November is National Novel Writing Month, or something like that. I think that's just great! I read all about it in the guys online journal, then went to the actual site about it. It sounds like so much fun! The goal is to write an entire 50,000 word (roughly 175 pages) novel by midnight on November 30. If I can find the site, I'll post it next time and you can all check it out. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. So, I started my novel tonight. I'm already a few days behind (roughtly 6000 words behind, give or take a couple hundred), but that's ok. I wrote 2100 tonight.

Is it good? Not really. Is it supposed to be. Not really. I mean, come on, how good can a novel be that was written in one month? The purpose, at least one of them, is to show up all the authors that take years developing one book. Are they wasting time? Hmm... SO yeah, by November 30, I will have written an entire novel. At least I hope so.

I figured that I could devote at least an hour and a half to it each night, probably more, because nothing ever happens around here at night. I'll make sure I keep you updated on my progress, and when it is completed, I'll set up a link to it, so you can all ready the product of my creative genius: my month-long novel.

In other news...

Tonight, the guys from out brother unit made us dinner, but I didn't go. Today was Megan's birthday, so Mom and Dad came to capus to take her/us out to eat. We ended up going to Ryans, whic isn't my favorite place, but that's where they agreed on. It was so much fun! Our waitress was awesome and definitely took care of us. And Mom had made this awesome looking cake, which random people kept commenting on. The waitress found out it was Meg's birthday, so all the waiters came over to sing to her. She had to stand up and "put on her dancing shoes." Yeah, she danced around while everyone in the restaurant watched as we screamed and the waiters sang their fun little song. Quite funny. Good pics, too.

The biggest news of the day, however, belong to my friends. Many, many congratulations to Jeff Hart and Betsy Burkholder on their engagement! WOO HOO!! I'm so excited for them! It happened yesterday, and the story is so stinking cute! If the guy I end up marrying is half as good as Jeff at arranging stuff like that, I'd be thrilled. Guys, if you really want to impress your ladies, take a few lessons from this guy. Make it your own, of course, but I'm sure he can give you some pointers.

Youthquake is this weekend, and quite frankly, I am pumped. I don't know why, but I think I am looking forward moreto this year than any year in the past. I'm sure some awesome stuff will happen, but I have no idea what. Everyone should come! I think I am going to go to YWAV on Sunday, too. Might as well spend the WHOLE weekend with everyone. :) And Dad told me the worship set: oh man, serious throw back stuff from like, 8th and 9th grade. I'm excited. Yay for old stuff!

I forgot to post about the highlight of my day earlier. This was, by and far, the best point of my day. It might even qualify as one of the peaks of my entire year, simply because it is a rare occasion, as this is the first time it happened so far this year. A rarity indeed.

So, what was this high point, you may ask?

Guess who I saw today?!?!?!

FNL DIRECTOR!!!!!

Yeah!! I know!! I was walking into the Student Center and I saw him and the short guy who played the guitar during all of his "interpretive dances" during FNL last year walking towards the door. I almost peed myself. Not really, that part is a lie, but I wanted to jump up and down and throw myself at him. He held the door open for me, and I turned around and watched them walk away. *sigh. So hot.

Ok, so he graduated last year. That's why this is such an important event of the year. This is the guy that we sent anonymous mail to all second semester. I wrote him a sonnet and everything. We? No, actually, it was just me. Lots of funny, random pictures and quotes were sent to box 1451. I think that is the box. My memory is a bit fuzzy. Oh well.

Basically, he is hot, in a dorky kind of way. I have sorely missed his presence on campus. I'm still not sure why I never walked up to him and talked to him one of the many times I saw him sitting all alone in the coffee shop. I bet he'd be great to talk to. Dang. Now I'll never get to marry him. I mean...

Current Song: Dashboard Confessional, "The Best Deceptions"

Today, I have kicked butt on the productivity scale. Go me! I had planned on spending yesterday writing my research paper, but did that happen? No. I fell asleep on the couch while reading one of my articles. Oh well. So, I spent a few hours in front of my computer screen today, reading and writing for this paper, which I finished in reord time. I was pleased.

