South Bend

Brother From Another Mother (best friends)

by Weston Payne, Poetry and Lit Club

Chapter 11 - “Brother from another Mother” from Wes Side Story

I was in math class and I saw some kid drawing dragon ball z pictures. So I walked over to him casually (without stumbling) and I asked if he liked the show. We ended getting in an argument over who was better Vegeta or Goku. I of course was an-all out Vegeta fan and was insulted by his argument. Yet for some reason one of us started laughing and then I just couldn’t stop. He told me the name I’ll never forget. His name was Will Cole. Will was and still is my best friend. He and I loved hanging out together. We loved playing video games and ditching our homework and we loved gossiping about who was hot and who was not at our school. We both joined the Eco club, and we both wanted to live next to each other when we got older. We laughed so many times everyday. We had our own world together and nothing will or ever can change that. There are many things that I find too hard to remember about Will. Like when he told me how much he liked Amy Conroy. He told me everything that went on between them. He even asked her to prom but he got real bummed out when she decided to in a group instead. I shared with Will my problems with Jenny John and how bummed out I was when I found out that I had to find new date. I remember talking about Video games in math class. During the end of my senior Year he died from a roof accident. I was so shocked. I didn’t know if I could cry or I should kill myself or what to do. I was so mad at God. He took away my most trusted, loved, and all around best friend. When I said Will and I had our own world together I really meant it. I was failing all my classes when I met Will. And he was too. Now understand that before I wasn’t OK with failing but I didn’t want to try more than was needed. However when Will entered my life I HAD to try. For Will, for me and for our future as friends. We grew on each other. He worked real hard so I would too. That’s how it worked. If I started falling short I knew he’d help me. We were equals with attitude. If you’ve never lost a loved one I don’t know if I can explain it well. When will died, denial set in quick but that sweet ignorance didn’t last. Soon his lifeless body lay before me as I hugged him goodbye on a hospital bed. A final few words to my friend was all I could muster out of my already jumbled speech. I was so sad at the truth. I wanted to save him. I wanted to be his hero. I wanted to show that our great eternal friendship wouldn’t, couldn’t end in death. But what if it did, and how could god let this happen. Did he care? As I stood near him in the hospital, with friends and family crying around me I wanted so badly to switch places with him. He had finally found peace. In my restrained tearful eyes I wanted peace too. I felt really old when it was all over. I felt like I was near my own deathbed. I had known death for a moment. But he took my friend and now I was all-alone again. I felt bad for all of his family. I wasn’t feeling bad for myself as much as I was for the time we lost that we would have spent having fun together. A few nights previous to his death we had talked. He told me that if he died he was going to try asking God to make him into a Super Saiyan. Like on the show Dragon Ball Z. At the time I agreed I too would ask him and me and Will could train in heaven forever. And so when Will died I thought to myself “Will is a Super Saiyan, he beat me to it”. I think of Will all the time and his picture rests atop my x-box so that everyday I wake up I see him smiling at me, so I smile back.

Who Knew You Could Learn So Much...

by ACLdragonfly

Car Auctions: Are they worth your time?

Who would think one could learn by going to a public car auction? I sure didn't think you could. However, once I went and experienced it, I really did learn a lot. Some may ask, "What made you decide to go to a car auction?"  Mostly because it's not something I would normally do.  But in truth, the main reason I went was because a friend of mine was selling his truck and he needed a ride home after it was over.

However, I learned so much in the short amount of time that I was there. I learned what to look for in a used car, how a car auction actually works, and I also got to learn about my friend.

The place was full of energy once the auction actually started. As the cars were pulled through the garage the bidding took place. There were people yelling all around me making sure their bids were heard. It was exciting.  But the the most exciting part of it was when my friend's truck went through, it didn't take long for people to start bidding.

I really enjoyed just sitting back and observing how the perspective buyers acted. Some were really serious, others just looked confused, then there were others who seemed over joyed. There was a young boy there with his father and by the looks of it he was trying to find his first car. His facial expressions were priceless. Watching his father bid on one of the cars he was interested in and then finally seeing that they had got a car...it was a great thing to witness.

