Is this Irony?

I didn't pay a whole lot of attention in English. It wasn't one of my more favorite subjects. I like to read, and write, but I am 99% sure my grammar is atrocious. I really could not figure out why anyone cared what a subject or a predicate was. And what the heck is a dangling participle? And when do you use a semi-colon? These are questions I really don't care if I ever get the answers to. Picking apart sentences is one of my least favorite things to do. And then there are the definitions of literary terms. Like irony. I hate to use the term, because I am fairly certain I am using it wrong, and I think the mass public is probably misusing it as well too.

I've heard that with the advent of the popular song several years ago by Alanis Morisette "Ironic" the incidences of people misusing the term has increased ten fold. "It's like rain on your wedding day, it's the free ride when you've already paid, it's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife...isn't it ironic, don'tcha think?" I want to say it's just coincidence. (But I am really not qualified to say.)

However, the other day something happened, and I thought to myself- "I think that's irony!" I was picking Nick up from school after his two hour work detail/detention/10th hour shift or whatever you want to call it. Too many 9th hours for infractions such as coming late or unprepared to class, not finishing/having your homework, etc, and you get work detail. He has spent several hours these past couple of months helping the janitors and scrubbing desks, etc.

So, as I am picking him up, I notice the bottle of Sprite in his hand. Although when I was in junior high I could have had a Pepsi and a candybar every single day for lunch (and nothing else) and nobody would have cared. Nowadays, it is very difficult to find a pop or candy machine anywhere on campus. Well, you can get a bottle of water if you want, but that's about it.

"Where did you get the Sprite?" I asked.

"The janitors. I guess I am usually such a hard worker, and they were talking about it that they made a deal with each other that I didn't even know about that if I worked really hard again today they'd buy me a Sprite."

"So let me get this straight- you have to do work detail on a regular basis because you have too many 9th hours in any given month, because you have a hard time getting your act together for class, but you are such a hard worker at work detail, your punishment, that the janitors feel the need to reward you?"

"Yep."

that sounds a little ironic right?