iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Vegan pot pie biscuits! I would pay a pretty penny to have them magically delivered to my house this very instant. Clever idea.

040

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Yum! Pineapple in a savory dish is consistently one of my favorite combinations.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Pickled onions are such a treat on a veggie sandwich. Yum & healthy!

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Oh, how I used to love those cookies. Trying to limit sugar now and the full box would be too tempting.

100

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Hello! I rode the 33 bus on Venice Boulevard daily from Culver City to Santa Monica way back in the 1980s. Nice that the same numbering system still exists. Cool that you are a bus rider.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I use a roller cart for shopping, whether on foot for basic groceries or by bus to an outlying specialty store. The local and regional bus routes here are low-ridership so plenty of room to haul my cart onboard. Dreaming of a cargo bike when the cycling infrastructure seems safe enough here.

Three images of a metal roller cart full of tote bags and purchases.

020

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Worries me in the United States as well. Mid-sized bus agencies often find only one manufacturer fits their parameters: Arboc, whose vehicles were designed for occasional use by senior facilities and church groups. These buses have a steep boarding slope that is huge barrier for older riders.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

My U.S. town's single bus route is low ridership. The cost per boarding averages $40. With only 60 regular riders and an annual operational cost of $1 million, the subsidy per person is $16,600. Hard to justify the expense, but I personally depend on the bus.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This distinction also has relevance for bus riders. My town has a strange belief that wealthy residents in outlying subdivisions will park-and-ride for the slow circulator bus just for fun. But the reality is low-income folks ride that bus from necessity for low-wage employment or grocery shopping.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Crucial distinction between destination-oriented walking and recreational walking. I do not own a car and handle most errands on foot, rather than by bus. The safety of the entrance path into a shopping center is often overlooked. Often far too dangerous to get through the parking lot.

011

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I do not own a car. I mostly walk in downtown Apex, plus take the bus to Cary or Raleigh periodically. I would go to extravagant lengths to avoid ever crossing this intersection on foot. Too vulnerable with all those lanes and potentially distracted speeding drivers. I would look for a bus option.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

If the newspaper ever wants a quote for other articles about bus transit issues, please feel free to share my email address with your journalist colleagues.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

From my bus improvement advocacy perspective, this quote from town staff was very helpful: "Staff considered changing the detour but said another change would take weeks, cost thousands of dollars and potentially confuse riders." Usually they sound more dismissive about any bus detour concerns.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Many thanks for including a reference to the bus detour! Nicely extracted from my email response. You are the first journalist to consider how the downtown construction impacts bus riders, in addition to the downtown businesses.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Semi-naughty answer: "freak fetish" fantasy phone call gig in 1980s. My specialty was "innocent kooky." Gentleman who wanted to be shrunk down and put in the washing machine. One-hour nightly call about "curler bondage," describing the fellow's hair force-wrapped tightly into pink sponge rollers.

0122

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I love the idea of a "strategic shade network." My town in the United States recently partnered with a university and a State Climate Office. They documented that "49% of the bus stop zone is prone to extreme heat."

Geographic Information System map shows that 49% of the bus stop zone in Apex, North Carolina, United States, is prone to extreme heat.

031

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

So sweet! I really needed an uplifting tender moment this weekend.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Happy to notice these trends on a main street in my town that I walk several times a day: Many more cargo bikes! Many seniors who look quite athletic and healthy -- pickle ball is popular here and the senior center has free exercise sessions. More double strollers for babies and toddler siblings.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Pet peeve as a walker is the uneven sidewalk pavement. So many cracks and mismatched edges and tripping hazards. Also, the spots that get deep with mud after every rain event. But in my town full of sidewalk gaps, I am lucky to have any sidewalk between home and grocery stores and senior center.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Safely entering shopping complexes on foot is really tough. One sidewalk dumps pedestrians at the busy drive-through lane for McDonalds, before stores can be reached across the parking lot. One grocery store complex plowed snow into a huge mound, entirely blocking the walkway entrance.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

So many improvement needed for pedestrians in my town: Lots of sidewalk gaps means there is inevitably a dangerous walking-on-the-roadway-edge segment. The pedestrian walk-signal timing at push-button crosswalks at major intersections are designed for drivers, not safety.

120

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I love that she is riding in a mini-dress. I was a teenager in the Seventies and rode my bicycle everywhere. (Wish I had safe bike infrastructure in my current town.)

130

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

This book includes fascinating historical references to early experiments with food chemistry. "Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food" by Chris Van Tulleken.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Just read this quote in an excellent book. "Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food" by Chris Van Tulleken.

110

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

About twenty years ago, I had a bowl of Gazpacho that was served with a scoop of frozen cucumber sorbet at a fancy restaurant. Best cold soup experience of my life! I spent a fortune on two more bowls.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I cook plain unmarinated small chunks of tempeh in an air fryer for eight minutes. Then add to salads as a protein but with a crouton-crispiness. Trying to stay away from the processed vegan faux-meat while streamlining the food preparation commitment. Lots of beans & lentils!

