iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I got this thinking it might be awful and taste like a candle, but wow, it's actually really, really good! I am incredibly biased, though, as I love pumpkin spice.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Got the first edits for my story being published in November! It's so amazing to read my editor's thoughts and yeah, I did use that word a lot, huh?

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I finally got around to this year's Halloween mantel!

White brick fireplace mantel decorated with Halloween things

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A short story of mine has been accepted by a publisher and should be out in a few months!!! This is my first piece of writing being published, and it feels so good to be validated for my weird ass stories, haha!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Ah yes, as expected, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is being sold at Five Below.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

My parsley plant has been overtaken by swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. I'm happy to help these little guys, so the plant is all theirs now!

Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars on a mostly eaten parsley plant

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Went shopping hungry and ended up with a cart full of things a toddler would buy. Creamsicle flavored applesauce? Sure, put her in there. A single eggroll? Why not. Ube cheesecake? Obvious yes but less toddler coded.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

New singles today from Beast in Black AND Orbit Culture?! I've been blessed! Great start to the day so far. I hope you all have a great day as well!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm not a big soda drinker, but I swear that I had a spiritual experience drinking this.

Siamese cat sniffing a honeycrisp apple soda

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

My new rule is that if you can't take the time to find a picture of a piece of toast and instead use an AI generated image, I'm not going to take the time to listen to your presentation.

Picture of two floating pieces of AI generated toast

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

My in-laws are growing calabash or bottle gourds. They grow big, but I've never seen one so big before! Hand for scale

Calabash gourd growing on a hanging vine. It's very large with my hand for scale.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I highly recommend this bergamot drink I found at Lidl alongside another oddity of marshmallow treat flavored microwave popcorn which is actually pretty good

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Our new hire was born in 2003. You can find me crying in a corner, feeling ancient.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Build-a-Bear has a Fresno Nightcrawler plushie?! Take all my money!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Raising my fuzzy son right. He's actively watching Helloween perform at Summer Breeze with me

Siamese cat on a laundry basket watching Helloween play on the TV

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Love the Summer Breeze live stream on YouTube. I desperately need to make my classes that go live on Monday, but for now, I'm enjoying watching Orbit Culture. Such a good band! Also living vicariously through the people in the pit while I'm sitting comfortably at home, haha!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Catching local metal bands at a coffee shop on a Thursday night, as one does. Oddly good acoustics for a little coffee shop in a strip mall! May you all have an equally magical end to your week!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

We're taking bets in my arts and sciences department on which instructor will be the first to be arrested over the new "anti-DEI" policies in place in higher education. We in the humanities are all not having this at all.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Enjoying my last few days of summer before the semester starts by fermenting some of my insanely large pepperoncini harvest into hot sauce.

A glass mason jar filled with green pepperoncini peppers, onion, and garlic

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Happy International Cat Day! This is Woo who came into our lives through the cat distribution system. He was found in the woods in early January at my coworkers house. He had parasites and was malnourished, but he turned into a healthy, playful, and loving boy.

Siamese cat looking forward. Picture taken from below looking up

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This little black snake has been living on my screened in porch. I don't mind him at all, but I don't want the cat to find him. We removed him a few days ago only to find him in the exact same spot this morning. He's a stubborn little guy!

Head of a black snake peeking over a wooden ledge

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Today, August 4th, 2026, is the day Ray Bradbury's story "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set, and it happens to be raining where I am. Such an impactful short story and pretty quick, so give it a read to experience post-apocalyptic today! short-stories.co/@raybradbury...

short-stories.co

There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury

The voice-clock sang, breakfast was ejected, but no doors slammed. The garage chimed and lifted its door to reveal the waiting car. The house sat alone in a city of rubble and…

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I caught the biggest yawn on camera (though all his yawns are big yawns, as it should be)

Side view of a Siamese cat yawning with a wide open mouth

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I found this sign in the wild and it gave me immense joy. I hope you all have a rice day!

Restaurant sign for Miso Teriyaki House with have a rice day on it

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Got car sick for the first time in my life but recovered quickly. Probably due to staring out at the lake hugging the road for like two straight hours but it was so prettyyyy!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I found some lovely mushrooms in a parking lot!

