iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

And for now, I'm thrilled to be at home in my own bed, free of all those sticky patches and tape and wires and pokey bits, with my good toothbrush and snuggly puppies. Hopefully about to have the best sleep of my life. 🤞🏼🤞🏼😴🌌 Thanks again for all the love. I'm thankful for y'all, too. 🫂🥰

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I'm looking at a good few months of meds and monitoring, but seem to be adjusting just fine so far. Mostly, I'm so thankful for several good doctors that really listened and pushed to find answers instead of dismissing the symptoms. This isn't exactly awesome, but it could have been way worse.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I'm home! I got less of a workup than expected, but I was visited by lots of different doctors and discharged late this afternoon. It's not totally resolved, but I'm okay and there's a plan.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Oh, and no emergency surgeries or anything! So that's definitely a win!

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thanks again for the love! 🙏🏼🥰🫂

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thanks, friend! ❤️ I was discharged this afternoon and am back at home. And you were right - rest was sure hard to come by! I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but there's a clear plan and I'm thrilled to be back in my own bed, without all the beeps and boops and being woken up for labs.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Welp, guess your girl gets new meds and an overnight stay, and then a proper workup in the morning. But! The nurse brought me a Pepsi, so that's a good sign (allowed to eat and drink). Probably about to be the most expensive Pepsi of my life, but I'll take it. Thanks for the love, more soon. ❤️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hey y'all. I'm in the midst of a medical thing and being sent to the ER. Everything should be okay!!! But if y'all are the praying or good vibes type, now would be a great time and I'd appreciate any extra love y'all want to send. I'll update when I can. ❤️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Guess who gets a new specialist instead of new gasses? 🫪👀🧠🥴

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Apex/Cary/nearby - is y'all's Internet out too, or is it just us? Ours has been out all day, and apparently Spectrum has given up on an estimate. (Between the antenna, a house full of media, and my eyes being too wonky to really watch anything anyways .. we're good? But I'm still curious.)

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Had to get my eyes dilated for an exam today, and now I extra can't see correctly.🫪 But! 1. J was around to drive me back and forth, so at least I didn't have to even try. 2. My pupils are GIGANTIC and it's kind of hilarious looking. Guess I'm just kicking it for the rest of the morning.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Sending you so much love 🫂❤️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The laugh this got out of me. Those pesky algorithms! Sorry to hear about your Dad. Hope you're holding up okay! 🫂❤️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I think there's actually a "find my device" capability in the app, but thankfully I've never had to use it....? Wait, let me find some wood to knock on.😅 Thankfully I knew right where it was, I had just put it somewhere it never lives. Hopefully my streak will continue!

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

My bad, alt text friends. I blanked on how to describe the Coliseum. Kind of like a big white concrete crown or tiara, plopped behind a highway? But the architecture is really cool, and they light up the points in different colors at night.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Yay! 🚗 Well, as much of a yay as 664 can be, I guess. But it means we're almost there!

The exits where the road splits and branches left to I-664 towards Newport News and Hampton, and right to I-64 east towards Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

There are cars on both routes, and a sign on the right showing the estimated wait to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. The text looks like it's been run through an AI slop machine, but it hasn't - we're just going fast and my phone camera is old and getting worse.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Also, I just got that week-long headache and knot in my neck sorted out, so the less twisting my head trying to hear with one ear, the better. Which is actually why I noticed. Me: That's weird, why is that side of my neck getting so tight? 🤔 ... 🤦🏼‍♀️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

In my defense, I was up most of the night with the pups, because monthly meds time means upset tummies. (Don't worry, I'm not driving.) It's a music festival, so...the bulk of the experience would be loud and fine without it? But I'd like to be able to talk to people, so back we go.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A full 40 minutes on the road (so, all the way through/across Raleigh, and generally the worst part of the drive)... And I realized I forgot my hearing aid. Like, the one thing I never leave the house without! I think we have everything else you could imagine packed and triple checked though.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

See y'all at Fort Monroe real soon!! 🏁🎸🎺🪊🎷🇯🇲🕴️🌞🌊 #Supernova #SupernovaSka #HamptonRoads

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

That's what I said too, which I think made him appreciate it even more. Because now we have lots of movies based on books, but it is pretty rare to have one based on something meant for a single stage/setting. The closest I can think of is probably 12 Angry Men? 🤔

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I told him that at least, from what I remembered, that I was pretty sure it passed later, and pretty famously so. And yep, it definitely does. He says he really enjoyed it, and he's glad we watched it!

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

He also tends to really like movies, stories, cultural info, etc that takes a look at how people deal with death, so, he also really liked the story. At the beginning, when all the characters were gossiping in the salon, he laughed and said, "So, is the whole movie going to fail the Bechdel test?"