040

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Some shopping plaza walkways randomly end at busy gas station pumps or fast food drive-through lanes, with lots of distracted drivers in all directions. A related issue for me is exactly how far the bus stop placement is from the grocery store. Feels like a game of furthest-possible-location.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I do not own a car and the local bus routes have limited scope and reliability. So shopping mostly happens on foot with a roller cart. Getting from the surrounding sidewalk (if one even exits) to the store entrances is the busy safety challenge that I face.

110

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I just discovered that you included me in a starter pack. Based on Sharon Astyk connection, I think. Thank you. Love the math mystery concept!

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This was apparently intended as support for the expenses businesses disrupted by construction. Meanwhile the bus is speeding up dangerously through the rest of the route, trying to make up time. On the poorly-made little Arboc bus, riders are rattling, bouncing, and going airborne, but still late!

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Service eliminated at a corner with Dollar Tree, the German grocery chain Lidl, and the low-priced Food Lion -- popular with low income bus riders. Instead, the bus faces construction barriers and delays, for the pretense that average bus riders could afford fancy boutiques and pricy restaurants.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

My town gave four days notice that the bus would be detoured through a construction zone for eleven months. Our historic downtown was getting the street renovated. Decisionmakers eliminated eight useful bus stops, including my home-base stop.

310

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Maybe one issue for the 35-40+ group is delaying children and now facing insane costs for childcare so that one parent staying home makes financial sense.

080

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I wonder about folks from 55-64 being laid off and then facing age discrimination when seeking a new job. Then panic after age 65 and willingness to accept any low-wage gig. At age 63, I gave up on obtaining a professional salary and activated Social Security retirement early.

0261

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I once had a professor give a 90-minute lecture about Shakespeare while wearing his bike helmet. Easy to forget!

110

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I also have those triangle wheels on my smaller rain-protected cart. Get so many compliments. Yay for the roller cart fans!

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I would vote YES, even though I walk rather than ride a bike. Helps to keep the bicycles separated from both cars and pedestrians. Especially with so many kids moving fast on electric bikes and scooters.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I love the North Carolina Museum of Art, which is surrounded by a 164-acre park with sculpture and trails. Also lots of local pride about the 308-acre Dix Park. The GoTriangle bus system will take you to other areas like Chapel Hill and Durham that are worth exploring.

050

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I am so honored that the famous Fietser re-posted my roller cart pictures! I am the only cart user in downtown Apex, a now affluent once-rural-town outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. I have an injured right hand with partially amputated thumb, so hand-carrying heavy tote bags is impossible.

290

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I am a clumsy older lady who really wants a cargo-tricycle! But my town does not have the infrastructure yet to make that safe for desired destinations. In the meantime, here are photos of what I routinely haul several miles on foot -- groceries, purchases, laundry, and library books.

Three examples of heavy items moved by roller cart by a 63-year-old car-free pedestrian.

3413

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Ann Patchett & Denise Mina. (But that means getting on the hold waiting list at the library, given my budget.)

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

(By great amenities, I meant two features in Taunton: 1) Real-time information to help passengers know when their next bus is due to arrive. 2) Indoor waiting room with toilets.)

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

My town will move the bus depot to a less visible and less convenient corner, which feels like stigma. I think location near major shopping centers is best, so passengers can quickly shop before boarding their next bus.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

These amenities sound great. My town in North Carolina, United States, is also planning a "Mobility Hub." Basic bus transfer point plus some bike racks.

100

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Fascinating discussion. I learned so much as I consider trying Ozempic. My insurance would cover half the prescription price, so cost is a significant barrier -- but I am lucky to have any coverage.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

3-1/2 hours for me! Walk-wait-ride-walk-books-then return. But grateful to have any option to reach a library. Our town's local bus only began three years ago, and we are getting regional routes passing through the area now. Fortunately, I can entertain myself with a book while walking and riding.

010

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I live in a "small town character" overlay district. I am very frustrated that the modest naturally-affordable 1950s brick ranch homes are being bulldozed. Replaced by McMansions on tree-less lots. All of the young families and lower-income renters have been displaced. Tree canopy wiped out.

020

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

This 2025 article impacted my decision. "Why Delaying Your Social Security Benefits May Not Make Sense" by Derek Tharp. I am definitely a frugal "under-spender." www.wsj.com/personal-fin... Also accessible here: archive.ph/bzjc7

wsj.com

Why Delaying Your Social Security Benefits May Not Make Sense

Most people don’t actually wait until 70. For at least some of them, it makes a lot of sense.

000

Elizabeth "Lizzy Bee" living in North Carolina @lizzybeeapex.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I started claiming Social Security early at age 63-1/2 this summer. Saving over 60% of the monthly amount via safe Certificates of Deposit through Credit Union. I originally planned/hoped to wait until age 67. But this was the smart decision for me.

100