We Make Things Work

*Before you read this post, know that we do not have any formal training in moving furniture. Surprised?*

For the past six months we have been storing a bed in a nearby storage facility. At the time it seemed like storing our bed would be the best idea ever! It was a cheap rate and we wouldn't have to worry about it.

But, as time went on we discovered it would be nice to have that $68/month stay in our hands.

Luckily, and I emphasize luckily, my father has a spare bedroom in his apartment and was more than willing to let us keep our bed there.

So, on Saturday we took the Hansen Pathfinder down there and got it out of storage.

We were pretty sure we could transport the large furniture items in/on such a small SUV.
Me trying to stuff this thing in the back! We found out that the "Taco" method works best.
Manda wanted to take a quick rest once we got it inside. Silly girl.
We positioned the box spring on top and relied heavily on rope, rope and more rope to keep that thing up there and the mattress in there.

We had the rope inside with us. We each had one job on the way down to Dad's. Mine was to drive no faster than 31 mph and Manda's was to hold those ropes as tight as her little hands could.

Having rope in your face is actually really nice.

Need something moved? We're available!

My Knight in Shining Armor

This past weekend, I went with Jeff and Kristin to the BYU v. TCU game.

(For that story, see here)

But the real story begins on the way home from Provo.

I was excited because I had just gotten out of the traffic jam that had held me captive for the previous 35 minutes. Sure, I had Coldplay to keep me company but even Chris Martin's voice couldn't soothe my lonely heart.

I was nearly there, nearly home to my warm house and my lovely wife.

Then, something happened. Something that hadn't occurred in the previous five years but this something was always in my mind as a possibility.

My car (Vivian) started acting weird. I thought to myself, "wow, this lane is super bumpy." As I merged to the right, I noticed the bumpiness wasn't going away but getting worse. "Oh no. I think my stupid tire is flat!"

I quickly made my way over to the shoulder, put the hazard lights on and exited the vehicle. I indeed had a flat tire.

I was on the freeway in between 90 s. and 72 s. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared. I had changed plenty of tires before but never on the freeway. At 9pm on a Saturday night, the cars were a-plenty and zooming by at unlawful speeds. I didn't have more than 3-4 feet to work.

Before attempting anything, I found a bottle of fix-a-flat in my trunk and thought I'd give it a try.

I didn't want to be next to the car, (the fear of death will do that to you) so I hid in front of it while I emptied the fix-a-flat solution into my tire.

All that happened was the foamy liquid sprayed all over the tire and the road and a little got on me. I was so frustrated with it, I took the bottle and through it at the dividing wall that lines the freeway.

If things weren't bad enough, I didn't have a tire iron and only had a jack in my possession. I didn't want to be on the noisy highway anymore, so I quietly rolled my car at about 5 mph til I could exit.

I sat there in the parking lot of a Maverick gas station, and realized that RedBox is a very popular thing b/c at 10pm there was a constant line of people renting movies.

THEN...my Manda rolled in. She must have felt that I was in desperate need of a hug and a tire iron. She was a sight to behold and her white car (Maxine) looked exactly like a white stallion swooping in to save the day! She had with her the tools I needed to changed the lousy tire.

She followed me all the way home as we drove the backstreets of the Salt Lake valley. My donut tire was a trooper but there was no way I would let it go more than 40.

Manda saved more than my car that night...she saved my life. Thanks for being there sweet pea.

The End.

I See Weird Things

So, this past weekend I was at the gym and I saw something going on that I had never seen before.

I don't ask to see weird things but people insist on making me view their weird habits.

I was on the treadmill, watching football, and enjoying a good sweat.

Then I notice a tall, middle-aged man about 25 feet in front of me kicking into the air.

He didn't just kick once, it was a continual thing for over twenty minutes. It was very distracting and I didn't know what was going on.

Once my run was completed I casually made my way over to the vicinity of the man; only to find him watching tae-bo on a mini dvd player. He had it positioned on a weight machine and while he was in his own world, kicked and punched away in front of everyone to see.

I guess good for him for exercising.

Add it to the list.

That's a good Idea

The following is my second-ever post, just explaining where we got the idea for our blog name.

*Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to quote movies and television shows pretty much all the time. How'd I come up with the name to my blog you ask? Check it out! Oh...and I definitely recommend The Office to anyone and everyone...*

Quote of the Day

My father-in-law, Steve, and I were watching football last night. The Indianapolis Colts were destroying the Tennessee Titans...

Steve: "Boy, the Titans don't look anything like their Super Bowl team!"

Matt: "You mean, when they were in the Super Bowl 10 years ago? in '99?"

Steve: "Well....yeah....I guess you're right."

A Humorous Conversation

A little history first...

