Kale and Kiruna

As winter sets in, we decided to return to our pre-pandemic tradition of celebrating Christmas in Kiruna. Booking the trip with Vy Norrtåg, we will split the journey in half with one night at Elite Stadshotellet in Luleå on the way up, hopefully allowing me to go for an icy morning run around the harbour and adding another city to my Strava heat map. 

Wrapping up a magic month that began in Rome with the kids, I make some kale salad with feta cheese, strawberries, and cashew nuts before picking up a pair of neoprene socks (!) in size 48 that I have ordered in preparation for the winter challenge that awaits me in Örebro.

Assessment

In two weeks from today, I will fly down to Stockholm and have lunch with Ally before taking the train to Örebro for the last meeting of the course that I have been taking this semester. In preparation for this, I have completed the final course assignment which consisted of making a complete assessment of a teaching portfolio, in this case a portfolio wrtten by someone applying for promotion to a permanent position at a technical university. Assessing someone who works in a different field really helps when it comes to focusing on the pedagogical side rather than the subject matter.

Meanwhile, the last days of protests in China seemed to have calmed down a bit in reaction to greater police presence and colder weather. It is hard to imagine how much courage it must have taken for people to join these protests, especially as the prospects of real change remain so low. After all, admitting that you were wrong is not a big thing among leaders in authoritarian societies, or in democracies for that matter, but in the latter, it is at least possible for the people to elect new leaders and thus facilitate institutional learning.

While “zero-covid” may have made some sense at some point, in an age of omicron, it is wholly unsustainable (something we have all known for many months now). Though the Chinese government today announced the easing of some restrictions (which, in turn, will undermine the zero-covid policy even further), a fundamental reorientation would signal that political change can be accomplished through protests, which is obviously a very dangerous message to send for an authoritarian regime. All of this reminds me that human fallibility and the possibilities of learning should really be at the forefront of our arguments for democracy. Even if initially correct at some point, authoritarian leaders will inevitably invest so much prestige in their decisions that, over time, they will lose touch with reality.

Sunday routines

Storage

Living as we do between houses, much of our stuff is in storage down in Hörnefors. With Christmas around the corner, I discovered that our oversized “advent stars” are also about 50 km south from here in that former sulfite factory, meaning that I had to make an emergency investment at ICA.

Though there is some snow on the ground, it is unfortunately not enough for cross-country skiing yet so this morning I went for another run in the local forest in my Salomon Snowspike CSWP, bringing my weekly milage again up to 50 km. Uploading the run to Strava, I was reminded that today is exactly one year since I ran Xterra Malta 50k, a race where I got lost but still had one of my best race experiences of all times.

Road to Tjörnarp

After finishing Ultravasan 90 in August, I quickly fell behind with the running, often running only 20-30 km per week. However, with both North Cornwall Ultra and Tjörnarparen 100k coming up early next year, I urgently need to return to higher weekly volumes, so I was happy to see that last week I was at least able to run 50 kilometres. As often before, my problem is not that I lack motivation but that I simply cannot find the time for long distance running. After moving to Sävar, this problem has become further accentuated as I have been spending nearly an hour per day driving. Now, with the rental car returned, I realized that perhaps my daily commutes could be part of the solution, so this morning I decided to trade the bus for my running shoes. Running along the E4, the route was perhaps not that scenic but, with a bit of luck, I should be able to repeat this run a couple of times per week leading up to Christmas.

Metaphors

Back in 2015, I published a paper on metaphors for sustainability that ended up becoming one of my most cited papers. In the paper, I discussed the power of metaphors in limiting our thinking, and how seemingly innocent ideas like the ecological footprint metaphor can have far-reaching consequences for all our futures.

In a similar vein, I read an article in Foreign Policy on how using the Second World War as analogy makes the war in Ukraine worse by insisting that the only way it could end is in the complete surrender (if not annihilation) of either side. To treat the war as an existential struggle against evil, however apt that metaphor may have been during the Second World War, limits the room for compromise and risks ultimately spark nuclear Armageddon (especially if Russia is forced out of Crimea). Instead, Anatol Lieven suggests that we should think of the conflict more akin to the First World War and accept that a messy outcome is immeasurably more desirable than one in which the world ends.

