Every once in a while (well, ok, it happens all the time) you encounter a situation that you just can't imagine how the people involved deal with.

Snakeeater, jr. goes to a very expensive school. I think that I related here that I actually broke into tears when I found out he'd been accepted and to this day I'm not sure if it was out of pride or because I knew what it would cost.

Basically, it's ten grand a year, about $250 for books and God only knows in fees, etc. On top of that we just recently figured it's about $100/week just for gas to get there and back. Easily 20K per year.

Now keep that in mind as I relate this--Monday of the Easter break the band gathered together for a last practice session before they boarded buses to travel to Disney World (another thousand bucks). Several students got a Slurpy drink in a clear cup and poured whiskey in it and brought it to the practice session. Sort of a juvenile kind of thing, but something that is absolutely not tolerated at that school, and they knew it. Snakeeater jr. says the teacher smelled it, and because of the clear cup they could actually see the strata--green slushy and brown whiskey. Five guys took an immediate fall and three seniors were expelled. Expelled. Done. Finito. They were getting ready to board buses for a trip on a Monday--a work day.

Thier parents had to somehow deal with getting away from work to retrieve the kids, but that's the absolute least of it. Four years of high school. The economics I cited above. And it's all trashed.

I honestly don't know how the guys will graduate high school. I'm thinking some sort of summer program with a degree in August. This is a school in which 98% of graduates go to college. Where do those three guys stand now?

Fifty some odd grand invested in high school and they won't graduate. It might even boil down to a GED. Damned if I know.

It's sure as hell going to throw a huge monkey wrench into college plans.

And the worst part is it's the sort of thing that, well, I might have done. Actually, not. I did some dumb things back when, but bringing whiskey to high school is even dumber than I was. And especially to this high school.

I can't possibly imagine the scenario at those boys' homes right now. I guess the moral is think, think, think. Yeah, I like the odd spot of adult-type drinks myself. But you've got to think.

I'm not a high and mighty moralist. I have way more than my own share of failings. But man, did those guys screw up.