Roommate remembers last day with friend, describes him as thoughtful

The last time senior Ryne Shadday saw his roommate and friend Mike Land, a 23-year-old part-time IU student, they were out in the backyard making naked snow angels.

It was Saturday and Shadday said Land seemed excited, a change from his increasingly reclusive behavior.

Everything changed around 9:30 p.m. Monday. Shadday and a friend were sitting in the living room of their house wondering about Land’s whereabouts since the day before. His alarm had gone off that morning, but Shadday never saw him come out of his bedroom. Nothing strange about that, Shadday thought. Land stayed in his room a lot.

When Shadday went into his friend’s bedroom that evening, he saw Land lying face down in bed. He appeared as though he were sleeping.

Then he noticed the red splotches covering Land’s right arm and chest. After a nudge, Shadday realized his friend of five years was not breathing.

Several days have passed, but Shadday is still shaken by his friend’s death.

Shadday remembered the first time he met Land, when a friend suggested they get to know each other. They met in the Wright Food Court, where Land worked his freshman year. Shadday said they got along right away. Land, he said, wanted to go to Arizona State University for graduate school and work for Cook Medical.

In recent years, however, Land became more reserved. In 2008 he was in a serious car accident that left his vehicle totalled and Land virtually unharmed.

“No one knows how he survived,” Shadday said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Around the same time, members of Land’s and Shadday’s group of friends started graduating.

“Back when we were first friends he would open up and have fun,” Shadday said. “Lately he’s been staying in his room. I really didn’t think anything of it. It’s just the way he got.”

When Shadday remembers time with Land, he said he thinks back to the conversations they had. Land was a great listener and was always willing to talk with his roommate about problems.

The two would have long discussions about God and Heaven and Hell.

Land, he said, was never afraid of giving his opinion.

“Mike was not afraid to be himself,” Shadday said. “He didn’t care what people thought about him. It ticked me off sometimes, but it was the best part about him.”

Shadday laughed as he thought back to those moments. They probably weren’t remarkable to Land, he said, “but they were meaningful to me.”

Books and video games lie scattered around the friends’ house. Chocolates and leftover roses from Valentine’s Day rest near his bed. PS3 games “Mortal Kombat” and “Infinite Undiscovery” are still on the living room shelf. Land’s current read, a book called “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman, sits next to the bed.

“He had an amazing collection of books,” Shadday said. “He always had a book in his hand.”

Land got hooked on games, TV shows and books, his roommate said. Once he found something he liked, he became “transfixed.”

One time it was the video game “Avatar.” Another time it was “Final Fantasy.”

Recently, Shadday said, he can’t get the “Married with Children” theme song out of his head.

“He’s been watching the show a lot,” Shadday said.

Another symbol of Land’s obsessions covers the living room. Glass dragons. There are 19 in the living room, Shadday said, counting them up.

“If he hadn’t decorated our living room with them, they would have been all over his bedroom,” Shadday said.

Shadday said he has been trying to take his mind off of the death of his friend. He shoveled the driveway, clearing out the snow that fell all weekend and Monday — the same snowfall he rolled in days before while making snow angels with his friend.