Heavenly wraps

Tonight, I made Norwegian cod wraps with cabbage and sriracha mayo on “Sarek” flat breads, served with a glass of Grüner Veltliner from Fels am Wagram.

Swimrun

While short of a full triathlon, I managed to first swim 1,500 meters and then run five faster kilometres on the treadmill today at Navet. Having finished my 300 km annual rowing challenge yesterday, I now have about 2,200 meters left to swim before I can tick off all of my Strava goals for 2022.

In the world of real sports, all eyes are currently on Qatar with the FIFA world cup underway. Unsurprisingly, new calls for boycotts and “dictatorship offsets” abound. Though I can understand where these arguments are coming from on an emotional level, I really cannot understand the underlying logic. As should be evident from North Korea that has been under the most stringent sanctions imaginable for decades, authoritarian governments thrive when isolated as they are able to blame the outside world for all their society’s ills. In contrast, through everyday human-to-human interaction, the world becomes less black and white, and over time, the demand for freedom will grow. Rather than isolation and moral self-righteousness, I promise to make 2023 a year when I continue to travel to non-democracies (like Qatar in the picture above from 2013).

Light festival

Anxious to keep my half marathon streak intact, I took the bus into Umeå shortly before 6 am and met up with Petra for an extended river run in the snow. Just as when we did our marathon a month ago, we made sure to include some “lussefika” at Circle-K but, this time around, our path also got lit up by thousands of lights, culminating with all the candles in Vänortsparken.

With the winter here in earnest, I otherwise made paella last night and opened the bottle of white wine from Es Trenc that I had brought with me from Mallorca. After all the travels and sunshine, the cold and the darkness feel much more bearable than usual.

Present absence

Having dropped off my parents at the railway station, it was time for me to return the rental car to Circle-K. After nearly two months driving different cars, including an already legendary white Toyota Starlet, it is now back to car-free life for the remainder of the semester. Looking out over the parking lot last night, one could really talk about a present absence.

This morning, Anna and I went for a run in the snow around Sävar which made it absolutely clear that we are no longer in Rio. Running in my long-time favourite Icebug Newrun Bugrip GTX, I was grateful for the steel studs as ice had accumulated on the roads overnight. Tomorrow morning, I plan to take the bus into town and go for a longer winter run with Petra but, first, a walk with Eddie along the river.

 

Karin Viking

Flying through low clouds, our Airbus 320neo "Karin Viking" made it to Umeå about an hour late last night, wrapping up a 22,400 kilometers long journey across the world and back. Once on the ground, Anna and I were greeted with light snowfall and temperatures well below the freezing point, making the white Zara hat appear more than a little out of place.

With “Beach 2023” firmly in mind, I went to USM for 7,500 meters of indoor rowing this morning. Accepting that I will only be able to run about 2,500 km this year compared to 4,000 km last year due to Covid and other factors, I am at least happy that I will soon hit my annual rowing goal of 300 km given its outsize effects.

Vasco Da Gama

For our return flight to Portugal, we got to fly another one of TAP’s new A330-900 aircraft, one appropriately named “Vasco Da Gama”. This trip has surely been one of great explorations and stark contrasts as we have traversed the conflicted urban fabric of Rio.

Falling asleep off the Brazilian coast, we woke up over the Canaries, completely oblivious to the physical realities of sailing these vast distances. It is truly a privilege to be able to travel the world as we do. Yet, instead of exhibiting narcissist guilt (“flygskam”), it again seems far more productive to work towards a future where everyone has the same freedom to roam the world.

In the Uber back to the airport, Anna and I were both struck by how kind and familiar the southern end of Copacabana now felt. As many times before, I have felt encouraged by our common humanity and hopeful that, for all the idiocy of war, the better angels of our nature will ultimately prevail.

