Apparently Wasting Time is All the Rage in High School.

I'd really like to know what filling out the "Free and Reduced Lunch" form has to do with getting my college textbooks.

Because, just for the record, it's against federal law to withhold college textbooks from a student because they didn't turn in a form which came with a paper specifically stating that it can be turned in at any time throughout the year.

This is exactly why I am just ready to be done with high school.

I come to school on Monday morning ready to work and get settled into all my classes, and I'm told that we're not actually going to be in class until Thursday. What? So for three days, my job is to aimlessly wander around campus for five hours twiddling my thumbs? Are you kidding me?

"We just want to make sure that everyone has time to get all of their papers in and get their textooks before we officially get into the school year," claims the Principal.

But isn't the real reason us upper-classmen have nothing to do because, despite the two-and-a-half month long summer vacation, you still don't have everything figured out? That's why everyone has to wait 'till Wednesday to get our schedules, and why the counselor won't be available all week.

I'm also slightly annoyed at this new method everyone has to follow for getting our college textbooks. I honestly don't understand how printing out our schedules and getting them stamped and walking back and forth from one side of campus to the next and waiting in line for twenty minutes is "preparing us for when we actually get to college and have to pay for our own textbooks." As far as I know, all you have to do in college to accomplish this task is walk to the bookstore, locate the books you need, show the people at the counter your I.D., and pay for them (or buy them off Amazon for a slightly cheaper price). It does not have to be this difficult.

It should take one day to get everyone's papers straightened out, not three. It should take one day to get our schedules taken care of. It should take one day to retrieve the books you need, unless of course you're me and have to stretch it out to two days because this happens...

Me: (Finally gets to the front desk after waiting in line for fifteen minutes). "Hello, I'm here to get my books." (Standing ready with schedule and list of needed books).

Lady at the Desk: "Okay, let's make sure you've got all your papers in." (Pulls out stack of papers with checklist stapled to front). "Well, it seems you haven't turned in your Free and Reduced Lunch form, do you have that?"

Me: "Well, I don't have it at the moment, it's at home." (Confused).

Lady at the Desk: "Well, you can't get your books without it."

Me: "I can bring it tomorrow-"

Lady at the Desk: "Well then you'll have to wait 'till then, I'm sorry."

Excuse me, but what does that form have to do with getting my books? I'm registered for school, I'm signed up for classes, and you won't let me take care of my books because I didn't confirm whether or not I wanted to get a free lunch? It is against the law to make me wait. And of course, the next day someone asks if it's mandatory in order to get their textbooks, and the principal says "no, of course not."

So tomorrow, I finally get my schedule and then do...nothing for the rest of the day.

When I was a freshman, our orientation lasted two days, and we got our schedules on the first day. Why is everything so unorganized this year? The most efficient way to handle everything is to schedule the freshman orientation the week before school starts, so the upperclassmen aren't forced to waste three days doing nothing and being told things we don't need to be told.

Just once, I'd like to start school when it's scheduled to start, is that so much to ask?

I'd Like to Keep My Ears Please (:

Okay, I have a complaint to make. Well, a couple, actually.

Number one, there's a giant house fly buzzing around in my room right now, and it's terribly distracting. Too bad my Astronomy professor isn't here to corner it and smack it against the wall; he had an eye for that sort of thing.

But that's not what I want to talk about today.
ANYWAY.

I went shopping for school clothes with my mom the other day, and because the mall in our town is garbage, we spent nearly three hours switching back and forth between two different stores trying to find a pair of jeans that would fit my "petite" body structure.

Which was difficult because 1) apparently every clothing store in my town expects its customers to be a six-foot-tall tree trunk, and thus only carries sizes to accommodate that, or 2) for some ridiculous reason, teenagers have decided that wearing those ultra-skinny jeans that glue themselves to your legs and cut your circulation off are "hip" and "trendy", and therefore should be the only style of jeans worth selling.

So, my mom and I are strolling through the mall, perusing the lovely merchandise at Anchor Blue and Rue 21, when we pass by Zumiez and my mom goes...

"Hey Kendra, want to look in there and see if there's anything you like?" (If you're imagining this being asked in an excited tone, you've got it completely wrong).

"But the only jeans they have there are skinny jeans, mom," I replied, shifting my weight to one leg and leaning my head back like a whiny ten-year-old. I really, really loathe shopping.

"Well, there might be some nice shoes or shirts you might want."

"... *eye roll*..."

Regardless of my resistance, we head over to Zumiez anyway, and the second we walk through the entrance, we're hit with this giant wave of unbearably loud death metal music, enough to make any sane person cover their ears and rush out of the store five seconds later.

And this is my problem. Why do all of the popular clothing stores have to play their music so excruciatingly loud. I realize that they're supposed to be "youth-oriented" and deafening headbanger music and shattered eardrums are evidently all the rage amongst teenagers today, but come on. You can't even hear yourself, let alone think straight because the music is just blasting away, pulsing through every freaking vein in your body.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to listen to some disturbed musician screaming "DROWNING IN THE LAKE!!" while I'm trying to pick out some shoes or a decent pair of pants. Or an auto-tuned bimbo with an unhealthy glitter obsession (Ke$ha) singing "WAKE UP IN THE MORNIN' FEELIN' LIKE P-DIDDY!" when I'm deciding on whether or not to take advantage of the buy one get one half off sale on graphic t-shirts.

That does not make for a pleasant shopping experience.

I mean, I'm sure I could tolerate it if they played the music at, say, a few notches above the halfway mark rather than full blast!

It's probably a tactic the managers use to get people to buy more of their products. Like when annoyed parents are forced to shop with their kids, and they can't take the loudness of the music (I don't see how anyone could), and it puts them in such a frenzy that they just go "yeah, yeah, just get whatever, I don't care."

"But mom, it's 75 dollars! Are you sure?"

"Whatever, whatever, just get what you want so we can get the hell out of here!" (flicks hands dismissively while frantically wiping sweat from forehead.)

It's asinine, and really just makes me hate shopping even more than I already do. If you've never experienced this and would like to have a little sample of the ridiculousness of it, here is a wonderful interpretation.