The weather could have been a little better, by the time I was able to leave my whole body felt like an ice cube. Cars really can be interesting, especially as you start to learn about them and can actually hold your own in a conversation.

I leave you with this thought: Always go through your day looking for ways to learn. I went to this auction only expecting to take my friend a lift home.  I didn't expect to learn anything and I did.

Ivy Tech Region 2 Vending/Food Service Survey

To complete the Ivy Tech Vending/Food Services Survey, go to:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=113273469956

when prompted for a password, type:

ivytech

Your administration is listening, so thank you for your feedback! 

Spring Fever

by Ladifrog

Spring has sprung,
The grass is riz,
I wonder where,
Da birdies iz?

As I sit here and type this, it’s almost 60 degrees outside, the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful blue color. You can smell spring in the air and yes folks, Spring Fever has hit! Spring is my favorite time of year. The earth is reborn and there are new births with animals, flowers, almost everything on the planet gets renewed in the Spring.

For me, it’s more than just the warm temperatures and sunny skies. After being cooped up in the house all winter, it’s finally time to throw open the windows and air the house out. Time to get rid of all the leftover cooking odors, pet smells and just everyday pieces of daily living.

It’s also a time to look at myself and see what changes I’d like to make in the new year. (Ok, so I’m a little late for resolutions, but THIS is my new year!) Since I’ve started here at Ivy Tech, I’ve made some wonderful friends. The Learning Lab staff is now my extended family and I couldn’t be happier. When I entered the doors of the school for the first time, it was as if a door to the world had been opened and it was laying there, just waiting for me to grab it.

Several years ago, I was working as a Medical Assistant and loving every single minute of it. I was able to make a difference in people’s lives, even if it was just to bring a smile to their face for a few seconds. When I lost that job, and wouldn’t be able to do it again for health reasons, I thought that feeling was gone from my life. I discovered to my joy, that it’s not. I get the same feeling when I’m tutoring a student. When I can see the light go on and everything clicks into place.

Everyone likes to know they matter, but for some, like me, it’s not just a simple like, it’s a real need; a  need to make a difference, to make the world a better place. I’m so glad that by being here at Ivy Tech, I’m being given the chance to do just that.

So when you look at your life, in this season of rebirth, look to see where you can make a difference. Sometimes all it takes is an encouraging word for your neighbor, or a silly joke to bring a smile to someone who’s having a rotten day. It doesn’t take much effort, but the rewards you get back are amazing!

Poetry for Week 3/13/07

"Mesmeric Revelation", Edgar A. Poe:
   
"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which
escape the dreamers by night. In their grey visions, they
obtain glimpses of eternity, and thrill, in their awakening
to find that they have been on the verge of the great secret.
In snatches, they learn of the wisdom which is of good, and
more of that mere knowledge which is of evil."

The poem was taken from this link.

So Many Plans, So Little…

by Ladifrog

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about plans. I have so many plans in my head, things I want to do, classes I’d like to take, experiences I’d like to share. I have so much to give and unfortunately, I’m finding myself hitting a brick wall.

I’ve just joined the Poetry and Literature Club, and it’s a lot of fun. We have some really creative and talented people here on campus. The poetry club is even thinking about printing a collection of the best of submissions from the club. And that is where they are going to run into the brick wall.

I came up with the idea to start a small student run newsletter. I thought it was a great idea. A place we can share info on upcoming activities, share thoughts/ideas/poems with other students, a place to vent frustrations and/or share triumphs. The only problem is that I’d have to get permission first. Ok, that’s not so hard to do right? I wrote up a proposal and sent it to the appropriate persons. Now I’m waiting, and trying really hard not to be too impatient, but waiting to hear the yea or nay still the same.

It’s now been two weeks since I submitted it. I know that it could be a great thing for students here on campus. I’ve spoken to several professors and they think it’s a good idea. I’ve spoken to other students and they all think it’s a good idea. So now I guess I just have to wait to see if the ‘powers that be’ think it’s a good idea. In the meantime, I’m standing in front of this brick wall, trying to figure out a way to take it down carefully.

