KaytLudi.com

I live in southern Arizona. There was a shooting here this morning by Border Patrol. Local. Immediate.  I clicked on a news article trying to understand what happened — and then I made the mistake of reading the comments. It didn’t take long before reality dissolved completely. People were saying ICE makes them feel safer. Not cautiously. Not with qualifiers. With chest-out confidence. From there, the conversation slid — predictably, inevitably — into a Fox News–approved rerun of the Alex Pretti shooting. Not because it was relevant. Not because it clarified anything about what happened here. But because it’s now a talisman. A loyalty test. A script. One guy even posted the photo of Pretti being disarmed and claimed the agent walking away with the gun was actually Pretti approaching ICE with his weapon drawn. That’s not an interpretation. That’s a complete inversion of what’s visible to the human eye. This is how it works now: One angle. One story. Nothing else allowed. How can you...

Since I’ve written openly about my return to graduate school, I want to take a moment to share an update and acknowledge a change in direction. I’m not in graduate school anymore, for now. This wasn’t a decision I made lightly, and it wasn’t about a lack of interest or commitment. If anything, the desire to keep learning is still very much there. What changed were the logistics — specifically around student loans — and they ultimately made continuing right now impossible. The first issue was available financial aid. I knew I didn’t have enough to realistically cover the program, but updated figures — especially once interest was factored in — meant I wouldn’t even have half. I could have borrowed a small amount, but that leads to the second and much bigger problem: borrowing even a minimal amount would have reactivated my previously discharged student loan debt — over $130,000. That debt was discharged due to disability. To take out new federal student loans now, I would be require...

Every December, I start thinking about the year ahead - not in terms of rigid goals or impossible resolutions, but in terms of how I want the year to feel . For 2026, my word of the year is FlowWard . OK, I know it's not a real word - but I wanted something that embodies both going with the flow but still going forward.  Not forward in the hustle-y, grind-yourself-into-dust sense. And not flow as in drifting aimlessly and hoping things work out. FlowWard is about moving ahead gently, deliberately, and sustainably; making progress without forcing it. Why “FlowWard”? For a long time, productivity felt like pressure to me. Do more. Be faster. Push harder. Keep up. Somewhere along the way, that mindset stopped working. It led to burnout, stalled projects, and the constant feeling that I was behind—even when I was doing a lot.  And that's all before crashing into heap physically and literally getting behind. FlowWard is my rejection of my previous approach. It’s the idea...

Thanks for stopping by Kayt’s Paper Trail! I'm currently using the Hobonichi Weeks as my main planner and love filming planning sessions where we set up the week together. My videos are relaxed, real, and made to feel like you’re planning alongside a friend. If that sounds like your vibe, hit like & subscribe so you don’t miss our weekly hangouts! Thank you SOOOO much for watching 💕 -Kayt ☺ ☕✨🌿 ☕✨🌿 ☕ 📌 Stay Connected Website/Blog: http://www.kaytludi.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaytludi Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kaytludi.bsky.social NEW Etsy Shop: https://kaytspapertrailpress.etsy.com Email for collaborations: kaytspapertrail@gmail.com ✏️ 📓🗒️ 📎✂️ 🖇️ 🗂️ 📝 Supplies I Use in My Planner Videos Below are Amazon affiliate links to the items you’ll see often in my videos (no pressure to use these links!): My 2026 Weeks Sneaker Mega: https://amzn.to/3Kg2nPB Star stickers for my cover: https://amzn.to/4aFm51E Uni Style Fit Meister Pen: https://amzn.t...

Thanks for stopping by Kayt’s Paper Trail! I'm currently using the Hobonichi Weeks as my main planner and love filming planning sessions where we set up the week together. My videos are relaxed, real, and made to feel like you’re planning alongside a friend. If that sounds like your vibe, hit like & subscribe so you don’t miss our weekly hangouts! Thank you SOOOO much for watching 💕 -Kayt ☺ ☕✨🌿 ☕✨🌿 ☕ 📌 Stay Connected Website/Blog: http://www.kaytludi.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaytludi Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kaytludi.bsky.social NEW Etsy Shop: https://kaytspapertrailpress.etsy.com Email for collaborations: kaytspapertrail@gmail.com ✏️ 📓🗒️ 📎✂️ 🖇️ 🗂️ 📝 Supplies I Use in My Planner Videos Below are Amazon affiliate links to the items you’ll see often in my videos (no pressure to use these links!): My 2026 Weeks Sneaker Mega: https://amzn.to/3Kg2nPB Star stickers for my cover: https://amzn.to/4aFm51E Uni Style Fit Meister Pen: https://amzn.t...

I start school (again) in January, which means—before syllabi, before readings, before even opening my LMS—I’m already stuck on the most important decision of all: what notebook system am I going to use? This should be simple.   It never is. On one side of the debate is a very sensible option: a spiral-bound notebook filled with Cornell notes pages . Clean. Contained. Minimal decisions required once it’s chosen. On the other hand? A full-blown trapper keeper , complete with loose-leaf grid paper, Cornell notes pages, and the unmistakable hum of late-80s academic optimism. And I cannot decide. Option One: The Spiral-Bound Cornell Notebook There is something deeply comforting about a single, spiral-bound notebook. No shuffling papers. No worrying about whether I’ve punched holes correctly. No tragic moment where my notes slide out and scatter across the floor of a coffee shop. Cornell notes, especially, appeal to the part of my brain that wants structure: Main notes on t...

KPT PWM YT Description Thanks for stopping by Kayt’s Paper Trail! I'm currently using the Hobonichi Weeks as my main planner and love filming planning sessions where we set up the week together. My videos are relaxed, real, and made to feel like you’re planning alongside a friend. If that sounds like your vibe, hit like & subscribe so you don’t miss our weekly hangouts! Thank you SOOOO much for watching 💕 -Kayt ☺ ☕✨🌿 ☕✨🌿 ☕ 📌 Stay Connected Website/Blog: http://www.kaytludi.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaytludi Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kaytludi.bsky.social NEW Etsy Shop: https://kaytspapertrailpress.etsy.com Email for collaborations: kaytspapertrail@gmail.com ✏️ 📓🗒️ 📎✂️ 🖇️ 🗂️ 📝 Supplies I Use in My Planner Videos Below are Amazon affiliate links to the items you’ll see often in my videos (no pressure to use these links!): My 2026 Weeks Sneaker Mega: https://amzn.to/3Kg2nPB Star stickers for my cover: https://amzn.to/4aFm51E Uni Style Fit Mei...