On resolutions

Look, I know everyone is probably tired of New Year's resolutions. They're out of style for sure. The new hot resolution is to declaratively state that you hate resolutions and aren't making any.

But the fact is that I like resolutions. I like the clean, fresh start of a new year — I live my life by a calendar, and the passage of time matters, even if the division between years is just markings on a piece of paper, that piece of paper matters to me because it's important to every other aspect of my life.

The way I set resolutions has changed over the years. My big one used to be "land X byline," and while I was successful every time, I realized that setting resolutions that weren't in my control was a bad idea. It then changed to pitch X new publications per month, but even that wasn't great because I had some bad months. Setting static goals like that in a world that's becoming increasingly unpredictable (and when you're a parent with a lovely, germy, disease vector of a child) is a recipe for failure.

And honestly, this year I don't have any work resolutions. Sure, I have goals, but because I almost always end up overwhelming myself with too much work, I'm reining in my ambition. My resolutions this year are personal: Cook more, whenever I'm able. Spend more time enjoying my family. Travel more with my little one. Clean out my house and get rid of all the baby stuff. Get more serious about physical fitness.

Rather than individual resolutions, it's bigger: Be more present at home, and take more joy from everyday life. If that means I need to work less to have the energy for it, then that's okay. Good, even!

Whether you set any resolutions or not, I hope the start to the new year is treating you well! Things are quiet now for me in terms of what I can talk about, but I'm working on some very exciting stuff I hope I can share soon.

Swapna

This week's space image

An update on that Soyuz capsule attached to the ISS that was leaking

If you need a refresher on what was going on, I have you covered.

This galaxy group may have formed just 200 million years after the Big Bang

Are they the oldest galaxies we've ever seen? Possibly!

How the Southern Ring nebula may have formed

This nebula is iconic, and it's really cool to break it down and see the elements that led to its formation.

Star Trek: Prodigy recaps

I can't say I expected that Star Trek: Prodigy would turn into Star Trek: Voyager season 8, but I am here for it. Here are my recaps of the two-part season finale over at StarTrek.com.

What I like

I'm currently in season 2 of a Star Trek: Voyager rewatch (I finished my Next Gen rewatch and just...somehow stumbled into this by accident), so my list of what I'm enjoying is short. I'm spending a lot of time knitting and watching television. Here's the sweater I just finished: