i started this thing at work where i have a more formal “radar” (it’s in an excel document #socool) where i keep track of things i want to be aware of or need to keep checking on. this will be the kelseypunch.com version. here’s what’s on my radar this week:
back to the office
i went back into the office THREE days this week, and it was delightful. i am still trying to navigate this whole hybrid thing, but it was so nice to chat with people and see people in real life. target’s finance team did a great job of lining up activities for people to enjoy along with allowing us to make time for work. here’s the conclusion i came to: in the office will make me more productive when i am at home. i am so looking forward to cranking through some of the more data and thought-heavy pieces of my job from the solitude of my home office after being completely recharged by working alongside some of the best and the brightest. we are going to make this whole ‘new normal’ thing work; i can just feel it.
staud x new balance
i’m not sure how i found out (just kidding – i got served an ad) about the staud x new balance collab and i’m obsessed over the colors. this is the shoe i’ve had my eye on, and may just go ahead and order if i get served one more ad … (which is guaranteed to happen knowing how digital advertising works!)
speaking of color in fashion …
my wise mother always taught me to keep an eye on colors vs. neutrals in the zeitgeist because they are surely tied to the market and consumer spending, confidence, and overall how the economy is doing. i guess the focus on both neutrals of all shades plus some really cool brights + rich primary colors is reflective of the chaotic-yet-not-totally-dismal reports we have been hearing that we are flirting with a recession but other indicators (job market) remain strong. only time will tell, but i’ll tell you i plan on wearing tons of color to will our economy (and country in total, tbh) into a better place.
teacher shortages
this one gets me really fired up, because it’s one of those “make it make sense” things. you have people screaming about teacher shortages and they are the same ones saying negative things about teachers (i won’t even give it any sort of air time here, but the thought that teachers as a collective are going off-script and teaching your kids whatever they want is asinine. they can barely get to the content they have while still trying to keep things relevant and talk about topics that kids are asking about). not to mention besides the fact that the burden of children’s mental health and well-being is all too often dumped in their laps, they are paid WAY too little for the time and effort they put in, and schools can’t get them the resources they need because of a myriad of reasons, i don’t blame people for getting out of teaching. it’s a national crisis, if you ask me. (what am i doing to help? i serve on our school board and am operating with a lens of “when we take care of the teachers, they take care of the students” in a lot of my decision making. i also have a lot of conversations with teachers and parents to make sure i’ve got a pulse on what’s going on). here’s the unfortunate reality, though: schools aren’t in a position to pay teachers more the way things run right now. budgets are already hamstrung, and it would require a massive shift from both a tops down and a bottoms up perspective. i’m here for it!
whole 30 – 20-ish days in
ok i’m 20-some days into the whole30 (i guarantee my coworkers and friends are so excited to see me done because they are so sick of hearing me complain). here are my observations so far: i rely on a lot of fruit and larabars, which i know i shouldn’t, but i do. it’s the reality of it. i’ve also come to realize that, while i may feel marginally ‘better’ than i do normally, i think i eat pretty well and am going to be more than happy to go back to my steady diet of salads, fries, and ice cream. i’m already plotting my blizzard run come next wednesday and joey’s taken to texting me how many sleeps we have left. lol.
random assortment of topics, but i wouldn’t have it any other way. thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!