iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lincoln Park, Seattle WA

A group of old gnarled trees with branches going every which way. The leaves still on the trees are green-yellow, turning to yellow. The ground is a carpet of yellow leaves in all shades. The very foreground shows some of an asphalt path. The sky beyond the trees is blue. The light is beautiful

LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Lovely, lovely evening last night in Seattle. Matt’s in the Market continues to thrive. We had our first date there 20+ years ago in its first iteration

Cobblestone street in the foreground. You can see a bright red neon sign that says PUBLIC MARKET CENTER with an analog clock dial, also in red. There is a smaller red neon sign (in a different font) below on the right that says FARMERS MARKET. To the right of the Public Market Center sign, there is a painted sign on a building the same height as the neon sign. Sign background is a sort of olive green with the text in white MEET THE PRODUCER. The lighting is lovely with sunset starting in the background of the scene. There are people wandering around and some umbrellas with seating underneath

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Just remembering the time a former program director told me how proud she was of using “I” statements with her husband. Her example was, “*I* feel that I’m doing everything and *you’re* doing fuck all”

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Toto, we are not in Seattle anymore

Grocery store deli fridge with containers of dips and shrink wrapped cheese trays and the like. The middle shelf is 3/4 full of molded gelatin “salad” rings, some multi-colored and creamy, some single color. This is a foodstuff that is not widely-enough consumed in the PNW to warrant retail space like this

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

High school is 3.4 miles from us. SPS outsources busing to the city bus. HS neighborhood is very underserved. Student has to walk out the door 1 hour before school to guarantee on-time arrival. But today, the one direct early trip was cancelled. Transfer req with high risk buses will be too full.

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We had long planned to go to Easy Strret Records for brunch today. It’s just extra poignant to be here today with an all-Dolly playlist

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Thankfully I was correct about Some Kind of Wonderful being the least problematic Brat Pack film. Though I did have a heart attack realizing it’s nearly 40 years old. The teens approved!

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I think this table got a few extra legs…

Square wooden table in a barn with sawdust and goat poop on the floor. Everything is in shades of brown and cream. Under the table, barely visible, is a red-brown goat, hiding in shadow. all you can see are its two front legs, really.

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I find it hilarious that I am responsible for my kids’ first cinematic experience of full frontal male nudity and the film that did it was… A Room with a View!

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Hot take of the day: I hate the phrase “unskilled labor” to refer to jobs that don’t require formal education. Any job done well requires skill (and should be fairly compensated). Watching any person doing a job capably is a joy

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

2026-07-28 final Easter egg discovered and jellybeans consumed

Small yellow plastic Easter egg open and empty sitting on a gray marbled granite counter top. The background is a large white ramekin with a white tea towel coming out of it

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Wild night last night: we played “karaoke roulette”, where we let our KJ pick songs for us. Helps that he knows us and our voices. Added an extra little thrill to the night

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I will never forgive them the constant conflation of tortilla and taco

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Uncontrollable variables are my nemesis (nemeses?)

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

SeaTac Spot Saver (www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver) is one of my favorite user-friendly innovations over the past few years. The anxious travel (ahem) can manage the worst unknown variable of security time by booking a place in the queue. It’s free and requires no biometrics!

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

I am firmly convinced that group of peonies should be called a “petticoat”

A vase full of ridiculously frilly light to medium pink peonies spilling over each other and the vase. In the lower right corner is a much smaller vase of darker pink sweet peas. The vase is sitting on a table with a taupe-colored tablecloth

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I’m just going to say it: I really dislike the public greeting card, you know, the one your office sends around for everyone’s birthday or going away, where everything you write is up for scrutiny by all. E-cards are far worse in this regard because you can’t make it less legible with handwriting

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

I think the staffer at Sen Murray’s office wasn’t quite expecting the anti-AI diatribe they received from me as I expressed my horror at Sen Schiff’s bipartisan attempt to deliver our children into the hands of dangerous technology that needs more regulation and scorn, not less #DidThisToday