I was frustrated with one of my friends today. I hate it when people constantly say how bad things are around here, particularly chapel. Yeah, today's wasn't the best, but it was needed. We spend too much time concerned about stuff that won't matter in 3 weeks anyway. Heaven forbid we be forced to look outside of our small bubbles that are our lives at IWU. And then, when someone who thinks he might be called to ministry or missions makes repeated comments about how bad it is to ask college students to donate money, in faith, to help out with missions work or to an organization... that just really frustrates me. I wanted to say, "Excuse me, do you even hear yourself?! And you think you are called to this life?" but I didn't. I've been noticing lately that a lot of the stuff people complain about, well, I see a lot of those same characteristics in them. I know this is true of myself as well, so I'm not just pointing fingers. It's true that the things we find the most offensive in other people are most likely things we don't like about ourselves, and we find them hideous in others. Yikes. I'll work on this. I feel like some of my friends are really just missing the boat. So that's my frustration for the day.

On a lighter note... 52 more days until Christmas!! 63 until I turn 20! Wahoo!

I know I just posted, like, 10 minutes ago, but I am incredibly bored. I'm all alone in my room, which NEVER happens!! It's amazing, but for some reason, I don't want to be alone now. Usually I crave solace, but when I finally get it for longer than a class length (they have class on MWF when I don't. I have a nice hour by myself), I don't want it! Oh well. I decided to do a survey. Probably more information that any of you really care to know, but oh well. It's my blog! And if you really don't want to read my answers, well... fine. No biggie. :)

I'm listening to Kenny G. "Miracles: The Holiday Album" now. No more Mariah.