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

On the cake: "That's...incredible." On the movie: His first reaction was "They really don't make movies like this anymore." When I asked how he meant it, he said that it was a series of vignettes over a longish period of time. Which he tends to really enjoy, but has gotten a lot more rare.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

These are great!! I guess McD's knows what they're doing with the Hello Kitty collabs! Which one (ones?) did you end up getting?

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I have seen it - I'm pretty sure I watched it with my Mom as a teenager. So it's been ages. He's already chuckling at the opening. I'm pretty excited to see his reaction to the armadillo cake! But we'll see how we both do. 🥺

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Me: *hears the TV loading up something* Oooh, what'd you pick to watch? J: *cheerily* Steel Magnolias! Me: Wait, really?! 😆 Okay, I'm in! He has never seen it, but knows that Dolly Parton is in it, and it's on all the Movies-you-should-see-at-some-point lists.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Please keep me posted if you go adventuring for one!

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

That's so cute!! I think they should be everywhere-ish, but US only right now, at least according to what I've seen on reddit. 🤷🏼 I think there's also a way to just buy the toy without the meal, but I have no idea how. Maybe your bestie or someone with kids has that answer?

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I'm definitely on that team with you now! It was the perfect amount of food for "Oops I skipped lunch but also I need to still want dinner."

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Hahahahahahaa 😂 Keroppi was my favorite as a kid, and I have some strong feelings (good) about Ghidorah. *chirbling intensifies* Joyful, indeed! What in the world am I going to do with this? I guess I should go inside and get groceries now...?

A small plastic figurine of Keroppi and two siblings, I think, as the 3 heads of King Ghidorah.

They are sitting on the crumpled paper they came wrapped in, in my outstretched hand.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Okay, I fully admit that I squealed a little when I opened the box. 😅

The inside of the happy meal box, with a themed bag of apple slices and a tiny burger visible. Underneath the food and some napkins, the corner of the toy's box is peeking out. A gold colored wing and dragon tail is mostly obscured by the napkins, and the number 2 is printed in the corner.

Which means I got Keroppi as King Ghidorah - my top choice of the 3 I really wanted.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I am an adult, childfree person... But you know what? Things are pretty bleak, and this seemed like a joyful upgrade to a drink on my errands run. I think the last time I had a Happy Meal was easily over 30 years ago.

A Hello Kitty and Friends x Godzilla Happy Meal box, with the signature golden arches handle and Hello Kitty trying to look menacing in a Godzilla head, on the passenger seat of my car.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I hope that when It Happens, we'll all be too busy dancing with our neighbors* to be online...so maybe the app will be fine? (*Based on what my actual, rad, old New Yorker lady neighbor has told me. She is kind of a shut-in, but she has informed me that she will be OUTSIDE with 🍾, and dancing.)

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I can never really figure out what my other picks would be, but Tampopo is always my top pick. It's nice to see it getting love from someone else!! 🍝🥚🍜

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Ahhh. There's some erythritol in there. That explains it!

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

So now the leftover taste in my mouth is less lemonade, and more potato rolled in artificial sweetener. Which makes me want to go brush my teeth/rinse the flavor out. TMI, probably, but now you know. Maybe it's not as noticable if you eat something else after?

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Okay, now that it's been a while after eating them...🤔 The lemon is pretty strong and zingy, and the aftertaste lingers a bit, which is fine and even kind of pleasant, and it does fade after a bit. The sweetener is also strong, but the aftertaste hangs around for a lot longer.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

They are interesting enough that I was only eating one at a time, and tasty enough that I kept reaching in for a few more. But not the same kind of tasty that would result in eating the whole bag in one sitting. Which is probably a good thing. 🤷🏼

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

They are definitely weird. But also, pretty good! Kind of like honey butter chips, but instead of butter, there's lemon. I tend to like sweet and savory together, though, so I might not be a very reliable judge here.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Apparently I have a whole bunch of Sheetz points that I need to use before they expire. And I *do* love a weird LTO... So here we go! (Also...$2.69?? For 2.6 ounces? Yeesh. All the more reason to use points and get them for free, I guess.)

A small bag of Utz Limited Edition Lemonade potato chips, which are a collab with Alex's Lemonade Stand.

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Hey girl heyyyyy! 👋🏼❤️

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Amanda @refinedladybug.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Happy Friday, bluesky friends! Are any of y'all out there in the tech world looking for a senior dev/software engineer? Preferably fully remote, but we are in Apex, so some local-to-the-Triangle in-office time would prob be okay...? Putting out some feelers for my other half. 👨🏼‍💻❤️

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