I suck at anniversaries

    Today is the 32d anniversary of a terrific party. 2/3 way through junior year abroad, my roommate Rick (also an American from USC) moved out. He wasn't fed up with me so much; we were living in college (ie, in a dormitory) with all younger students, mostly English, and they wouldn't have exams that mattered for another year or more. So it was a party all the time, fun to a point but sleep is nice, too.
    He moved out to the country, to a village called Highstead. I'd love to regale you with great stories about the party, but it was a really long time ago. All I remember with confidence is that Marks & Spencer had a terrific fruit juice blend called Sunfruit Drink and a supermarket called International had cheap vodka. Combining the two in quantity had unfortunate results, which is to say that I didn't remember that much about the party when it wasn't 32 years ago either. But the impression it left was a pleasant one.
    I made up t-shirts to commemorate the occasion some years later. The front read "Incident at Highstead" with the date. The back had "Get this man to a hospital!" (more or less; I was using the youth hostel phrasebook) in a dozen languages. Bright red, size small. I never did have any common sense. I think Rick's then-wife asked us to get him presents to remind him of his youth after the kids started being born. I wore mine to Drinking Liberally last night; pretty sure it will be the last time I wear a small t-shirt in public again. It was the return of the pregnant man!
    But the reason I noted that I suck at anniversaries is that a year ago yesterday is my best approximation for when Harry, the stinking, rotten emergency backup cat (then Starvin' Marvin) came into my life. Anyway, that's the date on the first photo of him on my phone. It's been a hellish, rotten, godawful year; he brought some of the little joy that there has been in it. So thanks li'l bro!

Edit: Checking the ol' archives, it was a year and a day ago when I first fed Harry/Marvin. He had turned up once before that but ran off before I could get food out. So first met, early May, but first fed May 12th.