The Ides of March

The Ides of March was the day Julius Caesar was warned about by the witches. Then his best friend goes and betrays him.

Knowing that little tidbit of information got me in the good graces of my college English teacher. I really wish I would have kept my mouth shut.

It's also the day my high school current events teacher said was a good day to go out and kill our favorite Italian leader. The principal at the time was Italian.

This year, the Ides of March mean more. Besides the day of the Quad-Cities' annual St. Patrick's Day parade and Augustana College's annual STIGMA, it now means something for me.

It's the anniversary of the death of Ethan Costello. I kind of haphazardly chose that day for him to kill himself, but immediately I thought of Mrs. Cavenaugh in high school. She taught me Shakespeare, so I had to run with it.

So, whether celebrating a campus full of house parties or the day for the guy who rid Ireland of snakes this Saturday, don't forget about Ethan. He was a good guy who loved the partying. Do it in his honor this weekend.