our monkeys, my circus: a dad's tale

Talking Big Brothers, Becoming a Better Athlete and LEGOs

Talking Birthdays, Beasties and the Tour of Mythicality

Talking James Earl Jones, Stranger Things and Rhett and Link

Talking Daniel LaRusso, T'Challa and LeBron

Talking summer, little brothers and kindergarten debuts

We revisit the election results and talk about the importance of being a good person

Talking soccer retirement, rock climbing and homemade card games

Talking kung fu, little brothers and 3rd grade science

It's another Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, and on the latest episode, the nine-year-old and I talk about his latest birthday, the joys of having an infected big toe and what it's like to deal with an insane name-calling little brother.

Talking Super Bowl, Dennis Rodman and Ben Franklin

It's another Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, and on the latest episode, the eight-year-old and I review Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are spoilers, obviously, so if you haven't seen the movie, please skip this episode until you have. Or, alternatively, if you have no intentions of ever seeing the movie but enjoy hearing two goofballs mindlessly flapping their gums, listen away. Either way, we talk about the similarities between The Force Awakens and A New Hope, our favorite Star Wars droids (BB-8 v. R2-D2), the best Star Wars fighter pilot (Poe vs. Luke vs. Han), the mysteries that are Kylo Ren, Finn and Rey, the biggest shockers, and our theories about what will happen in future movies. Extra spoiler: I'm predicting that Lando Calrissian will open a beauty salon and the mustache-perm combo will again become an intergalactic sensation.

It's another Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, and on the latest episode, the eight-year-old and I talk about how all Christmas presents aren't created equally (see, for example), the awesome power of Uno ATTACK!, why randomly firing arrows -- even toy ones -- without some forethought is a terrible idea, the unintentional comedy of angry letters from little people and even a little NFL news. We even tease our next podcast, which will be about one thing: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS.

It's another Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, and on the latest episode, the eight-year-old and I talk about practical jokes (specifically, the one he played on me, taking full advantage of my OCD in the process), what you're really saying when you say "darn" (this only applies to eight-year-olds, not potty-mouthed adults like, say, me), and Halloween treats that don't include candy (I was as confused as you). We also discuss dinosaurs, why jacking up your pants is hilarious, and I review my report card (filled out by the eight-year-old, natch) before we play a new game: Three Questions.

It's another Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, and on the latest episode, the eight-year-old and I talk about the new Star Wars trailer (THERE ARE SPOILER ALERTS), life before kids, and an in-depth conversation about bodily functions (shocking development: eight-year-old boys love all fart-related topics). We also have a quick geography lesson, I get his thoughts on Landry Jones' Steelers' debut, and we end with an update on what he and his brother will be for Halloween.

On the latest Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, the eight-year-old and I start off by talking about things that scare us. (Related: the eight-year-old admits to being scared by Scrubbing Bubbles when he was younger. I got nothing.) We then talk to the four-year-old about things that "kinda creeps him out." This all leads to a predictable conversation about Halloween costumes (Ninajo-themed, naturally). We then talk a little NFL news -- Eli vs. Peyton (Eli wins out because, in the immortal words of the eight-year-old, "a kid in my class is named eli"), nicknames for Andy Dalton (Carrot Top Cannon prevails), and the Steelers' last-second win. Finally, the conversation turns to school bus barfing noises, stinky kids, selfie sticks, birthdays, woolly mammoths and humans with T-Rex arms.

On the latest Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, the eight-year-old and I talk geography (I found out we have listeners in Indonesia and England), and how how podcasts were a technological impossibility 15 years ago. That leads to a discussion about rotary phones and VCRs, and invariably, a "That must've been a terrible time to live" assessment from the eight-year-old. We also talk more NFL news -- Are the Rams moving to LA?! Can you believe the Dolphins fired their coach?! The Browns lost in heart-breaking fashion?! -- before returning to more important topics: the eight-year-old has started a Ninjas Are Cool Club and they're accepting members (related: good luck with that), we revisit the dangers of planning to scheme against neighborhood girls, and we end things with a pop-culture pop quiz where Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber get name-checks.

On the latest Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, I'm joined by the eight-year-old to talk about the devastating news that Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a knee injury and will miss 4-6 weeks of action. (Related: the eight-year-old doesn't know Ben Roethlisberger from Ben Franklin -- Ben Kenobi is another story, however.) We also get into how weird it is that a grown man (me) can get so invested in a glorified game of dress-up (football) that it ruins his week. These emotional roller coasters don't exist in the world of Ninjago. Maybe there's something to be said about that.

On the very first Our Monkeys, My Circus Podcast, Ryan and the eight-year-old talk Ninjago, Star Wars and the NFL.