Somedays, I miss Spring Arbor. Other days, I am so unbelievably glad that I left. 

After deleting my myspace months ago, I realized that I also deleted the entire record I had of my 77 list. I finally found a copy that I had printed back in February of '07, so of course, this isn't an accurate list. Hopefully I'll be able to remember what I changed over the course of the year, but I don't know if I will. For now, I'll put the ones I know we took off the list in italics. Anyway, this is how I spent 2007. Enjoy.

1. Eat an entire Little Caesar's pizza 
2. Eat only organic food for a week 
3. Celebrate Christmas in July
4. Have crazy hair for at least two weeks
5. Read seven new fabulous books
6. Go an entire weekend without sleep (or at least attempt)
7. Win 12 bets
8. Go out to eat and order dinner backwards
9. Try seven new restaurants
10. Have a day of silence
11. Sponsor an African baby
12. Watch movies at the theater all day
13. Establish a place
14. Don't spend a single cent for two weeks (excluding gas money)
15. Don't eat meat for a month
16. Go to Zack's at 3:37 a.m.
17. Be part of a protest
18. Build an incredible snow something
19. Find 77 new songs to love
20. Follow a word of the day calendar
21. Meet 77 new friends
22. Color an entire coloring book
23. Solve a Rubik's cube
24. Sew a fashionable something
25. Draw in the park with sidewalk chalk
26. Read the Bible three times a week for at least a month
27. Become proficient in crochet
28. Develop an alter-ego
29. Splurge on crazy amounts of ridiculous make-up
30. Create a new nickname
31. Go for a sweet bike ride
32. Learn a useless skill
33. Go to the Ben & Jerry's store in Ann Arbor
34. Re-instate 7 old friendships
35. Facial, mani-pedi day
36. Create a sweet collage
37. Learn bad jokes
38. Do 3 random acts of kindness
39. Dress up for a week
40. Start a collection
41. TP a whole street of houses
42. Conquer the Bubble Island menu
43. Make a piggy bank
44. Go to a carnival and win something
45. Do a pilates/yoga routine for a month
46. Take, mat, and frame a photo for my room
47. Ride in a horse drawn carriage
48. Buy something expensive and completely useless
49. Try COCAINE 
50. Get a makeover at Sephora
51. Document our lives
52. Donate old clothes
53. Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle
54. Celebrate holidays that don't matter
55. Re-design and decorate my basement
56. Participate in a contest
57. Skip school to do something fabulous
58. Help out at a shelter
59. Go to a big time sports game
60. Harry Potter @ midnight
61. Have a board game night
62. Make 7 gifts for people
63. Purchase seven things from IKEA
64. Buy something from an antique store
65. Have a tribute to the 70's party
66. Have a war
67. Make jewelry from scratch
68. Go to 3 concerts
69. Write a letter to a celebrity
70. Take 77 amazing pictures
71. Stalk someone
72. Buy a little fish and put him in a little bowl
73. See some sites in Michigan
74. Go to Traverse City for the Cherry Festival
75. Watch a ridiculous TV series every month
76. Plan a trip that we will one day take
77. Have a party once a month

I wish I could remember this or find a more up to date version, but here are some things that I know I added:

1. Watch 12 movies I should have seen a long time ago
2. Tie a message to a balloon and let it go
3. Send 7 postcards
4. Send 7 secrets to PostSecret
5. Have surgery
6. Send 7 "thank yous"
7. Give an anonymous gift
8. Choose a life verse
9. Apply to three colleges
10. Go to 5 plays

 Assuming there is a God, on what basis does God endow humans with souls? 

This question assumes not only that there is a God, but also that this God does in fact endow humans with souls. Personally, I believe both assumptions to be true, but coming up with an explanation for either is another story. Defining the soul in itself is a difficult task. I don’t think there is any better description than the one given in the book: “the essence of a person.” I believe that the soul is the image of God that humans were made to resemble. The flesh and bones of the body merely compose the vessel meant to carry one’s soul throughout the test of life on Earth.

Why God initially gave human beings souls is a mystery to me. Lately, I’ve been picturing God as some sort of mad scientist, carefully designing the universe and planning the creation of His greatest experiment yet: man. However, I believe that God now adds a soul into each person’s shell of a body not merely as an experiment, but because He loves us. God doesn’t have a fancy, hidden, self-gratifying, logical agenda; we are simply the experiment He fell in love with and because He loves us, He gives us each a unique design within our physical bodies and the opportunity to love Him back.