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Shout out to Linda at Northfield Lines for hilariously and exasperatedly getting the driver to stop at MSP to pick up a student for the last run of the night. And also, they have *got* to get rid of the Pingo app, which routinely refuses to let folks pre-purchase tickets

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I think it should be outlawed to set a date for your child’s non-significant birthday party more than two months in advance

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Top tip for college students who sleep through alarms: create to a backup plan with family for really important things (flights, exams). If you don’t text them by X time, they will use Find My on your device & it will make noise til you respond. The plan alone has meant we haven’t needed to use it

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

@clairewillett.bsky.social , OLG in Seattle was right there with your parish and the trembling. Felt so good

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Went to Easter Vigil, (best Mass of the year), and particularly loved a verse of Endless Song we don’t usually get to: “When tyrants tremble, sick with fear, and hear their death-knell ringing […] How can I keep from singing”. This lyric is going to fill me with hope all year…

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

This Finnish runner-up is the epitome of the perfect #Eurovision banger: native language, fun instruments, key change, great beat. Sad it didn’t win, but now I can enjoy it guilt-free (I won’t be watching the contest this year). Top spot on my cardio playlist youtu.be/o2HNKHOaia4

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Things are rough in the world, at home and abroad. All the more reason to celebrate small joys like the first snow we’ve seen all year in Seattle.

Bare trees (rowan I think) with a thick dusting of snow on the branches in the foreground. Snow dusted rooftops in the background. The sky is gray and snow is falling

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Reposted by LT

Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Reaping the benefits of having done Pride and Prejudice as a read-aloud with the first-born in high school followed by several watch parties of the BBC adaptation in this text exchange

Texted photo of a gray tabby on a tan cashmere throw over a pair of legs on a recliner. The cat has one eye partially closed and appears to be winking.
Text from me reads: "Mama, why are you winking at me? What am I to do?" says Kitty...
Response: Lol
Now you'll start complaining about her coughing
Me:
You have no pity on my poor nerves!!!
Kid responded with a Ha Ha reaction

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work. “Did you check the filters?”

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

I dunno, man, I think that Jesus ads *are* controversial and shouldn’t be just accepted, especially in our Christo-fascist state. And I’m a Catholic! Imagine the reaction if it were any other religion.

Skeet from NPR. Skeet is “early Super Bowl spots show advertisers want lots of buzz but not controversy”. Linked piece has the lede “From Jesus to Jurassic Park: This year’s Super Bowl ads are playing it safe”

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Tried to give my Senators a “compliment sandwich” for stating that they won’t vote for anything that includes DHS funding but it had to be open-faced because they haven’t done two good things yet. At least I didn’t have to pull out the mom voice “I’m disappointed in you” this time. #DidThisToday

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Murray’s DC voicemail was full around 11am so I left a message at her Seattle office 206-553-5545. I expect many DC voicemail boxes to overflow

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Saved my daily calls to electeds til my 8th grader was up because she old me she loves to hear me yell at them (especially if I use the word “flaccid” to describe Schumer and Jeffries’ leadership, which I have been known to do) #DidThisToday

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

The idea that the 8th grade math teacher got so mad because a kid said “chicken butt” softly when she said “guess what”… The audacity of her saying she was “nice to them now”: there had been an intervention because the teacher yelled at them so much so she was yelling less…

Kid: Ms.is being NASTY today
Dad: I'm sorry! What happened?
Kid: She asked us guess what, a kid muttered 'chicken butt' under their breath, and she gave the whole class lunch detention
Me: JFC
Dad: Good lord
Kid: Until the kid admitted they did it. She asked us if we thought she had 'lowered her standards'
Dad: In what sense
Kid: Because she was so nice to us now

