Post Scriptum

Two months after swimming in the wild waters of the Atlantic, it was time for Sofi and me to go for another swim, this time in Kilsbergen with a real feel temperature about 30 degrees lower than that in Odeceixe. Still, compared to my near-death experience last year, it felt surprisingly controlled.

Afterwards, we had tapas and Portuguese wine together with her husband Stefan, as the winter kept tightening its grip outside. For the coming week in Gothenburg, temperatures are expected to stay well below zero but probably there will not be enough snow to go cross-country skiing, otherwise I will really regret having left my skis up in Kiruna.

Escaping indoors

Though I should probably focus on getting acclimatized for the month that lies ahead in Umeå and Kiruna, a real feel temperature of -17 degrees got the better of me, and I took the tram down to Nordic Wellness Domkyrkan for some treadmill intervals. Running 4-8-12-12-8-4 minutes in 4:16 min/km-pace, I was surprised that my heart rate did not go up more, perhaps the treadmill was also affected by the sudden onset of winter. At least, towards the end, when speeding up to 4:00 min/km, I was finally in true treadmill red on my watch.

After some Singapore black pepper beef at Amoshi that brought me back a decade in time, I am now at Fröken Olssons working on an article in what, clearly, is also about deep time, considering that I wrote parts of my PhD at this particular table.

Digital ghost towns

In the lunchroom today, I read an article in Dagens Nyheter about the evolution of social media. Having left Facebook and Instagram more than seven years ago, I have limited personal experience, but I have heard from others that people are sharing less and less about their everyday lives and that the remaining content is becoming increasingly commercialized. As such, I am happy that Blogger is still ad-free (unless you actively activate ads) and that I have been able to keep the blog as open as the trail above (in a photo taken during Xterra Malta two years ago today), even if it has become more of a diary than anything else over the years.

School disco

After one ridiculously busy week, it was finally Friday night and time for Eddie’s first school disco at Skårsskolan. Though I just wanted to go to bed, I took the bus with Eddie after dinner and, while he was having the time of his life, I ran around in the neighbourhood, seeing everything from some of the most expensive houses in Sweden to COOP in Kallebäck.

Earlier at work, I had received the studio photo that I took for the Halmstad University website some time ago, thinking that it is an improvement over the Umeå ones. The wool rollneck sweater that I am wearing is from an MQ sale the other year, and has been a favourite ever since, especially together with the “mottled green” sports jacket which is also from MQ.

Generative AI

Today, I have spent all day attending Halmstad University’s biannual conference on teaching and learning in higher education. With the theme of the day being generative AI, I was positively surprised by how many things that were new to me, in particular the first keynote by Professor Thomas Hillman from Gothenburg University who talked about what “basic” means in a time when basic can be imitated by AI? This question is particularly important considering that, in order to be able to pick up where AI ends, people must, in many cases, first go through the hard work of learning those basics.

Later in the morning, I presented my co-authored paper on HyFlex teaching which, frustratingly, is still under review. Fortunately, my presentation went really well, perhaps because I tried to stay true to the ethos of the paper by not having any PowerPoint slides or written notes (scary as that can be). Otherwise, this week has been all about teaching SPSS with little time for much else but at least I was able to go for an evening forest run, as illustrated by, yes, AI.

Made my day

Seven years ago, I published an article entitled “The Environmental Risks of Incomplete Globalization” which, sadly, foreshadowed much of what later happened, including the return of geopolitics and the deepening fossil dependency caused by renewable energy. Making the case for open borders and the building of a “world unafraid of itself”, I knew the article would be up against some strong historical headwinds, but little did I expect the Covid pandemic with its near-total border closures nor the complete political normalization of protectionism.

As such, it really made my day today when I received an e-mail from a senior professor in Indiana who apparently has been using my article in his class on globalization:

“I just wanted to tell you that this is a great article. I so appreciated your perspective on the injustice of keeping poor people poor and the utter failure of imagination in seeing their growth, development, or increased prosperity as a problem because it might lead to increased fossil fuel consumption […] Again, congratulations on such an original, innovative, thought-provoking and ethically-grounded article. I really enjoyed reading it and will keep it as a permanent fixture on the syllabus for this class going forward.”

It is messages like these that make academic life worthwhile, that you realize that it is not all about trolling or alienation but rather about meaningful connections and conversations. Feeling encouraged, I have otherwise spent most of the day today supervising students on Zoom but, luckily, I was able to squeeze in a second run of the day up to Skatås.

Starfield

Though one or sometimes even two months later than in Umeå, today I ran in sub-zero temperatures for the first time since moving to Gothenburg. Luckily, I have all the winter running gear one could wish for, so it was an entirely pleasant experience as I went up to Skatås for another 5k loop. Like Nydalsjön in the past, I have now run the same loop so many times that it is almost automatic, as if I were a tram going down the same familiar route.

