what's up w/ marty?

End Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:03:00 +0000

Though it kills me to do it, I will be decommissioning this site.

As you can see from my post history (the last post being 6 month ago), adding posts has become a lesser priority in my life, and for good reason. This blog has fallen by hard times ever since the arrival of Leah and now seems utterly impossible to add to with Sonya. I will miss the forum for sharing details of our life, but there are other mediums to accomplish this. The thing I will miss the most is the process of creative writing.

To provide an alternative, I suggest you 'befriend' me on Facebook (ask your grandkids if you don't know what Facebook is) to get the updates on my life and help us stay connected. As well, I do try to regularly add photos on picasa (http://picasaweb.google.com/martyneu).

End Blog

Seattle Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Toast to the Groom

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:02:00 +0000

I am a longtime friend of Jeff’s and am honoured to stand with him today as his best man. As part of our agreement, one of the conditions that has me standing here in a rented tuxedo is that I get to toast the groom, an honour that Jeff did for me at my wedding.

My friendship with Jeff goes back over a quarter of a century. Our parents are good friends and we often visited the Banows and shared summer camping trips with them. While I’d known Jeff through these visits, it was through Boy Scouts that our friendship was forged. I know for a fact that no other person in this room has spent as many nights in a tent with Jeff as I have. He was always on the left side of the tent, I was always on the right and some sucker was in the middle where the tent leaked. I think some of those suckers might even be in the room with us tonight.

The next chapter of our relationship was written right here in Saskatoon. Being older than Jeff, I left him in Esterhazy to attend the University of Saskatchewan, but convinced him to follow me here by suggesting we become roommates. The following year, he and I lived together in a residence room on campus. Once again, he was on the left, I was on the right, and several nights included another sucker on the hideabed couch in the middle. And I know that some of those suckers are in the room tonight.

During our University years, Jeff and I shared a passion for football and our beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders that is still very central to our friendship. In those years, it wasn’t cool to be a Roughrider fan like it is now, but we kept the faith through some pretty lean years. His love of football illustrates a few traits that I admire in him. He is a traditionalist, a purist even, and he is unfailingly loyal, as a football fan and as a friend.

When I completed my studies, I left the city and the province to pursue a career and our friendship continued without skipping a beat. Even though I live 9 hours away, we still see each other at least twice a year, always centered around a football game. One of these visits is always Grey Cup weekend. Beginning in 2003, Jeff and I have travelled to each Grey Cup since then and have plans to continue this indefinitely, despite what the wives may say.

I have a story to share with you all about Jeff. This past November, he and I travelled with a few other friends to the Grey Cup in Montreal. On the Friday afternoon, he and I went for a walk downtown and he took me by the Grey Cup merchandise store to show me the sweater that he had picked out as a gift for Vanessa. For whatever reason though, he didn’t buy it then. The next day, we went back to the same store to make the purchase, but the sweater was sold out. With his mind set on getting his fiancé this specific sweater as a gift, we checked out as many of the merchandise stands as we could looking for the same sweater, but we could not find it. By Saturday night, he was starting to sweat. It turns out that he had made a promise that he would bring a gift home with him. Jeff takes gift giving very seriously and he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to deliver. He tried to play it down as no big deal, but I know him better than that and it was eating him that he did not have a gift.

On Grey Cup Sunday, Jeff and I did what we always do, relax after a late Saturday night by going out for a nice meal and then just killing time by walking around downtown Montreal. Our walk lead us to a fashionable department store in Montreal’s shopping district. We walked in and a light bulb went off in Jeff’s head; He would buy Vanessa a nice sweater from this department store as a gift.

Now, I’ve been married long enough to know that purchasing clothes for women is not a good idea. While his initial idea of a Grey Cup sweater might have worked, he had now waded in way over his head. I should have talked him out of this idea, but Jeff can be stubborn and I don’t think there was any changing his mind at this point. Besides, I was very curious to see how this would play out.

So, for over an hour, he was sifting through the racks trying desperately to find something to suit Vanessa’s style. He was asking my opinion, but what do I know about women’s fashions. He was asking other female shoppers in the store for their opinion. He even found a mannequin with hair that matched Vanessa’s to hold the sweaters up against.

