Between August and December of 1995, I lived in England, traveling around for the first few weeks, then settling in Cambridge for the fall semester of school. I had a great time, but the program I studied under was a little strange, mostly acting students from the U.S. there to do drama, stage fighting, directing, and so on. We didn’t all hang out much together, as we all lived in apartments we’d rented around the city, but occasionally we’d get together at the nicest apartment in the bunch, one that belonged to a few women in the program, near Christ’s Pieces in the center of town.

I don’t even think the hat was mine, and the facial hair was mercifully short-lived, but the new glasses would stay awhile, and the ink-stained REI windbreaker with front pouch was definitely a mainstay for some time.