knock it out

Back at home base after road trip down to Baltimore and Chapel Hill. It was around 70 degrees in NC, so it was a very nice change of pace from the snow up in Maine. Add in the fact that, yes, Santa, school was, in fact, back in session at UNC (first day of classes!) and it made for a most compelling visit overall. We hit up a local joint, Crookscorner, for dinner on Tuesday night and I had my first sampling of cheese pork, which was actually pretty good. They have a nice market just off the campus grid, too, so it made for good eats while knocking around town for the few days. While Kate was busy doing her thing, I hit up a few classes and wound up joining a study group, believe it or not. I just hope the sisters at Alpha Delta Pi aren't too bummed when I don't make it to the first session next week for our Intro to International Relations class. Don't worry, girls, I'll get down there for the midterm study review next month! Remember, when in doubt just talk about zero sum relationships.

Made a pit spot at Fair Hill on the way back and managed to have a visit with Tim and snap the few photos of Veiled Reference. She's looking good and has certainly come out of that last in fine form. Tim and I will go back and forth in the coming weeks as far as plans for her go. She's quite nice and has a good amount of potential judging from those first few races, so we're fortunate to have options for the balance of the winter and into the spring. It's entirely possible that Tim might put her on a van for me to train out of my front garden if I fail to sufficiently adhere to the Woolley Principles of Training a Winner, but I'm hopeful that we can plot something out that makes sense for all parties involved. Veiled Reference voted to venture into competitive eating for her next act, but Tim and I shot that one down. Maybe in a few years.