Franklin Taggart's Unconventional Life Blog

  My experience on YouTube has been a cool adventure for the most part. In the midst of spam comments, thumbnails and titles that are intended to coerce, and the noise you sift through to find what you want, miracles can happen. One of those miracles took the form of meeting Matthew Gray of the 50 Tastes of Gray Podcast.  A few years ago, I made a ten-minute video with no advance planning or intention that has become the most popular video on my page. It's about making a graphic overlay for Zoom interviews. That accidental success was the first point of contact.  In the past couple of years, Matthew has reached out to touch base and see how I've been doing. Most YouTube-inspired exchanges are not this thoughtful, but in one of his latest check-ins, he asked if I'd join him on his podcast. I'd made an assumption that the podcast was mostly about food, but that was before I'd properly listened to a few episodes. Matthew just loves good conversations, and he's a ma

  Working on course videos for my wife this weekend was a great reminder of what a star I'm sharing life with. She's an exceptional teacher and deserves a much wider path of influence, even though she's already created a very positive name for herself. Visit https://simplybeingwell.com and see what I'm saying. I've also been working on a Quiz Quick Start mini-course to highlight Interact Quiz Maker software. I became a big fan of quizzes a couple of years ago and I've written a few for clients. Finally getting around to making some of my own. I was asking some people in the Interact Quiz Collective for some feedback and was marveling at the intelligence in that virtual space. And every one of them is finding a way to share what they know in creative and innovative ways. There's never been a better time for sharing knowledge of every kind. The sizes and shapes of all the potential packages are already mind-blowing, but we're still finding new ways to sha

  As I sit to write this on Christmas Eve, it's 49 degrees and raining here in Colorado. Welcome moisture after an extremely warm and dry Autumn. Christmas Day also has some rain in the forecast, but we still haven't had our first proper snow.  I'm grateful for another year in which I had the joy of trying new things, meeting new people, and finding fun ways to spend time, despite the ongoing challenge we all face with a virus running rampant. I'm lucky to have had only a mild case, which with my health history I count a miracle. I feel lucky to have done all the things I did this year and lucky is one of the best feelings I know. I'm particularly grateful for my family and their well-being. Bodhi is a high school soph this year and he continues to be a source of pride and lightheartedness. He received an academic letter for achieving and holding a 3.5 or higher GPA his freshman year, and he just finished his first semester of sophomore year with a 3.65. He is on th