While on Earth, people have the free will to live however they choose. Throughout life, the soul is changed, shaped, and molded depending on the decisions we make and the events that occur around us. Perhaps at the end of human life, the promises of eternal life are contingent upon what we have done to our souls and how our souls have evolved during our time on Earth.

Could this basis be extended to other animals?  Why, or why not? 

I don’t believe that animals other than humans have souls. Other animals may be able to learn behaviors such as sign language or how to extract termites from hills, but their capacities are limited. Yes, maybe animals have personalities and instincts and emotions similar to those of people, but their capacity for reasoning, logic, curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking is simply nonexistent. One hundred percent of the animal behavior described in the experiments listed in the textbook is learned, whereas part of the soul contains innate qualities unique to each human being, despite the beliefs of behaviorism. I believe that the soul is “the image of God,” and although I love animals and appreciate their presence in the world, I don’t believe that they are made in the image of God like human beings are said to be. Each person has a different set of passions, gifts, abilities, and personality traits that come naturally, for better or worse. Every human being is born with his or her own internal attributes and shortcomings, and those details make up a part of the soul. Those details are simply not present in other animals, regardless of intelligence level or emotional capacity.

Does it matter, even to nonreligious people, if theologians decide that woman is not made in the image of God? Why, or why not?

Quite honestly, I don’t understand how theologians could reach such a conclusion in the first place. Even if it is determined that woman was created in the image of man, was man not created in the image of God? If man is in God’s image and woman is in man’s image, isn’t woman therefore also made in God’s image?

Because the decision that woman is not made in the image of God seems so backwards, idiotic and illogical, I think such a decision would make headlines worldwide. Religious and nonreligious people alike would find this news absurd, I’m sure (not all religious people, but surely some). Men are not greater than women, that much has been proven, so the church proclaiming that they were right initially and men are in fact superior to women would make the nonreligious community take the religious community even less seriously. Adopting such an archaic worldview would make the church and its beliefs seem even more archaic than they already do to the nonreligious people in the world.

Would you live your life differently if you had positive proof that there is no God? Or positive proof that a divine being exists?  What changes would you make, and why?

If I had positive proof that there was no God, I would most likely fall into a downward spiral for at least a short while. Parts of my current moral code would disintegrate, and I would lose hope. I would lose hope for better things and I would lose hope and faith in good. Love would take on a new definition if I were positive that God did not exist. To me, God is love, so if there is no God, is there even love? Perhaps these feelings would be temporary, but who’s to say?

Our society would change drastically if there were proof that God did not exist. For starters, “in God we trust” would finally be removed from our currency and our pledge. Separation of church and state would no longer be an issue, and the world would turn to chaos. Regardless of the moral code that people live by according to their conscience, anarchy would reign supreme in a godless world, not because people are no longer afraid of hell or longing for heaven, but because hope would be lost and desperation would have no answer. The majority of the world believes in a higher power, and if all of those people were told that they were wrong and no such being exists, the world would be bedlam.

If I was given positive proof that God or some other divine being did in fact exist, my life would still change. The religions of the world are based on ancient stories passed through the ages, and I am positive that whatever divine being does exist is not the exact being described in any text. Following God would no longer be a question of faith, which to me, is the point of not knowing for sure whether or not God exists. I’m sure I would be addressing this divine being by a new name in my prayers and I would most likely be reading a new text for guidance. I may ultimately choose not to follow this being, but if I made such a decision, I would know what exact consequences I would receive in return.

Everything would be different if one God was discovered with absolute certainty. Laws would be altered throughout the world. People would be upset at first, just as if they were told there were no God, but would eventually strive to follow the existent divine being. The separation of church and state would most likely be abolished, because with one being to follow, one set of rules, what human being could argue what’s right and wrong? The beauty and mystery of faith would be gone, and with it the issues and arguments surrounding religion. This God would be our worldwide leader, and nothing would be the same.

Last week, I hung out with a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time. I like having plenty of things to talk about, even if it means we go weeks without seeing each other. We're all so busy; we're growing up.

On Friday, I went to Indiana with Danielle to visit Priya and see their campus. Priya's parents are just as crazy as ever, and I love them, hahaha. We slept on couches, watched a lot of movies, and explored downtown Indianapolis and Bloomington. We rode on a horse drawn carriage! My second... So nerdy... Anyway, I can't even describe how much I liked IU's campus, which completely surprised me. All I've ever heard about IU is that it's the biggest party school in the country and their greek life is off the charts, so to find out that it's gorgeous and bordered by an absolutely adorable traditional small town full of independently owned shops was a shock. I've never liked U of M's campus really, because the town and campus are so intertwined, and State's campus lacks natural plant life and landforms for the most part. IU's campus was separated from the downtown, but the downtown was still within walking distance. The campus was full of trees and small rivers/creeks, cobblestone pathways through forests and huge planter boxes filled with red and white flowers. I'm really anxious to visit during the year so that I can witness the party scene first hand and get a feel for the student body. 

Talking about college with Priya and Danielle was really enlightening. Both of them KNOW what they want to do. Not just what they want to study, but what they want to accomplish in life. I admire that so much... We had a great conversation about education, careers, and the future. It made me realize that the reason I can't find a major, or get excited about ANYTHING is because I don't know where I'm going. I don't have a goal. Priya wants to bring public healthcare and health education to poor communities/countries and Danielle wants to revitalize the city of Detroit. What do I want to do? I'm not positive yet. I have some ideas, but I'm not positive. I just know that I want to do something meaningful. I want to feel like I'm doing something for a reason other than making money to support my pathetically materialistic American lifestyle. I looked at the list of IU majors and schools and whatnot, and it's fascinating how many degrees they have. I mean, you could get a degree in practically anything you want. Looking at the class lists and all of the opportunities reminded me of high school: trying to decide between public and private school. It's obvious that the Park gives students far more opportunities than private schools, and the same goes for a Big 10 school compared to SAU (or any liberal arts school, really). I just have a lot of thinking to do. 

I just downloaded all of Eminem's albums on iTunes. Hahaha, gotta support my boy from the D, right?! I've always loved Eminem. Is that weird? 

To be honest, I really didn't think summer would be anything like a normal summer this year. These past few weeks, however, have been completely summer-like. There's no other way to describe them. Staying out until 4, just because.. Slurpee runs.. Rave parties.. Dodgeball.. 90 degree weather.. Mosquito bites.. Bonfires.. Fireworks.. Gotta love these summer days.

I've been spending a lot of time with rather unexpected people, and I'm learning to appreciate people I've typically had a tough time with. It's funny, after high school and all, who you end up hanging out with...

Anastas' tribal cyberpunk rave was last night and it was a pretty good time. I didn't drink, because I don't, but it didn't really matter. I was shocked at how many people there I knew. RON WAS THERE! Ron is so funny. It was so nice catching up with him. It's weird to think that the summer we spent all our time with them was two years ago.

I do not believe that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" at all. I'm not saying that in a negative way, I honestly think that the more seperated you are from someone, the less attachment you feel to them. At least that's how it is for me. I like things that way. No attachments...

My film class is over; I'm just waiting for my final grade, but it should be an A, which was difficult to motivate myself for. I finish my astronomy class tomorrow. Both classes flew by. It feels like I still have so much to learn! I secretly love astronomy. I think it's sooooo cool... Seriously. Next, I'm taking Philosophy and History of the Contemporary World. In the fall, I'm taking Intro to Econ, Music Appreciation, History of the Early Modern World, Speech, and IPC. Econ is the only class that isn't online, and it's an hour-long night class twice a week. I can handle that.

Once I finish fall semester, I'll be done with my gen ed requirements, and I should be going back to Spring Arbor. Of course, that's completely unofficial; I haven't reapplied or reenrolled or anything. It's just my plan. I can't really explain why I'm going back; I just have to. I know I have to. I'll try to explain later. I know it isn't going to be easy, and I know very few people are going to understand, but I have to. It's where I'm supposed to be, which sounds crazy, but it is.

Paul and I are supposed to go to Missouri Sunday and come back Thursday, which I think is kind of a waste, but Paul cannot sacrifice any more of his precious time with his wifey, so whatever. Jake is going to Seattle on the fourth of July, and I am seriously contemplating going with him, even if he is going to hang out with his WoW buddies (hahahahahahhahaha). I just desperately want to go to Seattle. Maybe someone else will come and we can wander the city together. But really, I probably won't go.

Alright, I'd better get to sleep. I keep sleeping until 2 in the afternoon, which is ridiculous... Of course, Marissa slept until 4:30 today and was an hour late for our plans, so maybe I shouldn't feel bad. G'night all.