Virginia worked on Tuesday and the plan was to run at the YMCA when she came back. I got to the YMCA at about 3:30 only to find that they. were closing at 4 due to the anticipated snow storm so I did not get to run on Tuesday. I did not get out of the house on Wednesday and Thursday. I did a lot of shoveling, but no running. We never had a winter like this. I went back to work for the first time in a week yesterday. I ran 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym. Since I have been struggling with boredom on the treadmill lately, I have tried something different the last couple of times. For every 10 minutes, I run a bit slower than normal for 8 minutes, then run a 7:30 minute mile pace for two minutes. So far it has made things more interesting. I am planning to run 9 miles at the YMCA today and 15 miles tomorrow. Hopefully I will have the time to do this.
A Friend of the Family
I listened to this book thru Audible.com in January. It was recommended in an e-mail they sent so I ordered it. Th book is by Lauren Grodstein who I never heard of.
Pete Dizinoff is a typical neurotic,anal jew living in New Jersey. He is also very domineering with family and friends. Pete and his wife, Elaine have been best friends with Joe and Iris since college. Both Pete and Joe are doctors.
The book is told in a series of flashbacks about events that happened at least a year in the past . We know that Pete has become a outcast to his entire family, friends and professionally but until the end we do we know why.
Joe and Iris had a daughter, Laura just after college. Pete and Elaine used to babysit Laura when she young. Elaine had a hard time getting pregnant. Eventually they have a son, Alec who is ten years younger than Laura. They are very protective of Alec. When Laura is a teenager she becomes pregnant, which she hides from everyone. The baby is born in the library bathroom and dies. Laura is accused of murdering the baby,but is not found guilty. She leaves New Jersey and her parents only hear from her sporadically, usually when she needs money, for more than ten years. Laura does a lot of traveling and hippyish things like goat farming during that time. Laura has two younger siblings that are closer to Alec's age. Both are high achievers.
Meanwhile, Alec grows up and is interested in art rather than following in his father's footsteps. Alec gets into some trouble in high school and is not interested in college. Alex goes to college to study art, but drops out and is living at home.
Suddenly when Laura is 30 she return to New Jersey to live with her parents. She immedately connects with Alec who is 20. Pete was a lot less understanding than Elaine when Laura got in trouble as a teenager and is not happy that Alec is interested in Laura, nor understand it especially given the age difference.
At first when Alec and Laura start going out, it seems to have a positive influence on Alec who applies to go back to college. However, right before Alec is supposed to start college again, he announced that he and Laura have decided to move to Paris. This is too much for Pete to handle.
At the same that Pete is stressing out about Alec, he is dealing with a patient, who returned home recently from college, that Pete believes is suffering from depression. He discussed the case with Joe who recommended that he run a test for this other disease. Pete is sure that it is depression and thinks that Joe runs too many tests, so he ignores Joe recommendation.
Laura had moved into an apartment in New York City paid for by her parents. Pete pays a surprise visit for her early in the morning the day before she and Alec are scheduled to leave for Paris. Laura was still Pete begs Laura to not take Alec with him. Laura says Alec makes her feel safe. Laura told Pete how she became pregnant when she was a teenager because she participated in gangbangs with people she did not know. The fight disingrated from there.
Suddenly when Laura is 30 she return to New Jersey to live with her parents. She immedately connects with Alec who is 20. Pete was a lot less understanding than Elaine when Laura got in trouble as a teenager and is not happy that Alec is interested in Laura, nor understand it especially given the age difference.
At first when Alec and Laura start going out, it seems to have a positive influence on Alec who applies to go back to college. However, right before Alec is supposed to start college again, he announced that he and Laura have decided to move to Paris. This is too much for Pete to handle.
At the same that Pete is stressing out about Alec, he is dealing with a patient, who returned home recently from college, that Pete believes is suffering from depression. He discussed the case with Joe who recommended that he run a test for this other disease. Pete is sure that it is depression and thinks that Joe runs too many tests, so he ignores Joe recommendation.
Laura had moved into an apartment in New York City paid for by her parents. Pete pays a surprise visit for her early in the morning the day before she and Alec are scheduled to leave for Paris. Laura was still Pete begs Laura to not take Alec with him. Laura says Alec makes her feel safe. Laura told Pete how she became pregnant when she was a teenager because she participated in gangbangs with people she did not know. The fight disingrated from there.
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