After all of this, he finally decided on the sweater he was going to buy for her. However, this lead him into his next conundrum, what size to get her. Now, he was definitely in trouble. Not wanting to give up after all of this effort, he finally gave Vanessa a call from the store to confirm the sizing. With his purchase in hand, and a weight lifted from his shoulders we resumed our day.

I told this story for 2 reasons, the first reason is to show Vanessa Jeff’s thoughtfulness and to give her the full story on the sweater from Montreal. The second reason is that the story doesn’t finish there. The following morning, Jeff had a very early flight but I still had another day in Montreal before my flight home. We said our goodbyes and off to the airport he went. With a day to myself in Montreal, I went for a walk that lead me back to the shopping district. Thinking of Jeff’s struggles to find a suitable gift, I thought of my own bride who was at home with a 6 month old teething baby while I was enjoying Montreal with the guys. Inspired by Jeff, I found a gift, face cream, not clothing to take home with me.
This is the second reason for the story, to show the rest of the room what it is like to be Jeff’s friend. Whether it is through encouragement or good old-fashioned guilt or shame, he forces us into being better people by being his friend.

With that, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like for you all to stand up, raise a glass and drink a toast to a good man, a good friend and to wish him good fortune in being a good husband.

To the groom.

Hadramout

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:18:00 +0000

This passed on by a former co-worker in Yemen. It is a pretty polished video of the area where I used to work. Quite an amazing place.

Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:38:00 +0000

We had our first family vacatioin in a long while last week. Wife says that vacation is for doing all the things that you like. I kept a list of the things I like that I got to experience on the trip"

-Eggs Benedict
-Travelling new roads and seeing new country
-Boat ride (on the Kootenay Ferry...and it was free)
-Beer sasusage
-CBC Radio
-Orange Juice with pulp
-Crossing the border
-Spending time with wife and baby girl
-Kayaking
-Afternoon Naps
-Cinnamon Buns
-Reading (finished a book)
-Camping
-Americano coffees
-Farmer sausage
-Peanut Butter Smores
-Big Lakes
-Covering somme ground (1,300 Kms in total)
-Not thinking about work

Joel Plaskett

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Big year for concerts for me. Despite missing out on Leonard Cohen tickets (stupid Ticketmaster), I saw Great Lake Swimmers in March and now Joel Plaskett on Thursday night in Calgary. Very entertaining. Both shows were in Churches, one Presbyterian and the other United. I've come to realize that concerts in churches are one of life's real pleasures.

For your listening pleasure, here is a link to an entire concert from his current tour.

One Year

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:41:00 +0000

It was a a year ago to the day that I left Yemen for the last time. I think of it often and miss my friends there a great deal. That said, it sure is nice to come home to my family each night.

Great Lake Swimmers

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:20:00 +0000

I finally got to see Great Lake Swimmers, one of my favourite bands, on Thursday night in Calgary. They did not disappoint. The venue, a presbyterian church with great accoustics, only added to the experience. A memorable evening for me.

To get an idea of the type of music they perform, check out these.

There Is A Light - Great Lake Swimmers
Moving Pictures Silent Films - Great Lake Swimmers
Where in the World are you - Great Lake Swimmers

Mountain Home

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Just to give some context of the surroundings around our home, I snapped pictures out my windows on a cold February Morning.

Looking out the porch window to the NW, you can see the local icon, Crowsnest Mountain, mired in blowing snow.

Looking straight East out the living room window, the sun comes up in the pass.

Looking out the bathroom window to the SW, you can see the Pass Powderkeg ski hill.

Looking straight North out the kitchen window is Bluff Mountain, where the mountain goats hang out.

Looking SE out the TV room window is the backside of Turtle Mountain.

25 Random Things About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:43:00 +0000

There is a goofy chain-letter type exercise going around Facebook where you state 25 random things about yourself to tempt others to do the same. I'll share mine with you. If you are inclined, feel free to add yours in the comments.

1) I don't believe in fate, but have a hard time explaining how I got to where I am without the idea of fate.

2) I wish I lived closer to family, but can't really imagine living anywhere else.

3) I learned the value of a dollar and the satisfaction of a hard day's work from my Grandfather.

4) I'm impressed with how well my wife has taken to motherhood.

5) My pet peeve is people's misuse of the comma.

6) I love documentary movies. Not Michael Moore films, but REAL documentaries.

