The Monkus and Watson Report

Gus Cruises

2010-07-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Matching Christmas Suit Blues

2010-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

2009-12-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

Narration by Daddy. Lighting by Owen. Cameo by Watson. Vocal Cameo by Mommy.

This train set (Tomy Thomas the Train set) cost $10 at a local yard sale. What a steal! It runs really well, and with a little gear and track cleaning, I think it will smoothly.

August at Three Months

2009-11-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

August makes his Monkus and Watson Report debut.

A Civics Lesson

2009-10-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Thank You Brian

2009-09-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Owen the Musician

2009-09-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Thank You, Ruth

2009-07-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

A Typical Two Minutes

2009-06-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Thank You, Kris

2009-05-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kris and Uncle Danny got Owen his very own gardening kit.

Owen Feeds A Giraffe part 1

2009-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Owen Feeds A Giraffe

2009-03-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Los Alamos Stables: Chickens, Geese, Pheasants

2009-02-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

A few seconds after I stopped filming, Owen stuck his finger in the cage and had it pecked by a rooster. His reaction was kind of comical; I wish I had caught it on film.

Los Alamos Stables: Owen Feeds Goats

2009-02-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Owen has learned that these goats like the dried alfalfa from the side of the road opposite their pen.

Los Alamos Stables: Hi, Horse

2009-02-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Owen says Hi to a horse. You have to wonder what the two of them are thinking.

Los Alamos Stables: The Angry Goat

2009-02-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

This goat was friendly for all of our previous visits. Owen gets a little surprise here.

Uncle T's Monster Truck

2009-02-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Uncle T's monster truck was one of the big hits with Owen at Christmas this year.

Mr. Crankypants

2008-12-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Mr. Crankypants was having a bad day.

Owen the Excavator

2008-11-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Let's Go Phils!

2008-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Phillies will play in the World Series against either the Tampa Bay Rays (Yay!) or the Boston Red Sox (Boo!)

9 on the 9th: Baseball's Lovable Losers

2008-10-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

As a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, I know all about "maybe next year." As a mathematician, I know all about "statistically improbable," too. The following nine teams have long, dark (sometimes improbable) histories, but they also have great fans that stand by their teams.

1. Chicago Cubs - last won the world series in 1908. They last played in the World Series in 1945. They have had many good teams since then, but a lot of bad luck as well.

2. Cleveland Indians - last won the world series in 1948. One of the greatest sports movies of all time, Major League, played on this team's history of futility.

3. San Francisco Giants - last won the world series in 1954. They were the New York Giants back then. San Franciso is one of the few Major League baseball cities that have never had a world series championship.

4. Texas Rangers - have never even played in the world series. Their franchise began in 1961 as the Washington (D.C.) Senators. They have only reached the playoffs three times (1996, 98 and 99). Each time they were eliminated in the division series (first round) by the New York Yankees.

5. Houston Astros - have never won the world series. Their franchise began in 1962. For a very short time, they were known as the Houston Colt .45s. They had a great team in 2005 that charged into the World Series, only to run out of steam against the Chicago White Sox.

6. Milwaukee Brewers - have never won the world series. Their franchise began in 1969, the first two years as the Seattle Pilots. This year, they reached the playoffs for the first time since 1982, when they lost the world series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite their relative success this season, the future does not look bright - they will probably lose their two best pitchers to free agency during the offseason.

7. San Diego Padres - have never won the world series. Their franchise began in 1969. Except for two trips to the world series, they have had a fairly lackluster history.

8. Washington Nationals - have never even played in the world series. Their franchise began in 1969 as the Montreal Expos. In 2005, they changed their name and moved to D.C. I consider them especially cursed: their two best seasons (1981 and 1994) were derailed by labor conflicts between the players and owners.

9. Seattle Mariners - have never even played in the world series. Their franchise began in 1977. Despite having the best regular season record (116-46 in 2001) in modern baseball history, they have been consistent chokers in the postseason.

I cooked up this list as part of Mrs. N's 9-on-the-9th project. Check it out!

Cleo - R.I.P.

2008-09-29T19:18:00.001-07:00

We went on vacation about a month ago. Cleo went missing while we were gone. We think the coyotes got her. She was a good cat - an excellent mothcatcher, a terrific cuddlebug, and surprisingly tolerant of our energetic toddler. Monkus and Watson will miss her acerbic wit.

Owen Runs Toward the Pond

2008-09-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Miriam and Owen on Slide

2008-09-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

The kids are having fun, but I have no idea what the dads are talking about.

Owen Borrows Miriam's (Not Owen's) Toy

2008-09-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Owen plays with Miriam's (not Owen's) fun green clicking toy.

Harvesting Rainwater

2008-08-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Bouncing the Ball against the Roof

2008-07-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Another one of our favorite new activities...

Owen's Favorite New Toy

2008-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Owen in Pool

2008-07-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Owen and Dad in Dirt

2008-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Go Penguins.

2008-06-01T08:07:00.001-07:00

Owen wears the Penguins outfit that his Grandma Peggy gave him; this should make his Uncle T proud.

We will ignore the fact that the Penguins eliminated the Flyers from the playoffs...

Some More Giggles

2008-05-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Owen

2008-05-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Owen Opens Presents...sort of

2008-05-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Owen Swims

2008-04-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

While I was at the APS conference in St. Louis, Owen was enjoying southern Arizona with his Mom, Grandma and his great-Aunts and great-Uncle. He is his parent's child: he loves swimming.

