A Colossal Waste of an Organ. Or Two.

For someone like me, there is no worse holiday than the Victoria Day weekend. Affectionately known as ‘May Two-Four’, this three day festivity is a teenager’s lifeline, the only speck of hope on the bleak high school horizon. It is the first long weekend of the year where the weather is (mostly) warm, allowing for camping and other outdoor activities. It is also set right before exam moratorium, so high school students can get a welcome reprieve from stress before they begin studying for exams.

It seems like a regular Garden of Eden, but May Two-Four is not exactly a weekend of family-friendly, PG fun. It is the biggest party weekend of the year, celebrated by the consumption of massive amounts of alcohol, extensive use of drugs, and millions of ‘amazing nights’ across the country — none of which can actually be remembered.

This wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for the fact that none of that really appeals to me. Sure, if I were an alcoholic drug-abuser who didn’t care about her own physical safety, it would be the best three days of my year. Unfortunately, I don’t drink, don’t do drugs, and prefer to have a firm handle on my memories and well-being at all times.

Does that make me strange? In today’s culture, yes. In my high school, amongst the people I habitually spend time with, I’m considered something of an enigma. All because I enjoy my liver and what it does for me.

What do I do on May Two-Four? While most of my friends go putting themselves in danger of alcohol poisoning, rape, car accidents, drowning, and other such terrors, I’ll be at home. You’ll find me cuddling with my cats and playing Scrabble with my parents. Safer, yes, but that’s just as much as an ‘amazing night’ as one that can’t be remembered.

Queen Victoria was known as the ‘Defender of Faith’ (along with several other titles). Would she be happy about what society has done to her birthday? Personally, I don’t think so. She would probably be very unamused.

**Note: Queen Victoria was famous for saying "I am not amused" at almost everything.