Meanwhile, Petra is in Seoul right now and seeing her pictures, including the one above of Starfield Library in Gangnam that opened in 2017, I am again reminded of the fact that it will soon be ten years since I left Korea. Undoubtedly, it would be very interesting to come back and see how society has changed over the course of this decade, especially if I could combine it with something like “Transjeju by UTMB” but, with all the travelling that I already have planned for 2024, that is probably not particularly realistic.

Shiitake

For thirty years, Shiitake mushroom was grown deep down in the iron ore mine in Kiruna but, given the increasing volatility of the mining operations there, the production had to stop in 2019. That however, did not stop me from making Shiitake risotto with Västerbotten cheese and pancetta now when the chantarelle season is firmly over.

Come By Chance

Though I have been dreaming of checking out the Atlantic provinces ever since I read Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News decades ago, I am still very much looking forward to my Vancouver expedition in late-March, which is now all booked and ticketed with Air Canada. The last time I was in Vancouver was in the spring of 2012 and the blog reminds me of cherry blossom, sea planes landing between snow clad mountains and, slightly more embarrassing, the difference that a regular training regime does over time.

As for that, and to connect with yesterday's topic, I just completed my 300k annual indoor rowing goal with about 40 days to spare. Of all the things I do at the gym, rowing is really the one thing that I believe has had the greatest impact on my overall well-being, effectively eliminating all headache and back pain that I ever had.

Unceremoniously

Last year, I reached my annual goal of swimming 36,000 meters but forgot to mention it here on the blog. This year, I have fallen hopelessly behind after injuring my shoulder back in April, so I decided to cut my goal to 24,000 meters which I happened to reach today at Halmstad Arena.

On the train back home, I then discovered that I had requalify for the top tier with SJ Prio, something that I was allowed to celebrate (against all rules) by microwaving their new apple gingerbread cake. Yes, there is certainly a kind of tragedy to all this counting and measuring (just read this piece in Svenska Dagbladet about how bike delivery couriers become addicted to their metrics), something that my mother was also quick to point out last weekend when she witnessed my Strava addiction. Still, the cake was lovely, and I think I need a certain measure of gamification to stay on track with my training. As such, I will try again next year to swim 36,000 meters. For now, I will just enjoy any “extra” meters in the pool.

Sprint

Last night, the pre-registration for Kullamannen 2024 opened and, a few moments later, I was registered for the 100k “Sprint”, going from Höganäs to Båstad via Kullaberg, in early November 2024. While I hope to have completed my first 100k race well before that, it is good to have a long-term training goal that will truly test my limits.

Although almost 80 kilometres shorter, I went for a long run across the bridges this morning after some thesis guidance on Zoom. Passing over to Hisingen, I stopped on the bridge to take in “die offene See”; thinking that I will always be an escapist at heart.

Captain America

After teaching quantitative methodology and grading exams all morning, I went down to Nordic Wellness in Halmstad for some indoor rowing and a chance to check out their new Technogym high-speed treadmills. Capable of speeds up to 25 km/h, I ran a few shorter intervals in 2:50 min/km pace just to get into that Kipchoge mode, feeling fast and strong, a feeling that quickly dissipated in the gym shower where half of the guys looked like Captain America. While I obviously train more for general fitness and ultra endurance running, it sure makes you wonder how much time (or, more likely, illegal substances) people put into this?

Not allowing myself to feel disheartened though, I went over to “Best of India” for a tasty lunch and now I am already on the train back home with three more classes to plan for next week. Hopefully, by the end of next week, things will calm down a bit, giving me time to start planning the spring semester when I will teach four new courses, ranging from organizational communication to international relations.

Marstrand

While Anna stayed behind grading student papers yesterday, I took my parents and the kids back to Marstrand for a day that almost felt like the last summer day despite it already being November. With cooler temperatures and possibly snow expected later this week, it felt extra good to soak up the sunshine as we walked along the sea.

Today, it is back to reality big time with another course in quantitative methodology and a bunch of thesis proposals to comment on. 

At least I feel quite inspired after reading Susan Neiman’s book "Left is not woke" over the weekend. Echoing many of Stephen Eric Bronner's ideas (I was surprised to not find him cited), I could not agree more with some of its conclusions:

“Of course woke activists seek solidarity, justice, and progress. Their struggles against discrimination are animated by those ideas. But they fail to see that the theories they embrace subvert their own goals. Without universalism there is no argument against racism, merely a bunch of tribes jockeying for power. And if that’s what political history comes to, there is no way to maintain a robust idea of justice. But without commitments to increasing universal justice, we cannot coherently strive for progress.”

Delsjön

Sleeping in a bit after the last days of marking madness, I set off around 7 am with my Silva headlamp, heading down to the Delsjö area just in time to see the sun rise over the lake. With a total climb of 234 meters, it is more demanding than my morning runs around Nydalasjön used to be, and presumably good training for Transgrancanaria in February.

Back home, I quickly made coffee and pancakes as I have six groups with thesis writing students to supervise on Zoom today. This weekend, I am otherwise looking forward to my parents visiting from Kalmar, something that has become a lot easier since we moved down here from Umeå.

