The close of November brings with it the scent of winter, StudProd-induced laughter, and the end of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Senior Linda Song, as well as thousands of others, spent the past 30 days working on a 50,000-word novel for the NaNoWriMo program. Essentially writing a 175-page book, each of these amateur writers tried their hand at one of literature's toughest endeavors. Look inside for more on the Great Frantic Novel.

Whether it was nerves or something else, writer-director Kumars Salehi wasn't feeling very well earlier today. That's surprising, since the preparation for his StudProd play, "Run to the Sun: A Concise Vignette," has gone swimmingly — especially compared to his experience at filmmaking camp last summer.

Four Uni students will be performing in the Champaign Urbana Ballet's annual holiday production of "The Nutcracker" this weekend and next Saturday: Karolina Kalbarczyk, Sophie Shenk, Claire Liu, and Simone Ballard. The first performance is tonight at 7:30. Anna Cangellaris, a veteran of "The Nutcracker" herself, went to a recent rehearsal and came back with this preview.

Aran Yoo had 8 steals and Karen Woodley grabbed 16 rebounds, but that wasn't enough as Uni fell to host Villa Grove 43-39 Thursday night. The Illineks trailed by 14 points in the first half, then came back to within a single point in the final minute of play before Villa Grove clinched the win.

The headline you see above is shamelessly stolen from the program of this year's Student Productions, also known as "The Brunhilda Chronicles." If none of this makes any sense, come to StudProd tonight or Saturday and all will be explained. Trust us, you'll love it — or, more specifically, trust Katherine Allen, who is your guide to Uni's annual showcase of student theatrical talent. Tickets cost $4 for students, senior citizens, and faculty, and $5 for everyone else.

Students for a Better World raised more than $500 last month for A Woman's Fund, thanks to the club's Boomerang Bike Ride. Katherine Allen takes a look at S4BW's fundraising success story and explains how other groups can get the word out about their own socially progressive service activities.

[UPDATED] Ever wonder how Uni's annual showcase of student theatrical talent gets done in time? Michelle Gao is still wondering — and she's one of the actors who will be performing when Student Productions begin 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. This week the OG will present a backstage look at the making of StudProd 2007. In today's entry Michelle, who plays Julie in Lauren Piester's "My Parents Think I'm Perfect," writes about line memorization and a trip to Target.

Led by top scorer Jamie Blue, the Uni girls defeated Judah Christian 27-20 Monday in the opening round of the eighth-grade regional playoffs — the first time a subbie girls basketball team won a regional game. On Tuesday the girls almost outdid themselves, nearly pulling off a huge comeback win against top-seeded St. Matthew.

The brainchild of the junior class officers and co-sponsored by Student Council, Uni High's recent ice skating party was a tremendous success. Chris Yoder looks back at what could be a model for all-school alternatives to traditional dances.

[UPDATED] Fresh off winning the McDonald's Comet Classic last week, the undefeated Shiloh Raiders came into Kenney Gym tonight with three players who made the all-tournament team and proceeded to spoil Uni's home debut 61-37. The Illineks, now 2-5, will travel to Villa Grove on Thursday.

Senior Anna Cangellaris and sophomore Sindha Agha wanted to figure out who the new, mysterious, and very Gallic face at Uni was, so they took junior Clement Dossin, a transfer from Tournefeuille, France, out for a night around Champaign-Urbana to put together a complete picture of this new international transfer.

[UPDATED] Uni's annual showcase of student-written and -directed plays will be performed 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. This week the OG will present a backstage look at the making of StudProd 2007, with contributions from two of the writer-directors and three of the cast members. First up: sophomore Anna Gooler, who plays Mom in Lauren Piester's play, "My Parents Think I'm Perfect."

[UPDATED] After the entertainment glut of Thanksgiving week, there's a noticeable slowdown as we get to the final week of November. The medical thriller "Awake" looks promising, but when the best of the DVD releases is a movie based on Bratz dolls, you know the pickings are slim. Broadway fans will be sure to check out "Hairspray" at the Assembly Hall on Thursday (unless they're rehearsing for Stud Prod), but video gamers won't find much interest in this week's game releases.

[UPDATED] A recent increase in thefts at Uni has got many afraid that students may no longer be able to keep their lockers open or leave their belongings unattended. Assistant Director Sue Kovacs comments on the numerous e-mails she has been sending about missing items at Uni. Read on to find out whether or not you should finally memorize your locker combination.

The latest series in the "Gundam" anime franchise has arrived, freshly scanlated (scanned and translated) from Japan as "Mobile Suit Gundam 00." Set in the year 2307, could this be a plausible look at what the future holds for us? Read inside for Jie Han’s opinion of the series.