iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 12h

We went for a drive over the weekend. Younger Kid kept chirping "sheck-away" "sheck-away." Older Kid, by looking where Younger Kid was pointing whenever he said that, figured out that he was trying to say "Jack-o'-Lantern." A really great new word for October, little guy!

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🌟History trivia!🌟 Combining Minneapolis and St. Paul into one city seemed like a probable outcome in the 19th century. Back then, Minneapolis was in better shape than St. Paul, and one commentator suggested naming the combined city "Minnehaha": "Minne" for Minneapolis, and "haha" for St. Paul.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My friends and I hung out at public parks. Or took walks together. On hot days, we went to the air-conditioned library and chatted or read books in the group study area. Occasionally we got ice cream. Or went bowling. None of us spent a bunch of money. We didn't have a bunch of money.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My kids made up a new game called "Matcha": -Older Kid wears a blanket like a cape -Older Kid begins to slowly march around the room -Younger Kid follows -They chant "MATCHA MATCHA MATCHA" I asked them where they got the idea for the Matcha game. Older Kid said, "From green tea."

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I've been served coffee at job interviews.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

But I love this painting because of how bored the guy sitting next to Hennepin looks, like, bro are you done yet?

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In high school I volunteered for Kerry presidential campaign and one of my classmates volunteered for the Bush campaign. I hated Kerry and she hated Bush, and we bonded over that. I don't remember why we were even volunteering for them. Maybe so that we could mention it in college applications? 🤷

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Reminder that this is coming up next week! I'm excited about it. Don't forget to register if you plan to come!

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yesterday my kid's fever was too high for him to go to school, and he cried from disappointment for an hour and a half. It took cartoons, snuggles from me, and Reese's Puffs + Lucky Charms for lunch to finally cheer him up. He was squeaking with joy this morning because he could go back to school.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yes, definitely. I've cut multiple people out of my life because of their recreational tantrums. Some of them were family members. I did not care. Life is too short to spend it around anyone for whom rage is a hobby.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I guess recess at my kids' school is for a half-hour because when we take our kids to the playground on the weekends, Younger Kid will announce after 30 minutes "RECESS ALL DONE" and want to go home. He does not have a watch. His sense of timing must be incredible.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It's really cool how one of my neighbors parks their car on the curb and it has a defective alarm that goes off when another car drives by.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I was going to join this meeting, but our plans were derailed when an injured animal came into our yard and we had to take it to the Wildlife Rehab Center. :( If someone who attended could fill me in, I'd really appreciate it!

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Yesterday on the walk home from school, Younger Kid chirruped happily, "Had a good day, had a good day, had a good day..."

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Like, I am sure, many Minneapolis parents today, I'm crying through lunch over the imminent loss of my children's school. They are so happy there. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to them.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Such a good feeling to stop at a Little Free Library and see that someone has taken the book that you left there last time. Hope you're enjoying it, neighbor!

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

My first event for my latest book, HAUNTED MINNEAPOLIS, is coming up in two weeks! October 1 at 7:00 p.m. I will, as always, bring chocolate. Registration is required, but it is free! The whole event is free. Free ghost stories AND chocolate! 🆓 👻🍫 www.magersandquinn.com/event/Ron-de...

magersandquinn.com

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Did you know that at Hennepin County Library they bring in therapy animals so that children can practice reading out loud to a guaranteed non-judgmental listener? Yesterday my kid read Supergirl to a golden retriever named Rosie. Very positive experience, highly recommend.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

My kids play a game called "Dif." They've been doing it for weeks. This morning I watched them play it for about 5 minutes straight. This is Dif: Step 1. Younger Kid screams "Dif!" Step 2. Older Kid screams "Dif!" while smacking Younger Kid. Step 3. Younger Kid giggles. Step 4. Repeat 1-3. Whyyy?

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

What a beautiful day. Perfect day for a walk. I discovered a new (to me) playground not far from my house. This means that the count of playgrounds for my kids within walking distance is up to 5. I'm sure there are others that I haven't found yet.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland. I genuinely mourn the loss. Especially this one dessert: a container made of chocolate, filled with fruit and cake and mousse.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Yeah, it was a good day at school, and he was just as eager today for more. I passionately hated school at his age. I am so, so happy for my kids that they get to go to Minneapolis Public School.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Younger Kid was so excited about the first day of school that last night he stayed awake until almost midnight, and he was up this morning, chirping happily by 7:00. I hope today is everything he hoped it would be.

static.klipy.com

Nemo's First Day of School Meme

Alt: Cartoon clownfish swims toward the camera. He looks very happy with a smile and wide-open eyes. Text reads, "First day of school! Fist [maybe a misspelling?] day of school!"

