I cannot believe I somehow managed to struggle through all 762 pages of the book Shadowmarch by Tad Williams.

This fantasy saga is not terribly exciting but there was something about it that kept me reading on and on to the end for some reason.

To be honest, a book must be really bad if I do not finish it after having read the first couple of hundred pages.

It's the first part of a trilogy, and before I'd started the first book I'd already purchased the second book Shadowplay (761 PAGES) in anticipation, having read so many positive reviews.

"A sublime piece of storytelling!"

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm not what you'd call an overly avid fan of fantasy. Hopefully the second and third books are better.

When I called Thea to tell her about the gruesome bike accident I had this morning in which I received a bloody gash to my left knee as well as a steering column which nearly pierced my spleen and a bruised rib cage, she was only worried if her nice bike was alright (yes, not a single dent) and whether my pants didn't get ripped (sorry, long slash above the knee beyond repair).

Today was a bad luck day because of the following reasons:

• This morning when I was in a hurry to get to work, I hastily tied my shoes with too much strength and both of my shoelaces snapped;

• This afternoon on my way back home from work, I fell asleep in the train and missed my last stop, so I had to get out at the next stop and come back, wasting about an hour; and,

• This evening when I finally arrived at my destination, I went to my bike which should have been parked at the back of the train station where I always leave it. That's when I realized I had inadvertently left my key chain in the lock in the morning, meaning that someone had stolen my bike along with my keys (bike, home, car and work cabinet) and my nice rain gear snugly packed in the side bag.
  

Just as the weather man predicted on the news yesterday evening, the first snow flurry has hit the area at three o'clock this afternoon.

Mathematical precision completed with just the right mix of chaos, coming down from Greenland, crossing over Iceland and then past England, moving across the North Sea and curving up from the south, the cold front has pushed its way to Gouda.

After a good work out at the fitness center, followed by a nice warm sauna, it's always a nice refreshing feeling cycling back in the snow as the soothing snowflakes fall on my face. I don't want to forget to bring my gloves.

That's what I plan to do in about ten minutes. See you later.