LAYER ONE:
-- Name: Keenan Danielle Pruett
-- Birth date: January 5, 1984
-- Birthplace: Dayton, OH
-- Current Location: Marion, IN
-- Eye Color: Blue
-- Hair Color: Blonde, but it is getting darker as I get older. I don't want brown hair!
-- Height: 5'7"
-- Righty or Lefty: Right
-- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
--Favorite color: Blue or purple
LAYER TWO:
-- Your heritage: Irish, French, German, and Arkansasan
-- The shoes you wore today: Red flip flops
-- Your weakness: Ask my friends. They can tell you.
-- Your fears: Baby carrots and messing things up that will have ramifications on other people
-- Your perfect pizza: Pepperoni and mushroom with extra cheese and not much sauce
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: Travel through Europe for a summer
LAYER THREE:
-- Your most overused phrase on AIM: the smiley face
-- Your thoughts first waking up: Usually I wake up to someone else's alarm and get mad b/c they don't turn it off.
-- Your best physical feature: I like my hair when it doesn't look like a mop or a rat's nest.
-- Your bedtime: between 12 and 2
-- Your most missed memory: Spending time with my dad.
LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Cherry Coke? Coke over Pepsi
-- McDonald's or Burger King: Either
-- Single or group dates: Depends. I haven't been on an actual date in a while.
-- Adidas or Nike: Nike
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: No tea for me, except for chai on occasion.
-- Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla, all the way. I'm not a big fan of chocolate. Sometimes I really want chocolate, like a brownie or something. But those times are few and far between.
-- Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino, but I am learning to love coffee products, like lattes and machiattos, but not straight coffee. Yet.
LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: Blech, no.
-- Cuss: I called my mom "cheap ass" a few weeks ago, in the context of conversation, and I said the "s word" one night. That was the first time I cussed since 8th grade. I think people who curse sound stupid.
-- Sing: Is the Pope Catholic? Heck yeah I sing. Ask the roomies.
-- Take a shower everyday: Yep
-- Have a crush(es): Eh... ok, yes.
-- Do you think you've been in love: No.
-- Want to go to college: Currently enrolled, and loving it, for the most part.
-- Like(d) high school: Yes, very much so.
-- Want to get married: Yes, very much so. But no eunichs! ha ha ha... sorry, small joke.
-- Believe in yourself: Yes.
-- Get motion sickness: I never did until a few summers ago. I got so sick on the trip to Maryland. It was horrible.
-- Think you're attractive: I don't think I'm gorgeous, but I don't think I'm hideous, either. I like me, and I'm not afraid of mirrors, so...
-- Think you're a health freak: Not really.
-- Get along with your parent(s): Yes. More now than I ever have, actually.
-- Like thunderstorms: yes
-- Play an instrument: I used to play the clarinet, and I am learning piano and guitar. I clap on rhythm, though, which is more than lots of people around here can say.
LAYER SIX:
In the past month...
-- Drank alcohol: Nope
-- Smoked: Nope
-- Done a drug: Tylenol and prescription Aldactone, which I am supposed to take twice a day, but I don't.
-- Had Sex: Um, no, actually. I know that is hard to believe, but I haven't.
-- Made Out: Again, no.
-- Gone on a date: Not that I am aware of. Gosh, this survey makes me feel like a spinster. I want to go on a date! :)
-- Gone to the mall?: Yes. Chris and I went to Circle Center a few weekends ago.
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: I don't think I've eaten a single Oreo.
-- Eaten sushi: No, but I'm hoping that living with Noz will cure that one.
-- Been on stage: I performed a skti at YWAV last weekend, but it wasn't on stage, just in front. Does that count?
-- Been dumped: Nope
-- Gone skating: Nope
-- Made homemade cookies: Nope
-- Gone skinny dipping: Not in the last month. Summer, yes.
-- Dyed your hair: Nope
-- Stolen anything: Only young men's hearts, but hey, that happens. No, I haven't stolen anything, not even hearts.
LAYER SEVEN:
Ever...
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes
-- If so, was it mixed company: ...maybe...
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: nope
-- Been caught "doing something": that can be taken so many ways, but all the ways I'm thinking of are no's
-- Been called a tease: Yes, but I don't think that is true.
-- Gotten beaten up: Well, not really. Kalee and I have gotten into 1 or 2 pretty good knock-down, drag-out fights, but not in a few years, and I never really got beat up in those, just really mad and wanted to permanently damage her. It's usually about that time, when I am all fired up and ready to beat the snot out of her, that she'll quit whatever she is doing to me, which makes me even madder. But that hasn't happened for a long time.
-- Shoplifted: I don't think so. If I had, is wasn't important enough to remember.
-- Changed who you were to fit in: Um, I don't know. Middle school is always full of that. But not recently.
LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: When I am still young enough to procreate.
-- Numbers and Names of Children: 2 or 3. I don't have names picked out, but I do have a list of names that my kids will NEVER be called.
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: I thought surveys were supposed to be short answers. This could take pages! Ha ha, I don't know, but I want it to be in my new church building.
-- How do you want to die: I'd rather not die, but one time at small group, I said the best way to go would be during sex, except it'd forever scar the person you were with.
-- Where you want to go to college: IWU. Oh wait, I am.
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: Happy and making a difference wherever I am.
-- What country would you most like to visit: Italy or Spain
LAYER NINE:
In a guy
-- Best eye color? Brown. Yum
-- Best hair color? Brown. Again, Yum. I wrote about this a few blogs ago.
-- Short or long hair: "Dirty boy" but not actually dirty, unless you are the hot guy from Illinois. Longer, but not long long.
-- Height: Taller than me.
-- Best weight: I don't care.
-- Best articles of clothing: I like "Hot Guy's" style of dress, but I think that is because I like to find myself looking at him. Whatever the guy is comfortable and happy in works for me, I don't want him to think he has to dress a certain way for me.
-- Best first date location: I like to Canal Walk in Indy, but wherever is fine with me
-- Best first kiss location: Lips, preferable
LAYER TEN:
-- Number of drugs taken illegally: Zero
-- Number of people I could trust with my life: hmm, good question.
-- Number of CDs that I own: about 100, and out of those, I only bought 3. The rest were gifts of burns. Or both.
-- Number of piercings: 5 in my ears, and hopefully one in my nose, but that depends on next year.
-- Number of tattoos: None, yet. I might get one on my foot sometime. We'll see.
-- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper? A few
-- Number of scars on my body: Ha... scar? Me? I have "the" scar, then some nice nastiness on my knees frmo volleyball and a few on my arms.
-- Number of things in my past that I regret: Not much, actually. Most of the regrets I have are from things I wish I would have done, not for things I regret doing. I'm working on that now, and taking lots more chances.