I Am Not in High School
The following is some old fashioned William whining. You have been warned.
Today was my last day of high school, and of regular schooling altogether. How odd! I just turned off my alarm clock; I never have to wake up at 7 to drive to school again. I've been doing that for 13 years now. My goodness. I've had a suitably disgusting end to my USN career, as well. Yesterday was senior day, which began with the school failing to deliver on the "breakfast" promised in the schedule, instead substituting donuts and a request from the Alumni Association that we sign a pledge to donate $75 over the next 5 years and $10 for every year after that. It's not that much money, obviously, but the idea of it is so tacky! We haven't even graduated yet. In this same vein, they're charging $10 to every non-student who wishes to attend the previously free post-graduation reception. $10 for punch and cookies--fuck that.
After their spiel was an hour and twenty minute long busride on buses whose seats are designed for fifth graders. It was extremely uncomfortable, a long busride to some kind of summer camp in the country where we played old P.E. games (quite fun!) and did some other miscellaneous bonding stuff that could have been done at school. I was extremely hungry the entire time, and the camp food we had for lunch did little to help that. Worse, somewhere along the line I developed a pounding headache that stayed with me until well after I got home, even after I slept--badly--on the ride home. Again it was extremely uncomfortable, again I was unhappy. Let me reiterate that a lot of what we actually did at this camp was fun, but it wasn't worth the drive and the headache.
Today was my last day of high school ever. I had no classes; I just kind of piddled around. I spent an hour and a half filling water balloons to throw at underclassmen after the awards assembly. We got quite creative after a while, filling some half with shaving cream, some with Coca-Cola, some with Listerine. A boy named Nick came to school with ten laser pointers he'd gotten for free which he handed out to ten boys in the hall. We promptly pointed them at butts throughout the third floor. It was childish, well-meaning sexual harassment, although mine was finally taken away by Mr. Rod, the physics teacher. He asked me if it was mine and I said, "No, I found it on the floor," not wanting to give away the name of the boy who'd handed them out. He said that I could have it back after school ended. After the interminable awards assembly, I sought him out and asked for my laser pointer back, intending to take it home to annoy my dog. He asked me again who it belonged to and I said, "Me," and then he said some slightly confusing things that I think amounted to him demanding that I admit I had shined it at his bald, shiny skull. I hadn't, but couldn't convince him to let me have that which he had taken from me. Finally he said, "If you found it then it's not yours. I'll keep it in my room for a few days and if nobody claims it you can have it back." I protested that A. No one would bother claiming a cheap laser pointer pen, and B. No one but me knows its in his room. He told me to come back in a few days to get it, and I told him that I'm not coming back, that I have no exams and I will not be returning anytime soon. He ended up just walking away. Good Christ, what an asshole.
This same asshole was responsible for breaking up our planned water balloon raid. Apparently the administration officials who found out about it really freaked out; I didn't hear the details. No sense of humor, these people, although it's our fault for getting caught.
When I came home I had a tick. Thanks a lot, USN!
Today was my last day of high school, and of regular schooling altogether. How odd! I just turned off my alarm clock; I never have to wake up at 7 to drive to school again. I've been doing that for 13 years now. My goodness. I've had a suitably disgusting end to my USN career, as well. Yesterday was senior day, which began with the school failing to deliver on the "breakfast" promised in the schedule, instead substituting donuts and a request from the Alumni Association that we sign a pledge to donate $75 over the next 5 years and $10 for every year after that. It's not that much money, obviously, but the idea of it is so tacky! We haven't even graduated yet. In this same vein, they're charging $10 to every non-student who wishes to attend the previously free post-graduation reception. $10 for punch and cookies--fuck that.
After their spiel was an hour and twenty minute long busride on buses whose seats are designed for fifth graders. It was extremely uncomfortable, a long busride to some kind of summer camp in the country where we played old P.E. games (quite fun!) and did some other miscellaneous bonding stuff that could have been done at school. I was extremely hungry the entire time, and the camp food we had for lunch did little to help that. Worse, somewhere along the line I developed a pounding headache that stayed with me until well after I got home, even after I slept--badly--on the ride home. Again it was extremely uncomfortable, again I was unhappy. Let me reiterate that a lot of what we actually did at this camp was fun, but it wasn't worth the drive and the headache.
Today was my last day of high school ever. I had no classes; I just kind of piddled around. I spent an hour and a half filling water balloons to throw at underclassmen after the awards assembly. We got quite creative after a while, filling some half with shaving cream, some with Coca-Cola, some with Listerine. A boy named Nick came to school with ten laser pointers he'd gotten for free which he handed out to ten boys in the hall. We promptly pointed them at butts throughout the third floor. It was childish, well-meaning sexual harassment, although mine was finally taken away by Mr. Rod, the physics teacher. He asked me if it was mine and I said, "No, I found it on the floor," not wanting to give away the name of the boy who'd handed them out. He said that I could have it back after school ended. After the interminable awards assembly, I sought him out and asked for my laser pointer back, intending to take it home to annoy my dog. He asked me again who it belonged to and I said, "Me," and then he said some slightly confusing things that I think amounted to him demanding that I admit I had shined it at his bald, shiny skull. I hadn't, but couldn't convince him to let me have that which he had taken from me. Finally he said, "If you found it then it's not yours. I'll keep it in my room for a few days and if nobody claims it you can have it back." I protested that A. No one would bother claiming a cheap laser pointer pen, and B. No one but me knows its in his room. He told me to come back in a few days to get it, and I told him that I'm not coming back, that I have no exams and I will not be returning anytime soon. He ended up just walking away. Good Christ, what an asshole.
This same asshole was responsible for breaking up our planned water balloon raid. Apparently the administration officials who found out about it really freaked out; I didn't hear the details. No sense of humor, these people, although it's our fault for getting caught.
When I came home I had a tick. Thanks a lot, USN!