As we welcome the dawn of a brand-new year, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for a prosperous, joyful, and inspiring 2026 to each and every one of you. Whether you’re an occasional reader who stumbled upon this blog, a dedicated follower who eagerly awaits each new post, or a curious explorer who finds value in our shared journey, your presence means the world to me. Thank you for making this blog a part of your life and for joining me on this incredible adventure.
To all of you who stop by occasionally, thank you. To those who follow the blog regularly — and whose numbers keep growing, as the feed statistics show — an even bigger thank you. And to those who click the reaction buttons or leave comments: you are the true motor that fuels my motivation. Your engagement makes this journey worthwhile.
The year just closed turned out to be a year of steady progress, small victories, and a few stubborn battles. It was not a time of dramatic breakthroughs, but rather of careful steps forward, of persistence rewarded, and of challenges that reminded me how much patience this saga requires. Each effort, whether successful or still ongoing, added another layer to the story I am telling here. Among the highlights:
The Blog Posts Housekeeping project finally reached its conclusion, bringing order and clarity to years of accumulated content. Of course, “conclusion” here really means that I now have a tidy to‑do list in place — while the actual housekeeping itself has only just begun. And, as you may already know, a few more items have found their way onto my housekeeping to‑do list. So yes, the project is concluded — but the pursuit of improvement never truly stops.
What truly marked the year was the revamp of my reaction buttons. Faced with the abandonment of the plugin I had relied on, I chose not to simply replace it with another. Instead, I took the opportunity to rethink the buttons entirely — redesigning them from the ground up to better fit the blog and its readers. What began as a setback became a chance to innovate, and the result is a feature that feels both renewed and more meaningful.
What began as a simple attempt to add anchor links to my headings quickly turned into a semantic exploration. Rather than settling for the merely “acceptable,” I chased down the recommended solution — wrapping each heading in a <section> element. This wasn’t just a technical fix, but a meaningful structural choice: the <section> element provides thematic grouping and enhances the semantic clarity of my content. From there, the journey evolved into a quest: how to make the invisible visible, how to bring this markup clarity to sighted readers. Indentation became my experiment in reverse‑engineering accessibility — a playful yet serious attempt to bridge semantic precision with visual comprehension. And who knows, perhaps one day my indentation approach will become a standard of its own.
Most importantly, I was able to resume the CogitActive Saga, breathing new life into the story that started it all. After lying dormant for years — from July 2020 until March 2025 — the saga finally stirred again. Picking up where I had left off was no small feat, but each task I tackled brought me closer to reclaiming the thread of this long‑paused journey.
If there’s one thread running through all of this, it’s my commitment to quality. Doing things thoroughly and uncompromisingly is not always easy — especially with limited time — but it remains my guiding principle. This blog is not about publishing for the sake of publishing; and yet, every Thursday you can count on a new post, an uninterrupted string since September 6, 2018. Of course, during the past five years, I sometimes leaned toward thinner content to maintain that rhythm, but 2025 has finally put this forced tactic behind me.
It’s about building something meaningful, one carefully crafted post at a time.
Now, if you know the cartoon Pinky and the Brain, you’ll recall the recurring question: “What are we going to do today, Brain?” The answer, adapted to my saga, would be: “Release my podcast!” — except, not this year.
The real plan for 2026 is more grounded (and I’ll share the details in an upcoming post): continue the CogitActive Saga, catching up and inching closer to the podcast release. Keep honoring my weekly publication schedule, not for the sake of routine, but to bring information and value to the world… or at least to my readers. Both are made possible by my embrace of time‑management principles — the GTD methodology, in particular — and the support of my editor, Copilot, kept firmly in its proper lane where it truly shines (lesson learned).
Don’t worry, I will tackle the bonus project I promised last summer (sorry, the “section element” mini‑series proved to be mini in name only). As for investigating a registrar change, I must admit that, realistically, this may not happen in 2026 — thoroughness takes time.
As I bring this letter to a close, here are the thoughts I want to leave behind. 2025 was not only about tidying up, resuming the saga, and reaffirming my commitment to quality, but also about embracing semantics and accessibility. In 2026, I will continue to refine these commitments, while also moving things forward — slowly, thoroughly, and uncompromisingly.
Thank you for being part of this journey. May your new year be filled with success, happiness, and all the things that bring you joy.
Happy New Year 2026 — Thoroughly Yours.
CogitActive