Last caipirinha

Leaving on a jet plane, Anna and I got to visit the Star Alliance lounge at Galeão International Airport. With large windows overlooking the apron and comfy, sand coloured furniture, we took full advantage of the bar for one last caipirinha.

Przewodów

Instead of celebrating “happy eight-billion-day”, last night took an ominous turn when news flashes suggested that a missile had struck the village of Przewodów in eastern Poland. Still frightened from having read Bruce Blair’s The Logic of Accidental Nuclear War fifteen years ago, not even my sarcasm above about the weather could shake the feeling that we are living through extraordinary dangerous times and that I do not like being 10,000 km away from the boys.

Waking up the news that the missile was probably a Ukrainian S-300 interceptor, the morning today felt less apocalyptic as I went for one last run along the Avenida Atlântica, a smoothie with Anna and some more rooftop swimming. Now all that remains is to pack up our stuff and head out to the airport where we plan to check out one of the few lounges that are operated directly by Star Alliance before flying home with TAP to Sweden.

Tapioca

Following our now customary morning run along the beaches of Rio, we got to try a traditional Brazilian flatbread made with the storage roots of the cassava plant. Called “tapioca”, it is apparently common in the Northeast of Brazil and comes with many different toppings. With the thunderstorm from last night having passed, the skies are blue for the moment so we better head out.

Leme at night

Yellow flag

Being early risers, even more so now with the four-hour time difference, Anna and I kicked off the day at 5 am with a run along the entire beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema before arriving at the “Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro” or PUC-Rio as it is colloquially known. Looking sufficiently innocent, we were let through its gates to explore the tropical gardens and outdoor teaching spaces. Though lovely, it was the graffiti at the far less privileged UNIRIO that struck more of a chord with me when we visited later in the day, including the message above saying that education is not a cost but an investment.

Beyond campus sightseeing and a long walk in the Urca neighbourhood near Sugarloaf Mountain, I got to practice some (slightly too) adventurous swimming at Copacabana, drifting hundreds of meters along the shore while a fellow swimmer was rescued by the lifeguards. As such, it felt kind of good to come ashore and trade the wild Atlantic waves for the tiny, heated pool at the Hilton. In other news, Anna's lost bag miraculously made it to Rio so now we have all we need for the two remaining days.

Tourist life

Waking up just before dawn, Anna and I went for a morning run along the beach in Ipanema. Passing a statue of Antônio Carlos Jobim who wrote “The Girl from Ipanema”, it was not difficult to understand how the jet-setting Hollywood celebrities of the 1960’s came to see Rio as the arcadia of Latin America.

After taking a swim in the wild waves of the Atlantic at Copacabana, we jumped on the metro to the Glória station in downtown Rio where we were confronted with a very different city, one of open drug scenes and rowdy football supporters (the latter did not do us any harm I should say). Escaping a barrage of firecrackers, we found an old cinema turned Starbucks where I truly got to feel like a tourist with my Zara hat and cold brew coffee.

A long walk later, we were back in Ipanema at Aussie Coffee for a heavenly avocado toast and the freedom of being able to communicate. Were it not for Anna and her incredible polyglot skills, I would have been truly lost here in Rio as very few people seem to speak English. Now, time to work a bit through the hottest hours of the day.

Catching the morning light

Ipanema

Landing at Galeão International Airport this morning, we learnt that only one of our two bags had made the trip to the southern hemisphere and that the other was not even loaded into the system. Unfortunately, the person working at the lost baggage desk entered the wrong contact information so I am afraid that this may well be the end of our globetrotting Muji bag. Undeterred, we took a taxi along the Red Line expressway, passing some of the city’s most infamous favelas before arriving at our hotel in upscale Copacabana. 

After a quick change of clothes, we then walked the four kilometres over to Zara in Ipanema for some emergency shopping for Anna. At least, with the temperature around 30 degrees, a bikini for Anna and a pair of swimming trunks for me will go a long way. 

Afterwards, it was time for my long-awaited run along Copacabana, a run that I was more than happy to share with Anna who impressed me with her fast pace despite the tropical heat. Unlike our previous trips that have been fairly maxed out, this one is all about staying in the same place and taking in the different neighbourhoods.

TP75

For our red-eye flight across the equator, we got to fly one of the crown jewels of Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, its A330-900 “João Vaz Corte-Real”. Thanks to one of those magic SAS American Express 2-4-1 vouchers, we were able to book this trip back in December last year for 140,000 points roundtrip for both Anna and me in business class so the value is truly extraordinary even if it takes a bit of planning and perseverance to make the most of it. Considering that I picked up most of those miles from everyday card spend and point transfers from COOP, I feel like I am still living the Lucky lifestyle.

Before leaving Sweden, I received the most heart-warming e-mail from three former students who had read my blog post about the Sweden Democrats from back in October. In the e-mail, they wanted to express how much they had appreciated my class and that I encourage students to think for themselves. As a teacher, that is the kind of feedback that really motivates you to go to work and I felt incredibly humbled when reading their words.

All the way to Rio

While I normally never repeat the same title on two blog posts, this is one repetition that was simply inevitable as Anna and I are taking off into the dark November skies towards Lisbon with a connection to Rio de Janeiro.

Relieved that my talk at the PIL-seminar went well, we left the kids last night in the trusted hands of my parents and drove down to Örnsköldsvik for a first night on the road. Like back in 2017, we had a great stay at the Elite Plaza hotel with its stunning views overlooking the harbour inlet and the old cranes from the 14th floor gym (if USM had such views, I promise I would run many more kilometres on the treadmill every week). From there, it was another 500+ km of driving, including across the High Coast bridge, until we could finally park at Arlanda Airport and return our rental Mitsubishi. For the rest of the autumn semester, we plan to stick to bus 120 for our daily commutes back and forth between Sävar and Umeå.

As we are passing over Copenhagen at 36,000 feet, dinner is served. With Portugal being a great wine producer, I got to try some Cabriz Reserva from 2017 which was definitely to my liking (even if not on par with my new favourite red wine, 12 Volts). It is strange to think that already tomorrow afternoon I will, at last, be running along Copacabana and the Avenida Atlântica.

Fast charging

As the first snow started falling yesterday, I was out driving in our rental Mitsubishi hybrid, listening to the silence of its electric engine. With the battery running low, I decided to try the 50 kW fast charging station at Carlslid, mostly out of curiosity. Once I had downloaded the app to my phone, the process was really simple yet I could not stop imagining what a powerful message it would have sent if the “100% renewable electricity” branding would have said “100% nuclear” instead. Even if such a charging station would constantly be at risk of being vandalized by Greenpeace, that would also in itself be an important aspect, perhaps making more people aware of the hostility that is directed against nuclear energy.

In an hour, I am about to give a talk on how to publish pedagogical research. When accepting this invitation six months ago, I did not give much thought about it, but I have to admit that I feel kind of nervous now.

River Run

To my surprise, I discovered that this is the first blog post that is actually entitled “River Run” despite that these runs have become somewhat of a tradition for Elin and me over the last three years. Though it takes a bit of an effort to sync our calendars, it is always worth it and today we even got to say hello to Justin along the way as we were running in absolutely brilliant sunshine.

Otherwise, the weather has been pretty dreadful since Sunday when Anna and I landed in Stockholm with the kids. Driving up to Umeå through heavy rain, we have now traded the Toyota Starlet for a fancy Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-In Hybrid SUV for a week. Contrary to our expectations, the kids were fine with the 620 km drive with William playing “King of Math” and Eddie listening to The Smiths with Anna and me. 

Already on Friday, Anna and I will return the car to Arlanda as we are off for her long-awaited PhD celebration trip to Rio. Before we can leave, I still have plenty of work to do but at least I was able to finish grading the 150 exams written by my social work students. This is the first year that the exam is digital which makes it a lot easier to read what the students have written and also to give feedback.