Matt's 8th grade Graduation

So, I've ranted briefly about the 8th grade graduation banquet before.  In total the parents spent over $1500 on this event, which none of the kids seemed to want.  However, the parents wanted it quite a bit.  In fact, I heard that they were actually yelling, screaming, and yanking on each others' arms at many of the TWELVE planning meetings.  Yes, twelve.  I didn't experience this, because, guess how many planning meetings I went to?  Zero.  Yes, zero.  Therefore, I sat in the back of the room and tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.  Sadly for Matt, there's only three white kids in his class, so it was hard to deny that he knew the slacker parents in the corner. 

It turned out much as I expected: over-priced food that wasn't that great, stuffy formal program, and kids who just wanted to get to the after-party at the school.  We each gave a 3 minute speech, but I could only understand four of them, because the rest were in Korean.  Jeremy gave a very funny and touching speech, then congratulated himself on the popularity of his speech for a few days after. 

One of the fancy rich moms paid for a "photo booth" for the kids, with their faces photoshopped onto other bodies.  Matt lucked out and got the cool kid body, but his head is a weird angle.  An entire orphanage could have eaten for a week with what she paid for it, but whatever.  I took a picture anyway to make her feel good about it.

This is what happens when you get all proud of yourself for "shooting in manual" and you don't use a flash when you clearly need a flash.  The one time your teenage son smiles a genuine smile you MISS IT because you're too cool to use a flash.  Ugh.  Pride cometh before a fall...

This is the 8th grade class performing a song for the parents.  Notice that Matt is nowhere to be found.  He was hiding like a little girl behind his friends.

Busted.  You have to love the kid up front, though.  That guy loves to sing.

I can't believe my son is in high school.