping that I'll be able to live my life freely and comfortable and not sweat the small stuff.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

School Pride? As If.

I have never really cared about school, thus I've never had, nor pretended to have, school pride. When I was younger I thought it was cool, but after middle school and high school I realized there really wasn't any point in it. School is a place that you go, sit and learn. Primarily, that's what it is. People make it into this big thing with sports, or dances or other extracurricular activities that just aren't that important.
I don't see any reason to show pride in a big building full of annoying and mean people. For me, school is just a tiny blip on the radar that is my life. It's only importance is to educate and prepare me for my future, which it hasn't done that great of a job at.

Mason Augustus Wheeler

School Experience, I Guess.

My experience in school used to be a great one back when I was in elementary school. After middle school, however, a lot of stuff changed and I started hating school with a passion. My attendance dropped horribly after that, which was okay in middle school, but when I started high school and had a 9-a-semester limit on absences, it wasn't such a good thing. I try to go to school for the most part, but any chance I get to stay home I jump at it. I have been dropped from a class for excessive absences, and my grades have suffered horribly.
This year is a little different, It's my senior year and I'm kinda having a good one. I don't know. I've still been absent a little too much, but not as much as before. Last year I didn't go to school for a full week the entire year.
Hopefully my senior year is one to remember and I have a good time, even with my previous school record.

Mason Augustus Wheeler