I have a tradition I started some years back of posting at Midnight on the 1st of the year. It was on Twitter for ages, but Twitter having turned into what it is, I went with Bluesky this year. Since those can’t quite be embedded yet, here’s a screenshot and a link to it:
I’m not one for massive public resolutions. I honestly believe the best resolutions are ones you make to yourself and keep to yourself. When I quit smoking almost 12 years ago now, I did so cold turkey, at my choosing, and kept it to myself until I made nearly a year.
On the other hand, I firmly believe in taking the end of the year as a time to take stock and reset. To take the long, wide, and deeper view of one’s life and see if what is should continue to be or needs to evolve. Dates, times, all these are arbitrary. That we conclude a year or begin a year weeks after the solstice and in the middle of Winter is a fluke of following in the footsteps of those that came before, not some universal constant we’re hewing to. And yet, that agreed upon resetting of the calendar, that renumbering from one, is a good excuse to reset in the other bits of a life. To continue forward aware of the forward flow of things, and, though willing to look backwards, not binding one’s self to the consequences of what came before.
Happy New Year. Let’s see what another spin around the Sun has in store for us all.
Inputs
1: It’s January 1st, which means it’s all college football, all day. Wisconsin lost a heartbreaker to LSU, but looked closer to the promise of Luke Fickell than at any time before, in a game that was, at most, a very early Spring game. Here’s hoping more exciting things are in store for the local kids.
Meanwhile, at the time I write, the Rose Bowl is a good game, with Michigan’s defense stepping up to the challenge against Alabama. Should be a good, if oddly long, game. And then Washington and Texas, I expect, will be the polar opposite of a brawl, with every indication they’ll score with abandon.
2: Yesterday was filled with NFL games and an unfortunate loss for the fantasy team against what turned out to be a buzz saw of an opponent. Still, a solid year for Team Calvinball, and I’m excited to watch football with nothing at stake but entertainment (and a rooting interest in the Buccaneers).
3: Watched various YouTube videos to fill in the day, including the farewell from Tom Scott. Tom had presaged this ahead of his stepping away from regular efforts on his personal channel, but it still feels like the end of an era. Tom’s (like the guys who run Practical Engineering, Smarter Every Day, and the Brothers Green) was one of the voices you could count on to make the complex and intricate seem approachable, and who was willing to take all the time in the world to bring aspects of the world to his audience. Thanks, Tom, and best of luck in the next endeavors.
Projects In Progress
I don’t talk about my resolutions, but I do expect one outcome from keeping to them to be better progress here. So, we’ll see what happens. For now though, should be back to it mañana.