Drama Indeed

I feel like I don't have anything to write about most of the time, but there are some reasons behind that. One, I really am quite busy. I joined the play again, and so now I'm at school until six practicing every weekday. And the sophomore schoolwork isn't getting any easier. So it leaves me with very little time.

But I think a second, more interesting reason that I haven't been writing lately is because I've become quite numbed to the day-to-day drama that I used to be able to write about. But now it just doesn't seem interesting. That's not to say that there haven't been interesting things happening. How could I have not told all of you that my parents just got back from a cruise in Alaska, and that they were gone for a week? How could I have not told you about asking a junior out to homecoming and getting turned down (in my defense, she already had a date)? How could I have not told you about writing a song for a biology presentation? How could I not have told you about my older brother Michael, who recently started his own blog so he could write about his studying abroad? How could I not have told you about my uncle Brian's so called "intervention" for existential angst? How people keep putting games on the Bishop Kelly shared drive on my files? Or how I'm still working on Mondays, and just finished typing chapter 7? Or how I've already arranged/wrote two songs for the Bishop Kelly Band (one was Bittersweet Symphony, and the other was a "One Tin Soldier" Cover I wrote myself)? Or how I'm devising plans for another run for school president, involving the revival of the USJ and a musical performance for the speech? How I found (or rather how it found me) a way to save up basically all of my monthly allowance? How I honestly suspect that I've been subject to identity theft this month? How I heard about and found the entrance to Gnome-land (Bishop Kelly students, if you don't get this one, try asking around, you may be surprised)? And how I'm still trying to get together a functional band amidst all the chaos of my day-to-day life?

Shame on me.

You could say I'm taking for granted the randomness of life. I ought to think more about how lucky I am to be so strange and do so many things. By the way I've been posting, you'd think my life was dull.

Dull! Ha!

I laugh at the thought of me having a dull life. I have always tried to make my life exciting. And with a few exceptions in the long stretch of summer, I have always succeeded.

So look forward to some more regular posting from now on. Of course, if you do get bored, you can always switch 2 plan b...

A Fiddler On The Roof

I'm not really sure what compelled me to climb up onto the roof shortly before Saturday School last Saturday, but it was a strong enough compulsion to make me do it.

When my Mom dropped me off at the school a half-hour early and the doors were still locked, I walked around and decided to take some pictures of the school that I would publish here. Here are the three I picked up before the roof.



This should give you a nice look of what Bishop Kelly looks like. But that's not all that I got. Soon, I was bored of taking these photos though, and I found myself climbing a tree and jumping to the rooftop. (I didn't really have a fiddle, but I did think it was an interesting title)

You remember that photo from the 'May' post? That was one of these photos. My Bishop Kelly readers should recognize these right away.


Here's the football field

Here's the Carly Center

And here's me, sucessfully on the roof as this pictures proves.

I thought it was funny that as I walked around up there, I found a hackey sack that my friend had thrown up there a week ago. It was just lying there next to one of the vents. I picked it up and after taking my pictures, it was time for Saturday School, so I climbed down, safe. I got in and fould a few of my friends already there. I showed them the pictures I had gotten, and they laughed.

Unfortunately, the teacher happened to hear all of this...

Back On The Ice

Well it would seem that although it is indeed May, I find myself back on the ice rink with my old Bishop Kelly teammates. And I love it.

Coach Andersohn, the hockey coach, has signed the team up for 3-on-3 hockey in the summer; a game every week. Not to be upstaged, the other high schools have done the same. So it won't be surprising if we end up playing other high school teams every other week.

For me, this all seems very exciting. I mean, what could be better? I'm going to get to play my favorite sport every week against my rivals and with my teammates, and when the school years comes around next year and the real hockey season starts, we'll all be ready to kick some ass.

I know there are a lot of people who don't like hockey, but let me tell you - getting back on the ice after four months and skating is euphoric. There's nothing better. Just being able to glide again... it's amazing.

And so the picture of my upcoming summer begins to take shape...

Banned

To add injury to insult, my account at school has now been banned. I am basically now entirely cut off from the school's computer. There's now only one of two ways for me to use the computers at school: use my little brothers account or borrow a friend's account here at school.

And why, you might ask yet again, would someone like me be banned? Well I got hacked. I should have seen it coming, I suppose. After all, my password for my school account is alcatraz014. Call me Captain Obvious.

Of course, it takes more than that.

Most BK students know all this, but for anyone who's not, let me give you an overview. Here at the school, everyone signed in on a BK account has access to the "G Drive". The G drive is a public drive that anyone can put data on. Documents. Pictures. Programs. It's the last in that list that got me in trouble. There's been a game on the G drive called Unreal Tournament. Ever since it was on there, there's been a constant war between the students and the administrators. The administrators keep deleting it and the students keep putting it back on, trying to hide it from the teachers.

These students don't usually make it far before their school account is banned. And that's exactly what happened. Whoever hacked me put Unreal back on under my account. And now I'm paying the consequences.

To make matters worse, I've got another Saturday School this weekend.

Someone stop technology. I'd like to get off.

Blocked

Most of you already know. My blog has been blocked by the Bishop Kelly servers. This means that nowhere in the school building can you reach my blog.

One might ask, why? You could point out that there is no objectionable content on this blog. But apparently Bishop Kelly thinks differently.

I do hang out with the same crowd that hacks and puts games on the shared drive. I can't say I've become one of them, but I can say I'm on their side. Maybe it's just because it's fun to finally be able to do something on the computers that you weren't, or just something that you aren't supposed to be able to do. But none of these people are malicious, I know that.