One white capped mushroom leaning to the side

Multiple brown mushrooms grouped together

Three upright light brown mushrooms grouped together

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm going through old conference notes to use for the new semester and found one that just says "I'm a sleepy sheep." I haven't the slightest clue what the context of that one was, but yes, I am indeed a sleepy sheep!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I made the most perfect muffins! The trick to get the top to rise is to place them in a hot oven for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to finish the cooking process.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Woo's advice of the day: sleep with one claw open

Siamese cat curled up asleep. One front paw is towards the camera showing the beans and one claw out

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Do I need more dish towels? Absolutely not. But did I need one with pizza making cats on it? Absolutely yes!

Light green dish towel covered in a design of cats making pizza

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Saw a local metal band at an open mic night and am delighted to say that a child was rocking out to their cover of Acid Bath. Truly a joy to behold.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

My book got rejected by a publisher in record time: 4 hours between my query email and their rejection email. Amazing.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Me: Eww, it's almost 100 degrees outside today and feels like up to 112. My cat: Aw yes

Siamese cat with eyes closed peacefully laying on a porch outside

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

My college just turned off our AI detection tool without informing us. I know the tool can be wrong, but it's been a very good starting place to have a conversation with students about the possibility of them having used AI. Gear up for all the in class writing!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Obligatory Katatonia post as it's the month of July. I have such good memories of listening to The Great Cold Distance in high school and try not to think that it was released 20 years ago. youtu.be/gLEogbdozHc?...

youtu.be

Katatonia - July

YouTube video by Katatonia

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Woo keeps moving during his nap to get comfier, and this ended up being his final nap form.

Siamese cat sleeping on his back with his stomach out and front legs flopped to the side

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Cleaned out my closet so Woo got to explore the top for the first time. I think he's excited, but he also looks like he's having an existential crisis.

Siamese cat on his side on the top shelf of an off-white closet. He's looking past the camera and has a back foot toes first to the camera.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Rescued this little praying mantis this morning so my cat didn't eat him. He's safe in my garden now! I love how praying mantises look right at you and seem to have a good deal of intelligence. They're like little aliens!

Picture of my hand with a baby praying mantis on my thumb

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Woo is getting a check up at the vet and isn't so sure about it. He's been a very good boy though!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

I'm having a nostalgic day today :) Picked up this issue of Metal Hammer that made me feel old, came home to listen to HIM, and wear my HIM hoodie that's so old it has a tribal design on it.

Metal Hammer magazine with 30 years of HIM cover. Ville Valo on the front.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Nietzsche has been moved to the horror section at my local Barnes and Noble.

Bookshelf of horror books like Stephen King with Nietzsche to the right

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I think that I'm the only person that's ever gotten a head injury while picking blackberries (aside from maybe a medieval peasant). I bonked my head hard on my low hanging porch and opened up a little wound that bled mightily. No stitches needed, but it suckssss.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Went to an awesome open mic night that had the following acts in this order: 1. Teenagers covering Ghost 2. An older lady covering Michael Jackson and Foo Fighters 3. Elderly gentlemen covering oldies and bluegrass 4. Sludge metal band (who I was there to see) Eclectic to say the least!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I'm writing and see a little paw emerge from the side of my laptop. I look over to see this sleepy face with it. The benefits of working from home with a cat!

A siamese cat paw and sleepy face sticking out from the side of a laptop

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Something I never expected as a professor was to be a guiding light for young metalheads. I'm seeing one of them play with his metal band tomorrow night! He said he was sheltered a lot growing up, so I'm catching him up on metal essentials and bands with great vocalists since he's one.

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Visited many used bookstores and antiques store this week. Ended up with a pretty good haul! Demon Copperhead was only $3, and I couldn't pass up a pretty version of Leaves of Grass! #bookhaul

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I went to a used bookstore with over 40,000 books but struggled to find ones that piqued my interest. I bought this gem just for the cover because the 84 year old owner was really sweet, and I felt that I had to buy something. Maybe it'll turn out to be great!

Cover of Winter World by CJ Mills. The character on the cover has abnormally large eyes but it otherwise classic sci-fi looking

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I got to see this cute little snail out in the wild! I also saw a chipmunk, but he was too busy jumping around to be photographed.

Snail on a rock with a little snail trail behind him

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

@deathbeforethemast.bsky.social I found this book at a used bookstore and checked for Turisas just for giggles. Look who's in there!

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Laura @lauraipsumwrites.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Had a wonderful breakfast table buffet that has chai syrup and coffee butter that I'll forever be dreaming of

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