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

My kid was practically gagging while eating a new food yesterday. Cream of Wheat. This surprised me, b/c Kid loves all kinds of flavors & cuisines. "It's bland," said Kid. "Ick." My husband added cranberries, and so Kid ate it happily. Reminded me of this sketch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-uE...

youtube.com

Going for an English | Goodness Gracious Me | BBC Comedy Greats

YouTube video by BBC Comedy Greats

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I have watched a lot of episodes of Rosie's Rules, but none of them so far address the burning question, "Can you mail a cat to your abuela's house in Mexico?"

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Younger Kid was very very upset that he can't have any of his cousin's birthday cake. Cousin is in Bangkok. We are in Minneapolis.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Real things my kid said during a haircut this morning: "Don't get snippy with me." "I like big cuts and I cannot lie."

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This morning, after the rain, we went out on a swan pedal boat on Lake Nokomis. It was perfect weather for it: not too hot, but warm enough that the breeze was pleasant. It was my kids' first time on a boat!

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Both of my kids made up songs today. Older Kid's song was about a spider being slowly dismembered. Younger Kid's song was to the tune of BINGO but all the lyrics were "door"

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

A few weeks ago, I went to urgent care with ear pain so bad that I couldn't swallow. The doctor looked into my ear with the otoscope, said "You definitely have an infection," and gave me a prescription for antibiotics. We got the bill today: $400. I have insurance. This is bonkers.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

A few days ago, out on a walk, I noticed a man behaving erratically. Yelling, agitated, etc. Whatever, I minded my own business. I saw a cute Little Free Library, so I took out my phone to take a picture. The guy flipped out, thought I was calling the cops. "I don't have any drugs!" He shouted.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Younger Kid was fussy and couldn't settle down at bedtime so I put on Alice's Restaurant Massacree and we both fell asleep.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

My son is adapting the lyrics of songs to suit his own interests, which is great, but he's stuck right now, because he's on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Cookie," and he can't think of any rhymes. 🍪

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Assuming it suddenly became legal to practice law without a license, I would be so bad at my sister's job that it would be made illegal again.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

This was my favorite book when I was 8 years old. I read it many times around that age. Then I tried to re-read it again as a teenager, and I felt that I had grown out of it. Still a good book, but definitely for CHILDREN.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Is it Joe's Deli? Their Reubens, while delicious, were enough food for four meals for me back when I was an athletic teenager. The idea of "wolfing down" one of those is absolutely nauseating.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

five living writers that you've read five books by each Anne Rollins K.D. Richards Salman Rushdie R. L. Stine Katherine Applegate

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I get bored reading AI-generated five-sentence-long Reddit comments, there's no way I would sit through a feature-length AI film.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Our family income is less than half this much and we are middle class Minneapolitans. I wouldn't say no if I were offered 289k a year, but I also don't quite know what I would do with it.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Yeah, you got me. Being a responsible adult who refrigerates non-perishable food items makes me a serial killer. It's definitely not that I abhor food waste, and also don't want to get myself or my family sick. I'm just a serial killer.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I just finished reviewing the page proofs for my book. It's not terrible! In fact, it's good! I don't hate it! This is a rare feeling for me.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I just watched my son use his foot to scratch his ear. He did this while standing up, too.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Oh wow, and it wasn't even an accident. They give Dr. Cleves a tiny acknowledgement in the notes. I would be so mad if I were her.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Conversation with my son yesterday: Me: How is summer school going? Kid: ... Me: Well, what did you do in class today? Kid: ... Me: Did you draw? Kid: ... Me: What color did you use? Kid: Red. I guess I just had to ask the right question.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

From the article: "Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer." I haven't seen the data, but instinct would lead me to invert that cause & effect: If you're a cheerful, healthy person, isn't it easier to maintain friendships? Being sick is exhausting and isolating.

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Ron de Beaulieu @rondebeaulieu.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I read Wuthering Heights for the first time this year. I liked it. Will I like the movie?

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