7) I was told by an optical technician a few years back that I have the largest eyeballs she'd ever seen.

8) I have a hard time throwing t-shirts out. It is
always a trip to see a t-shirt from my current wardrobe show up in a 10 year old picture.

9) I am skeptical of all advertising.

10) I'm glad we waited until our thirties to start a family.

11) I hate talking on the phone. I hate getting my haircut even more.

12) I've never used deoderant. Call me uncivilized, but I just don't sweat enough.

13) I feel fortunate to have witnessed the technological advancements of the past 20 years.

14) My nickname as a kid (given by my sisters, I think) was Butch. My brother's was Boober. I'm glad I got Butch.

15) I can't understand people who live beyond their means.

16) I'm introverted and shy away from the spotlight.

17) I'm an illegal downloader...not sure how to explain that one when Leah asks.

18) I'm tragically cheap which I learned from my wife. It has its pros and cons.

19) I'm a bath person.

20) I've spent almost 3 years of my life outside Canada. Enough time to realize that I am really lucky to be Canadian.

21) I'm going bald. I've accepted it. My wife hasn't.

22) I really enjoyed my time in University and sometimes wish I could relive those years.

23) I've known my wife since we were 8 years old. We met over wonton soup.

24) I read only non-fiction.

25) I really like being the Dad.

2008 Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:20:00 +0000

Looking back on the year that was 2008, it was impossibly complex and unbelievably satisfying. In a matter of months, I was unexpectedly assimilated back into a "normal" lifestyle, and really couldn't be happier about it. To document the year that was, I've created another year end video collage of the highlights of our year.

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Winter hits the Crowsnest Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:16:00 +0000

After a mild winter thus far, we're socked in right now. Storm fronts from the North and South hit at the same time, bringing cold weather and lots of snow. Good news for the ski hill (in the background, behind our house)

Soother Battle

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Funny kid.

One of my Favourite Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Man, I miss that rockin' beard. Can't have one now because of working at a sour gas plant. My inner hippy is feeling very repressed.

Coupe Grey 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:52:00 +0000

After a long two years, I finally made my way back to Grey Cup weekend this year. If you recall, last year I made plans well in advance to forgo Grey Cup Weekend in Toronto in order to have Christmas off, which I hadn't spent in Canada for 5 years. Unfortunately, the Riders made their epic run and won the cup, all while I was stuck in the desert. That's life.

Shortly after accepting my new job back in Canada, I booked a flight to Montreal and have been waiting patiently since. Finally on Thursday, I drove to Lethbridge, hopped a 3-leg overnight flight to Montreal and arrived surprisingly awake on Friday morning.

The details of the weekend are a little fuzzy, so hopefully the pictures can help tell the story. A few of the regulars were abscent, but all the schenanigans were still present as we added a few rookies to the mix and had a blast. All in all, a great weekend, even though the game ended up being a bit of a dud. Grey Cup weekend is the mother of Canadian parties and it did not disappoint We've already got our hotel booked for downtown Calgary for next year's festivities.

Famous Montreal smoked meet from the iconic Schwartz's, well worth the wait and the walk. Food is always a highlight and Montreal did not disappoint. Between the poutine and smoked meat (and late, late night baklava), we were well fed. At one point, I ate 4 poutines within 24 hrs.

The big O, site of the game. Final attendance was over 66,000.

Throng of people on the way in.

Opening kickoff. Decent seats, except for the kids with the bloody airhorns in the row behind us and one very confused Rider fan next to me.

Halftime.

Presentation of the Grey Cup to the damned Stumps.

Lovely, but cold, downtown Montreal.

The Bell Centre, home of the Habs.

Championship banners.

Pregame.

Opening faceoff. I'm not a big hockey guy, but the energy in this rink was great. Canadiens lost in a shootout after a bit of late game stupidity when they scored on themselves.

Post Game snow flurries.

Fall Colours

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:04:00 +0000

I forgot to post earlier. Just some amazing fall scenery between Alberta, British Columbia and Montana.

Storm Battered Yemen

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:08:00 +0000

Please have a look at this link to get a sense of what my friends in Yemen are going through. A lot of these photos are within striking distance of the location I used to work at. To it's credit, the company I used to work for, Nexen, has pledged $1 Million to the disaster relief efforts. Unfortunately, I am not sure how far it will go given the scale of the destruction.

