The hay is in the barn

With 1,900 km of running behind me this year, I feel vastly more prepared for Umemilen this time around. Borrowing not only the cap but also the favourite expression of Seth James DeMoor, it does feel like the “hay is in the barn”, all assuming that I can duck the cold that the rest of the family is passing around. Last year, I did indeed have a cold but was feeling better just in time for the race, ultimately running those 10k in 49 minutes and 54 seconds. Maybe it is bad luck to publicly announce one's goals ahead of a race, but it is no secret that I will try to run this one in under 45 minutes.

Down in Stockholm, it was suddenly possible to find a parliamentary majority for a new tax on banks, but only as long as the money is spent on the military. Sometimes, politics makes me so sad. Imagine what difference those five billion SEK per year would make if invested in early childhood education or the long-neglected psychiatric care. Or, if even a fraction of that money would be spent on winning the hearts and minds of young Russians so that conflict would become less likely in the first place.