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

First finished dish! Bok choy ohitashi style

Vibrant green baby bok choy in a soy and dashi marinade in a square white enameled dish. Will be finished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Getting a head start with our galette des rois because my puff pastry maker is heading back to college before epiphany. Fun to share with friends at our NYE cook-the-book dinner though not on-theme. Our book is Washoku, recipes from the Japanese Home Cooking by Elizabeth Andoh

Beautifully golden brown galette des rois, French epiphany cake. Homemade dough puff pastry filled with almond cream. We use a dried tart cherry for the “fève” instead of a bean or figurine of Jesus. It sits on parchment on a well-used half-sheet pan

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

In(accuracies) in depiction of Catholicism in Sister Act vs #wakeupdeadman, in this essay I will…

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Merry Christmas. More than 75% of my gifts ideas came from either @smartbitches.bsky.social , @sarahmackattack.bsky.social or Bluesky (including the great Night Market feed) and everyone is delighted

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I love gift-giving and a big part of the fun of Christmas for me is going through the box of things I’ve procured over the months since the last gift-giving holiday and surprising myself with what I had thought up

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

How it started below, how it’s going

A bonanza of Christmas baking. From left to right, Russian teacakes, gluten-free oat ginger crinkles, Irish coffee truffles, “faux-rangos” (vegan mint meltaways), snickerdoodles, homemade almond roca, seafoam/cinder toffee, spritz, sugar cookies and coconut and raspberry truffles

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

And so it begins. We get more ambitious every year

Christmas Baking
Cookies: Snickerdoodles
sugar cookies
russian teacakes x2
Spritz
ginger crinkles
Candy:
toffee
mint metaways
peppermint patties
seafoam
truffles
marshmallows
Peanut brittle?

Yule log meringue mushrooms

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Shout out to my dad, yes the one who told me that I would naturally grow more conservative as I grew older, for suddenly popping into the family chat to say that he’s disgusted by Trump’s immigration policies and how he’s proud that his and my mom’s parents were immigrants.

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Pro-tip: if you need to get your hot liquid down below the danger zone, use a metal cocktail shaker filled with ice water to put in the center in addition to an ice bath for the outside

Large round stainless steel bowl filled with ice water. Inside is a large metal pot full of turkey stock. Inside that is a metal Boston cocktail shaker half filled with ice water. This acts to cool the stock from the outside and inside for more rapid cooling

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Behold, the Stuffing Pie. What we do is make double the gravy we need (since it’s not double the effort), and extra stuffing. Then I put frozen peas & carrots & cauliflower in a dish with leftover turkey, cover with the gravy and uncooked stuffing. Either cook & eat for Black Friday or freeze!

Square enamel dish that is mid-green on the outside and white on the inside sitting on a granite counter. Inside the dish is vegetables and turkey covered in gravy and topped with uncooked dressing ready for baking and eating or freezing for later delectation.

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Thankful today that our kitty has decided, after 5 years, that perhaps she’s interested in sitting on our laps or legs after all.

Tiny but mighty gray tabby sitting on the legs of a reclined person with her chin almost on top of the pillow used to prop up the ipad. She’s looking intently at the camera but will soon settle in to nap

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

I resent having to get up early to get my kiddo ready for school, but this morning I did catch a gorgeous sunrise looking west over the Olympics in Seattle.

Landscape photo of leafless rowan tree in the left foreground. In the middle distance is some houses obscured by leaves and branches. The real showstopper is the sky and mountains behind. The sky is very pale blue with a swath of pink clouds. The phone camera doesn’t show it, but above the horizon is the Olympic mountain range

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

The Michael W. Twitty event with Kristi Brown at @townhallseattle.bsky.social was an absolute delight. Wonderful rapport between speakers, lively and engaged audience, meaningful conversation. I hope the book is a bestseller!

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LT @laureltaylor.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Incredible light in Seattle right now

Beautiful, opalescent sunset. In the background is a gray, pink, orange sky. In the foreground there are a couple of trees, one with yellow orange leaves, the other with red rowan berries. There is a lot of lavender mist everywhere in the background, covering the Puget Sound

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