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:35:00 +0000

Whose kid

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:47:00 +0000

A look back into the archives revealed an interesting comparison. First picture is me circa 1977. Second is Leah. Both pictures are taken in the same room in the same house.

An Eventful Weekend...for a change

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Things have been busy so the blog has been ignored. In fact, I've been working on this simple post for almost a week now. Life just gets in the way.

Since I last checked in, we took possession of our new house in Blairmore. Prior to moving, we spent significant time painting the 3 bedrooms which came out great. The actual move was done by professionals (covered by my employer) which took a real burden off. Unpacking has been going fine, but I am sure we will still be dealing with unpacking boxes to the end of the year.

For the first time in a month and a half, we actually did something on the weekend. I took last Friday off and we took a trip to Waterton. We started out heading through Pincher Creek and then on to Twin Butte for lunch. Twin Butte is comprised of about 4 houses, but they have a Mexican restaurant which is quite good, even if it is a bit out of place. In Waterton, we headed up to Cameron Lake and I took the kayak for a paddle. I ended up going to the end of the lake, which is actually in the United States. Have a look at the attached map. After spending the afternoon walking around the townsite, I took Melissa to the plant where I work and then we followed the backroads home.

We continued the weekend of adventure by heading to Fernie on Saturday for the "Taste of Fernie" event. Another great day.

This week found us in Calgary for 3 nights as I had some work meetings. When I took the job, I was told that I should expect to have to come to Calgary about once a month. It has been a lot more for a number of reasons, but I can't really complain. Next week we are back for another 3 days and then in mid October, another 3 days again. Nice city to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Enjoy some of the pictures from our weekend.

Bubble Blower

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:27:00 +0000

Photos of the Fortnight 2.1

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:01:00 +0000

Looks like I'm a week late. I guess it is photos of the fortnight (and a half) this time.

A few days ago, I took the back road home. It takes about the same time, but it is really quite a spectacular route through the Castle wilderness area. So here it is, more great scenery from SW Alberta.

This second picture is taken from just outside the plant gates looking south. The last mountain on the left (the one that is kind of square looking) is Chief Mountain which sits in the United States (Montana).

Showtime

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:32:00 +0000

About a year and a half ago, I was in a leadership course where the instructor was talking about positivity. He said that whenever you are about to go into an interview/ presentation/ tough meeting/ etc, stop and visualize something that will literally make you laugh out loud. This does a few things. It helps to get rid of any tension, but it also helps prepare your body to portray confidence. I have used this method and it has worked for me.

As soon as he talked about this, I immediately thought about the funniest visual gag that I have seen. It comes from an episode of Extras, a British comedy produced by the BBC. Watch the video to the end as the gag comes right near the end. Brit wit is the best.

Homesick

noreply@blogger.com (Mart) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:41:00 +0000

I caught myself feeling a little nostalgic the last few days for my former life in Yemen. That's right, I am a little homesick for the only stable home I've had in the last few years.

It is nothing more than fond reminiscence though as I have no regrets about my decision.

Specifically, I miss:
-the work ethic of my Yemeni staff
-my beard
-Chicken cooked every way you could imagine
-Flying to work
-my cabin
-The euphoria of hitting the tarmac in Abu Dhabi after a 42 day shift (making it to Friday isn't the same)
-3pm tea with Neil Bennett (where are you, Neil?)
-speculating about when baklava might be on the dessert tray
-conversations with my Yemeni brothers
-watching Dubai being built from the ground up
-Airport lounges and 5 star hotels (although I've had my share of those in Calgary in the last 3 months)
-12 hour work days (I can't seem to get rolling at work here)
-alone time in my cabin
-unbelievable buffet breakfasts in Dubai hotels
-Air miles
-Saturday nights at the club
-the boys
-noon hour walks in the hot hot sun

That said, there are a couple of things that make it good to be home. Coming home every night to a smiling baby. Actually starting to feel like I am part of the community here. Spending a lot more time exploring the beautiful area that we live in. Getting excited to move to our new house (movers are booked for Aug 25). Being the big cheese at work. Enjoying a full summer, not just 4 weeks of it.

It's all good, just a little sadness about the chapter just closed.