Dark Horse

          For lunch at the hotel, the basketball team got us a ton of pizza as a "thank you," so Peter and I grabbed 2 or 3 leftover pies to bring back to the room. In the afternoon a few contingents left for various destinations of choice; I led one to Edgar Allan Poe's grave. The cemetery gate was locked when we arrived, and a pleasant state trooper radioed in to ask someone to open it up for us. They couldn't do so because the snow had to be cleaned out first ("safety hazard") but the officer was kind and apologetic, and we got some photos through the iron bars anyway. A single rose lay in front of the marble cenotaph -- a tribute to America's greatest horror writer and, in my opinion, one of the finest authors of all time, American or otherwise. Here, the group splintered, with Peter and Malcolm heading off to the comic book museum and a stop at the waterfront for my group. I purchased a mug for Iris at the McCormick spice store, the only one of its kind. They sure do love Old Bay here!
          So, the first round of the CAA tournament. I was nervous but confident going in: every year so far, we've won the first round and got bounced in the second. This was a sphincter-clencher of a game in which no team ever led by more than 8. With less than 6 minutes remaining, Northeastern was dusting Delaware 61-54; a few "classic" NU minutes later, we were fighting to keep it tied. A combination of Walker free throws and calm defense at the very end took us to a 67-64 victory -- revenge for our season-ending loss to UD last year. On to round two!
          And come night, the mischief. I smoked and vaped with Emily, Jules, and Halley(!!!!!!), the latter for her first time ever. It went swimmingly. Highlight: Halley's laughing fits; Jules breaking the toilet seat and us subsequently fixing it.
          Quotes of the day:
"Bring the pizza down to the bar. B.Y.O.P." - Matt T
"I brought my bathing suit if anyone wants to join me in my bathtub tonight..." - Maddie

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"And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all." - E.A. Poe, re: University of Delaware basketball