I like the idea of students getting involved on campus. Going to college isn’t just about the academics, it’s also about the social education we get while being here. Getting the most out of the whole ‘college experience’ is what rounds us out as individuals. Sometimes it almost seems as though some people have forgotten that and would prefer us (as students) to just come to class, do the work, and go home.

I am not going to waste the chances I’ve been given while I’m here. I’m going to do all I can and get the most out of my college experience!

I don't know what to put here...

by ACLdragonfly

Lonely in a crowded place

Wishing I could see your face.

Blocking everyone out

Life is filled with so much doubt

They tell me they love me

But their actions hate me

Pretending they're real

When we know how they  feel.

You say you're here with me everyday

leading and guiding every step of the way.

Now I'm in control, so I think

I've got this one, whether I swim or sink.

I used to be so filled with love

Now I would love just to be filled.

Where's all the passion, fervor and joy?

My hearts no longer a toy.

Just to have you again, I'd give anything.

But the price is everything

and I have nothing.

Where do I go when I've hit rock bottom?

Why has my heart gone completely numb?

What's it matter to you?

you've got me for eternity.

But do you really?

How do I know certainly?

Can I be sure? Are you really real?

How do you know my thoughts and exactly how I feel?

Did you love someone so much and they loved you too

but they never spent time with you?

Where you kicked out? Asked to leave?

Thinking you were loved and all along, were deceived?

Where you hated because you loved?

Masking all the pain you hid.

Hated because you were good at what you did?

If you are right here, then why do you feel so far away?

If you are right here, then why am I so lonely in such a crowded place?

Conductor of Words

by Weston Payne, Ivy Tech Poetry and Lit. Club

I am a conductor of words,
My instrument, is my keyboard.
The audience is all who listen,
to the song I envisoned.
The notes are letters on a page,
a beautiful song that I've arranged.
For I am a writer and a musican.
So gather around and try to listen,
to the melody beneath the lines.
A melody of words that rhyme.

Malcolm X Movie Screening @ Ivy Tech

by Darryl Mitchell

Attention Ivy Tech students, this is an important announcement.

On Friday, March 9th at Noon in room 1148, the Black Student Union will be showing the movie Malcolm X starring Denzel Washington in it's entirety (running time: 202 minutes).  Food and refreshments will be served.  I will be there and so should you. Hope to see you there.

This promotion was paid for by the Black Student Union (hahaha).

Those Seven Words

by Darryl Mitchell

I really do not feel like hearing you complain once again
    About how come there are no more good men
Perhaps you should look within, don’t worry you can tell me
    What is it inside of you that you see?
Think about it, what about you attract these feeble minded souls
    Don’t tell me I don’t know because you do have control
See sometimes what you are looking for is staring you in the eye
    You don’t know a good thing until it passes you by
Stay out of your own way; let that organ do its part
    Quit thinking all the time and listen to your heart
The heart wants what the heart wants; it knows love by no other name
    L.O.V.E. is all that matters and 2 can win at this game
Do you really think that I want to hear about the problems that you bear?
    Is there big bold print on my forehead that spells out share?
Do I dare! Speak my mind open and fluently
    See girl you don’t know what it is you do to me
The way you walk and talk you have a natural sex appeal
    Only God almighty knows how I truly feel
But still, I stand back and continually listen
    While in my mind all I am doing is wishin
That it is your lips I’m kissin, but back to reality
    An ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on is all you see
But I can’t take it anymore the time has arrived
    My true feelings about her I can no longer hide
So I tell her how I feel, spilling out all my internal feelings
    I say “Your heart has broken enough, let me do the healing”
On and on I go until she puts her fingers to my lips
    I kiss her finger gently as they begin to slip, down to her hip
She cocks her head to the side and my heart begins to swell
    Then she gives me this look that I know all to well
What the hell, “Darryl I think you’re sweet and you’ve been there through thick and thin
    But I love you like a brother and……………………… I just see you as a friend”