At any rate, the story comes down to this. Those links on the sidebar? That's what's gotten me banned. There was a special YouTube link on it that was able to sidestep the Internet blocks. There was also a MySpace link of the same kind, only it was barely functional, seeing as you couldn't log on.

And so now what does one do?

Dress Code

As I've said before, I go to Bishop Kelly Catholic High School. Somehow, though, I've failed to mention a certain dress code that binds all students of Bishop Kelly. A dress code that I usually abide by, but recently slipped and got a violation. Apparently if you get two violations in the whole school year, you have to serve a detention. The third and fourth violations are equal to in-school suspensions.

Well that's just bull if you ask me. For punishment, we sit in this little room with a one-sided mirror and copy down, word-for-word, the dress code policy. Now I am no fast writer. I can text. I can type. But write? You'd have to give me some time. And here is what I (and plenty others before me) had to write down, out of the student handbook:

DRESS CODE POLICY Philosophy: The purpose of the dress code policy is to contribute to the academic atmosphere of the school, to give students a sense of equality, and to lend dignity to both the individual and the school, while providing a sense of school unity and identity. The intent of this policy is to provide general guidelines for students, parents, and faculty so that expectations are clear. General Dress Code: All clothing articles should be well-kept, clean, neat and should fit appropriately. Pants - Dress slacks, business casual, khaki style, or cargo pants are acceptable and must be worn at the waist. No denim, camouflage, or athletic pants may be worn. Belts - Belts must be worn with pants that have belt loops. Shorts - Walking or cargo shorts may be worn and must extend past mid-thigh. Athletic, mesh, denim, frayed or cut-off shorts are not allowed. Skirts/Skorts – Skirts/Skorts may be worn by female students and must extend to the top of the knee when standing up straight. No denim is allowed. Shirts – All shirts must have collars and sleeves. Mock and full turtlenecks are acceptable collars. Shirts may be worn untucked if the hem is straight and does not extend past the belt line. All other shirts need to be completely tucked in. Shirts must be buttoned and worn appropriately to not show excessive neckline. Sweatshirts/Fleece/Crewneck Sweaters – Bishop Kelly, college/university, or unadorned/plain sweatshirts or crewneck sweaters may be worn with or without a collared shirt beneath it. No other sweatshirts or crewneck sweaters are allowed. Jackets/Sweaters – V-neck, button up, and zip-up sweaters, jackets and hoodies may be worn as an addition to the above stated “shirts” policy. Jewelry – Jewelry should be worn in moderation and in good taste. Excessive jewelry and ornamentation is not acceptable. Body Piercing/Tattoos – With the exception of earrings for female students, no other body piercing or tattooing is allowed to be visible. Hats/ Head Coverings – Head coverings of any kind are considered inappropriate for the school environment. No hats, visors, hoods, stocking caps, beanies, or bandanas are to be worn in the building. Shoes – Shoes must be safe and appropriate for school. Bedroom slippers are never allowed. Hair Requirements – Hair should be kept neat, clean, trimmed appropriately and properly styled. No unnatural hair colors are allowed. Hair styles should not become a distraction to the learning environment for the individual or for others. The expectation for male students is that hair should be out of the eyes when hanging naturally, off of the collar when hanging naturally, and cut above the earlobes. If a student’s hair is not appropriate, the student will be given 3 days to comply with a request from the administration and after that time the student will be placed in “In-School Suspension” until the hair is appropriate. Facial Hair is not permitted. Mass Dress: The Mass Day dress code is designed to reflect dignity and respect. Boys must wear collared shirts (No Polo Shirts) with a tied necktie and long slacks or khaki pants all day. Girls must wear dresses or skirts and collared blouses, or dress slacks and collared blouses all day. No flip-flops or sweatshirts are to be worn on Mass Days. Spirit/Team Dress: On designated spirit days, all students will be allowed to wear Bishop Kelly tee shirts. On game/competition days not designated as a school-wide Spirit Day, team members may dress alike in the spirit of team unity and school pride. Team dress includes appropriate clothing outlined in the Bishop Kelly Dress Code, Bishop Kelly tee shirts, and/or jerseys with sleeves. Consequences: The dress code is in effect from the beginning of the school day until the end, which will be signified by the first and last bell. Students will not be permitted in class if they are out of dress code. Any class time missed due to being out of dress code will be considered as an unexcused absence, and credit for any class work missed shall not be granted. Students not in dress code will need to: 1. correct the problem immediately 2. call parents for a change of clothing if the problem cannot be corrected, or 3. remain in In-School Suspension until the problem is corrected or until the school day ends. Dress Code Violations are cumulative through the academic year. The first violation will be a written reprimand/warning; a second violation will be an After-School Detention; any subsequent violations will result in a one-day, In-School Suspension.





I doubt you'll look through all of this, but personally, I think it's ridiculous. Because there's something that comes up long before the dress code policy, right there at the beginning of the student handbook.

OUR BELIEFS
† JESUS CHRIST is our ultimate teacher and role model.
† Learning is our priority.
† Moral development and service to others is central to learning.
† All students strive for excellence consistent with ability.
† All students are valued for their unique spiritual, intellectual, moral, physical, social, creative and emotional gifts and needs.
† Our Christian learning environment is the responsibility of students, parents, teachers, staff, coaches, alumni, and administrators.
† Continuous improvement is imperative to developing lifelong learners.


Notice the first statement of beliefs. Jesus Christ... would he enforce a dress code as strictly as Bishop Kelly does? Where three dress code violations throughout the entire school year result in an in-school suspension? This argument probably doesn't hold up, but I wish that we didn't have to put up with such ridiculous restrictions from a place that constantly preaches tolerance and kindness. Well that's my spin on things anyway.