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Summer has officially come to an end and autumn is upon us—and the Yak Pak couldn’t be more excited. As the leaves start to change and the weather gets cooler, we’re looking forward to some fall fun. But what did we get up to during the seasonal transition? From sustainable gardening and options trading to punk rock and baseball, discover how we’ve been spending September 2020 in quarantine.
Abby Callard, Content Editor — Planting a Sustainable Future
Photo Credit: Native Haven Nursery
After moving to a home with more outdoor space, Abby has been focused on her yard. Through a program that transforms Chicago schoolyards using green infrastructure to reduce neighborhood flooding, she learned simple ways to improve sustainability—such as installing rain barrels and a composting bin. But the project she’s most excited about is transforming her lawn into a wildflower meadow. Replacing just some of the grass with native plants is one way to increase sustainability and benefit local wildlife including bees. Plus, native plants require very little maintenance—no watering, no harmful chemicals and no mowing!
To prepare, Abby attended the Land Conservancy of McHenry County webinar, which became so popular that it ran multiple times. Then, at her local nursery, Abby connected with a nonprofit called the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee and signed on with their mentoring program for expert help in her yard. As part of the deal, Abby will document the entire mentoring process on social media and serve as a program ambassador. She’s excited to flex her marketing muscles for this project.
Morgan Gallas, Associate Content Strategist — Jamming Out
Photo Credit: The Front Bottoms
Aside from epic content creation, music is Morgan’s passion in life. When asked about her taste, she lovingly describes what’s playing in her headphones as “shitty garage punk rock.” She’s always had a special place in her heart for those guitar riffs, drum solos and sometimes whiny, sometimes punch-in-the-gut lyrics. However, the monotony of the pandemic has left her feeling stagnant in the mosh-pit of her Spotify. Thankfully, the August debut of The Front Bottoms’ seventh album “In Sickness & In Flames” came at the perfect time. Morgan explains that their sound has evolved beautifully and their lyrics have matured. But what makes them special stays the same: the familiar lighthearted guitar and cathartic, charming lyrics.
“I can’t wait to lose my voice to this album at my first Chicago show post-COVID,” Morgan says.
She also has song recommendations at the ready. “For those who don’t usually like this kind of music, try ‘everyone blooms.’ For those who are into punk rock like me, ‘leaf pile’ really goes off.”
Want more music recs? Check out the Yak Tunes playlist for more of our favorite jams.
Bryana Holcomb, Account Manager — Stocking Up for Fall
Photo Credit: Shauna Taught Me
In between catching up on episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Love Island UK,” Bryana has been taking @ShaunaTaughtMe’s online courses and joining her free meetups on options trading. Options trading is another way to make money in the stock market. Instead of holding and trading stocks, you buy and sell contracts and make a profit from the rise or fall of those stocks depending on your contract.
Bryana loves that these classes break down every aspect of trading in a user-friendly way, especially after taking other courses that felt like they were taught in another language. Why options trading? Well, Bryana says, one day while testing out strategies with expert Shauna, Bryana made $100 in ten minutes. After that, she was sold. Check out Shauna Taught Me’s Options Orientation course here to get started yourself.
Sean Froelich, Video Producer — Celebrating a Sox-cess
Photo Credit: Chicago White Sox
Sean’s excited that the Chicago White Sox are in the playoffs for the first time in twelve years. The last time it happened, he was a sophomore in high school. He suffered many years of bad baseball and was even a good sport about the Cubs winning. Now, he’s ecstatic that his beloved White Sox are back in the postseason, especially given that watching baseball on TV has been one of the few things that make the ongoing quarantine bearable.
Pictured below you’ll find Sean in 2008 and 2020, celebrating the White Sox making the playoffs in style and joining the popular social media trend started by the team for fans. Try to guess which is him now!
What do you have planned for autumn? If you’re interested in putting on some fun fall (virtual) events, reach out to get our expert help.