Owen Walks

2008-04-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Owen Climbs Stairs

2008-03-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Owen does NOT almost fall down the stairs... that is just a trick of the lighting. And besides, his Dad was there the whole time to catch him.

Owen Babbles

2008-03-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

A Watson Bath

2008-03-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Dad "juggles" for Owen

2008-03-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Owen Pushes His Cart

2008-02-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

More Giggles

2008-02-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

One of the best videos we have gotten of Owen - enjoy!

The Man-Cub and the Dog Part Deux

2008-01-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

The light in this video is better, but the Man-Cub is running out of steam...

The Man-Cub and the Dog

2008-01-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

We watched the Jungle Book recently, so Owen has been called "the Man-Cub" lately. The light in this video isn't that great, but his giggles are hilarious.

Eight Months Old!

2008-01-20T13:35:00.001-08:00

Owen turned eight months old on Friday. There have been a few requests for more videos, so I uploaded four more videos below. Enjoy!

Owen, Monkus and Watson

2008-01-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

Owen Monkeys around

2008-01-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Dad feeds Owen

2008-01-20T09:29:00.001-08:00

Stairs confuse Owen; Cleo quietly judges

2008-01-19T20:09:00.000-08:00

Owen Crawls

2008-01-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Owen began crawling (forward) on New Year's Eve.

Xmas 2007: Uncle T's gift...

2007-12-26T07:34:00.000-08:00

...and Uncle Owen's...

2007-12-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

...and Grandma Sue's.

2007-12-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

Before you walk...

2007-12-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

Owen's Adventure in Solids

2007-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Owen is Six Months Old!

2007-11-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

Bumblebee Owen - Happy Halloween!

2007-11-04T06:32:00.001-08:00

Owen makes a new friend

2007-11-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Apologies, I haven't figured out how to rotate the video here... but's it's good. Enjoy!

Owen Sits and Shouts

2007-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Owen at 5 months!

2007-10-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Owen's Phirst Phillies Game....

2007-10-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

...was the last Phillies game of 2007. They got swept by the Rockies in the NLDS. We were sad to see the Phillies season end, but it was exciting to see the Rockies fans celebrate. That place went nuts!

We ordered our tickets before we even knew the Rockies would be in the playoffs. During their one game playoff with the Padres, I ordered the best available seats at that time. When we went to the game, we found the upper deck, and started walking back to our seats... last row! Here is the view from those seats:

The upperdeck was too windy and didn't give a very good view of the game. There are some seats just beyond centerfield called the Rockpile - we migrated to some "standing seats" near there that gave us a better view of the action. Here's a photo from behind the Rockpile:

Owen and his dad at the game:

How we felt after the game:

...and finally, Coors Field hires a few photographers to wander through the stands and take pictures of fans. Here's our picture at the Rockies website:
The Official Coors Field Photo

Owen Video

2007-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

My snazzy new camera (given to me by the Wife for successfully defending my PhD thesis) does video. Here's our first good video of Owenito laughing while I mess with his hands. Enjoy!

14 lbs and 4 months!

2007-09-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Owen weighed 14 lbs, 1 oz on his 4 month birthday, which means he more than doubled his birthweight of 6 lbs, 6 oz. We believe that puts him in the "growing like a weed" category...

Owen is Three Months Old!

2007-08-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Locks of Love

2007-08-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

The wife donated almost a foot of her hair to Locks of Love!

Owen is two months old!

2007-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Owen is One Month Old!

2007-06-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Owen Jackson

2007-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Owen Jackson was born at 8:50 pm on Friday May 18. He was 6 lbs, 6 oz and 19 inches long. His first week was a little rough, but he's doing fine. Monkus, Watson and Cleo are very happy he's home. I will be posting lots of photos of him at the flickr website - see link on the right.

Watson After a Long Week

2007-06-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

Watson hasn't been getting his usual amount of attention the past two weeks....

One Month to Go!

2007-05-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

Catch of the Day: Skink

2007-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last summer, Monkus cornered a snake in our backyard. Today I came home from walking Watson to find Monkus with a dead skink dangling from his mouth. This behaviour is not out of bounds for a run-of-the-mill domestic cat, but Monkus is blind! Here's a picture of the hunter with his kill:

Two Months to Go!

2007-03-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Editor's Retro-Cool Birthday Cake!

2007-03-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

The Wife made me this awesome chocalate cake with vanilla frosting for my birthday a few weeks ago... it was delicious.

BTW, we have two months to go on the pregnancy (May 27th is the due date). Some photos will follow shortly....

Three pictures of the Wife with child

2007-02-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

These are the official end of the second trimester pictures:

Watson being pathetic

2007-02-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

Watson is a master at rutsching...

The Editor and Wife's Baby

2007-02-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

Monkus and Watson (and Cleo, too!) have a sibling on the way... Here's an image from our recent sonogram.

Our Namesakes Playing in New Mexican Snow

2006-12-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

Watson (l) and Monkus (r - look closely!) playing in the first major snowstorm in New Mexico, November 2006.

Welcome

2006-11-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

Monkus and Watson would like to welcome you to their blog. They didn't wish to name the blog after themselves, but their preferred title was taken. We'll start talking content later. The Editor is a little slow.