キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain’s Log, Supplemental
Blog book giveaway:
To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there.
My Monday book giveaway is Heart of the Amazon by Margaret Daley
My Thursday book giveaway is She’s All That by Kristin Billerbeck.
You can still enter both giveaways. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for the Heart of the Amazon and post the title for another book I'm giving away.
Win an iPod Nano! Exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers, I have a huge contest running until January 31st! Get more info on my contest page!
I got this hilarious picture from my good friend Pamela James. This made me crack up, maybe because I’m not terribly fuzzy and warm and this is as close as I’ll get.
TMI:
Bible in 90 Days: day 41. Okay, you can shoot me if you want, but I think Proverbs is a lot of repetition.
It’s not bad repetition. I mean, it’s all valuable wisdom and all. And I’m sure the deliberate change in wording of the same concepts has some deep theological meaning behind it. But I’m just not getting it.
King David I could hang with. King Solomon gives me a headache. I feel like Einstein is trying to explain something to me and I just don’t have the brain capacity to understand it.
I’m not complaining. Lord, I promise I’m not ripping on Your Word or anything like that. I just wish I was smarter.
Diet: I exercised yesterday!
My calorie count has been okay lately. I’m trying to not eat something just because it’s THERE.
You know what I mean.
There’s a bowl of candy/chips/French fries/pick-your-poison in front of me, and I’ll finish off the bowl simply because it’s in front of me.
I don’t even try to:
(a) pace myself so I don’t eat them all quickly and never give my stomach even half a chance to feel full
(b) listen to my stomach and the possibility it’s even remotely non-famished, and therefore cutting into my eating frenzy enjoyment
(c) go wild and crazy and maybe not finish the bowl! Gasp! What a novel concept.
So yesterday, I didn’t finish a brownie, and today I didn’t finish my trail mix. That’s progress, right?
Blog book giveaway:
To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there.
My Monday book giveaway is Heart of the Amazon by Margaret Daley
My Thursday book giveaway is She’s All That by Kristin Billerbeck.
You can still enter both giveaways. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for the Heart of the Amazon and post the title for another book I'm giving away.
Win an iPod Nano! Exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers, I have a huge contest running until January 31st! Get more info on my contest page!
I got this hilarious picture from my good friend Pamela James. This made me crack up, maybe because I’m not terribly fuzzy and warm and this is as close as I’ll get.
TMI:
Bible in 90 Days: day 41. Okay, you can shoot me if you want, but I think Proverbs is a lot of repetition.
It’s not bad repetition. I mean, it’s all valuable wisdom and all. And I’m sure the deliberate change in wording of the same concepts has some deep theological meaning behind it. But I’m just not getting it.
King David I could hang with. King Solomon gives me a headache. I feel like Einstein is trying to explain something to me and I just don’t have the brain capacity to understand it.
I’m not complaining. Lord, I promise I’m not ripping on Your Word or anything like that. I just wish I was smarter.
Diet: I exercised yesterday!
My calorie count has been okay lately. I’m trying to not eat something just because it’s THERE.
You know what I mean.
There’s a bowl of candy/chips/French fries/pick-your-poison in front of me, and I’ll finish off the bowl simply because it’s in front of me.
I don’t even try to:
(a) pace myself so I don’t eat them all quickly and never give my stomach even half a chance to feel full
(b) listen to my stomach and the possibility it’s even remotely non-famished, and therefore cutting into my eating frenzy enjoyment
(c) go wild and crazy and maybe not finish the bowl! Gasp! What a novel concept.
So yesterday, I didn’t finish a brownie, and today I didn’t finish my trail mix. That’s progress, right?
Comments
I have a tendency to finish whatever it is I'm eating even if I'm full. So many years of my mother telling me not to waste food because there are starving people elsewhere, I'm sure. Of course I never have figured out how she thought my gluttony would help those people. Anywho, I'm trying to work on that. And I also eat too fast. Like if I don't eat it all RIGHT NOW it will disappear. I'm trying to work on that too.
Not finishing the brownie and the trail mix is definitely progress.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe the change in my eating habits by not having it around, even with four kids. (I won't tell you I have two things of Ben and Jerry ice cream--I promise I only eat a few spoonfuls and put it away. Really!) I have to ask, have you thought about eating dark chocolate with 70% cocoa in it. One little square and you get your chocolat fix for the day, for me a few days. Another trick for me, keep your body fueled with a good multivitamin and mineral. Your body is craving the things it's not getting. I could give you more tips, but I don't have that much room.
Congrats on excercising! If I can do it, the biggest lazy in the world, you can too! If Yan can cook it, you can too! LOL! I just had to say that.
And hey, NOT eating a full portion of something is great progress. Everything counts! Keep going. Ca-my, Ca-my, Ca-my!
Margaret