I am fully aware that the irony is almost suffocating when I say this, but the words beg to be spoken: Sometimes, a little academic rigor and periodic evaluation can be less than unbearably mind-numbing. In other words, is summer overrated?

To avoid making any rash assumptions, I will employ a formula with a list of variables, x being the amount of fun and y being the amount of negative aspects of the day, to support my hypothesis with quantitative data. (I can't seem to shrug the "school" off me). Since y is measured in negative numbers, the goal is to garner the largest positive number.

As I have nothing better to do today — other than 35 kg of summer Advanced Placement homework — than carp about summer, I'd have to say that y equals -50 units. On the plus side, I don't have to face the sweaty gym rooms and irrelevant essays inherent on a school day, when y equals -100 units. I've also been able to indulge in the art of consumership or shopping, and chat on AIM minus the nuisance of homework, a big bonus considering that homework had me alternating between a "Cold War" debate and "billybob123." Then x equals 200 units. I usually estimate x around 100 units during a school day.

With my two points (200, -50), (100, -100), I can find the slope (0.5x) and slope y-intercept (-150). Based on the resulting linear equation, y = 0.5x-150, the most fun I can have is 300 units, when y = 0 (no negativity).

Either the results are staggering or my math skills must

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be rusty. Did you know that I am having nearly 70 percent of my maximum fun capacity? How can I argue with such concrete evidence? It could be that the numbers stand for more than mere digits. Though modern society has taught us to squeeze in as much as possible in a limiting 24 hours a day, this aphorism might actually be contradictory to its very existence.

A summer without a strict schedule and productive activities 24/7 could be fulfilling; the real fun is in the process — the process of planning reunions with your friends, anticipating the drop on a roller coaster ride. It is only when the process is enjoyed that the real event becomes the cherry on top.

Rebecca Zhu is a junior at Weston High School, and an assistant editor of CTTeens. You may reach her at ctteens@ctpost.com.