End of the tunnel

After getting up at 4 am to mark exams for three consecutive days, I finally reached the end of the tunnel and was able to submit all the grades. Though I have taken a few breaks to do some indoor rowing at the gym and going with Eddie to the dentist, it has been pretty brutal to work my way through all those thousands of handwritten pages. Still, I never quite understood teachers who put off doing their marking. After all, it is not like it will be any more fun down the road when desperate students start e-mailing about not getting their CSN money.

Once I was done, I went for a longer tempo run in the rain, jumping over piles of wet leaves and taking my watch into the red zone on the uphills. As for running, I should mention that I recently signed up for the 60k distance of Sandsjöbacka Trail in mid-January. Starting in Kungsbacka a bit south of Gothenburg and finishing in Skatås, I am really looking forward to exploring a bit more of my new extended neighbourhood and, with a bit of luck, I might even get to run with Justin who, without telling anyone beforehand, just completed Kullamannen 100k!

Simit

While Petra and Olle both get to the experience the real deal aboard Turkish Airlines this fall, I was at least able to pick up a Turkish bagel or “simit” at our local greengrocer. Having been up for more than two hours already marking exams, I fear this will be a long day.

Heavy burden

Just like a month ago, I find myself on a high-speed train with a bunch of exams to mark. This time around however, they are five times as many, weighing almost ten kilograms, so I sure have my work cut out for me.

Hopefully, I will be able to mark them all by the end of this week as I have a new course on quantitative methodology starting already next Monday. Considering all the fun I had earlier this autumn, I guess it is only fair that it is not all champagne and dreamy swims for Rasmus.

Foliage

Though perhaps not New England, the last week has been so beautiful as photosynthesis is coming to an end and the forest is turning all yellow and red. Meanwhile, the race just shared some cool photos from yesterday which I could not help posting so, with the risk of turning Rawls & Me into a photo blog of sorts, I have to post this one as well taken on our family walk to Kaffestugan Lyckan earlier today.

3x Finalloppet

Sorrento

A year ago today, we were back in Rome after our family trip around Italy, about to head home to the High North. For me, it had been 17 years since my last visit to the Sorrentine Peninsula, and it had been just as lovely as I remembered it. 

Far from the Bay of Naples, I woke up to rain and overcast skies this morning but, somehow, I was still able to persuade Eddie to go for a bridge loop, passing a few stray partygoers on Ringön before returning home to make pancakes.

Finalloppet

While my former colleague Veronica is spending all night and day doing Kullamannen 100k, I woke up to a much shorter and quicker distance in Skatås where I have come to do much of my running since moving to Gothenburg.

Racing 19k on (mostly) familiar trails, I was able to complete the course in 1 hour and 34 minutes as number 134 of 446 runners finishing the race. Taking it slow on the more technical sections and speeding up to 4:40 min/km on the gravel roads, the whole race felt very controlled, with an average heart rate of 160 bpm despite a total climb of 334 meters. Passing Delsjön, the sun even briefly came out, making it perfect race weather with the temperature hovering around nine degrees.

Once back home, it was time for laundry and vacuum cleaning. Compared to in the past, when every race knocked me out completely, I am surprised by how much spare energy I have after racing these days. With the kids deciding what to have for dinner, I got to make the house signature Spaghetti Bolognese, served with a glass of Gilda red wine from a bit north of Lisbon.

Hagaparken

As William was sleeping in (sic!) and Elin was in the opposite end of town, I decided to cut my morning run short, but I nevertheless got to check out Hagaparken for five faster kilometres this morning.

Racing up to the 18th century copper tent houses that were truly magic in the dark, I felt so light and free, a feeling I hope to keep for my 19k race tomorrow in Skatås.

Once back at the hotel, William and I had breakfast before jumping into the warm basement pool at Elite Palace. Though the pool is mostly off limits for kids, the hotel is making an exception during the school autumn break so, within half an hour, the morning calm had turned into all-out waterpark vibes which was a little sad as William was swimming back and forth like a pro. Hopefully, we can return to Valhallabadet soon enough.

Cousin time

What a day William and I just had here in Stockholm, as we got to hang out with his cousin Vilgot and check out the newly opened Transport Museum in Norra Djurgårdsstaden followed by board games, integer factorization, and tacos at my sister's place in Farsta Strand. As William is falling asleep, I have to go back to reading the 200-pages-long manuscript that my PhD student just sent me so I will leave you with this maritime moment from earlier today.

Stockholm with W

Leaving shortly before 7 am, William and I are underway to Stockholm for a couple of days with my sister and her family. While Umeå is reporting lots of snow, we can expect temperatures around 7-8 degrees but it still feels good to have scheduled some swimming at the newly opened Vana Spa. With Elin in town as well with one of her daughters, there is even hope for a joint run around Hagaparken tomorrow morning so I can already tell that this will be a great trip.