I interviewed a girl yesterday that plays on Utah's soccer team. In the midst of our conversation, we started discussing the great television show, Lost. Then, out of nowhere she says that her dad "is an actor on lost." For those of you who have seen the show...it's Jack's dad, Christian Shepard. Anyway...I thought this was rather interesting. When I got to work this morning I shared this little nugget of info with my co-worker, Steve, because he also loves Lost.

The following is an actual conversation that was had via Instant Messenger today.

Stee the Queen says:
does it say boyfriend on facebook?
I need to take her out, it will be a highlight of my life
Matt says:
I'll look into it
I have no idea if she has a boyfriend
Stee the Queen says:
this is how memories are made
I bet not
she is too busy
Matt says:
perhaps
Stee the Queen says:
this is exciting
dont eff it up
Matt says:
I can't promise anything
Stee the Queen says:
promise to try your best
that is all I ask
Matt says:
if you marry her, then I expect you to pay the down payment on my house
Stee the Queen says:
I will strongly think about it
Matt says:
haha
I will try my best
Stee the Queen says:
she is super rich, I bet
I will have to impress her dad
and I will have more incentive to go to the gym
Matt says:
yep
and more incentive to learn soccer lingo
Stee the Queen says:
maybe he will pay for our honeymoon
I played soccer for 6 years!!!
I was left full back!
is she a forward?
must be
Matt says:
she is a forward
Stee the Queen says:
yeah
I can defend her
Matt says:
and she is second on the team in goals, as a freshman, she's pretty good
Stee the Queen says:
awesome
she could go pro
olympics
I'll be married to a gold medal winner!
Her dad will sail me to Maui on his boat and if I break my leg, her mom will mend me.
yeah!!!
she is my future
I love her
Matt says:
funny you mention that, b/c when I asked her about her career aspirations....
Stee the Queen says:
dont tell her that yet
Matt says:
she said she wants to focus on soccer and try and go pro
Stee the Queen says:
awesome!!!
Matt says:
perhpas live/play in europe
Stee the Queen says:
I would be a great athlete's husband!
We'll have a net worth of $40 million!
Matt says:
you'll have to move there!
Stee the Queen says:
yes yes yes!!!!!!
this is all good
sign me up
I will buy new clothes
and use expensive hair product
I will start tanning tomorrow
Matt says:
that all sounds like the right thing
Stee the Queen says:
good
thanks matt, you made my day
Matt says:
but she seems like the kind of girl that is really down to earth and laid back, so maybe nix the hair product
Stee the Queen says:
she will be flat chested for a while
then after her career, we will get implants
ok, nixed

I don't think Steve knows about my blog but if he does...Steve, this was too funny to leave to just me. You're a classic!

Then and Now

The following is an amateur video that we made for a video production class.

We wanted to compare/contrast how people dated in the 50's and how they act today.

Have 9 minutes? Of course you do!

Then vs Now from Jake Larsen on Vimeo.

A Workin' Fool

I recently accepted another couple of jobs to add to the couple I already have. You may be wondering, "why does this kid have four jobs?" Well, I think I need to continue learning and building a plethora of experience so one day, hopefully, someone will give me a real job.

This got me thinking...I've had a lot of jobs in my short 10 year career of working. I wanted to know if I've eclipsed the 25-job mark.

Those that don't enjoy reading blog posts and just log in to look at pictures. I apologize but this text-heavy. :)

Here's the list...

Washington Square Cinemas-My first job. Washington Square is the equivalent of a dollar theater. I left for the real deal in movies, Tigard Cinemas after a month.

Tigard Cinemas-I worked here the summer before senior year of high school and until we moved to Utah. I loved it! Free movies, Free popcorn, Free soda, What more could you want?

Hollywood Video-My first job when we got to Utah. This was quite an experience. Of course I flocked to a video store...I mean what else does a 17 year-old punk know? The entire staff of this Hollywood Video was corrupt and constantly stole and gave things away for free. I Left.

Blockbuster Video-I immediately got a job with Blockbuster. I worked here for a year and a half. I quit because I couldn't take anymore of my manager. I recognize this time in my life as the era that sprouted my movie knowledge.

Meier & Frank-This was a seasonal job at Cottonwood Mall. I worked there just for the holidays. They originally put me in the purse dept. I walked around and organized purses. Jealous? I complained and they moved me the woman's shoe dept. This was a little better but I almost went crazy dealing with the hostile demands of women spending money.

Papa Murphy's Pizza-I worked here for exactly 2 shifts. I was hired to assist the "Opening Manager." All we did was make dough, grate cheese and slice veggies. There was no actual pizza making (or eating) and I couldn't handle it, so I never went back! (This was before my tireless work ethic kicked in)

Blockbuster Video-After I left Papa's, I was jobless for about 6 months. I was bum that had 0 dollars, 0 life and I ate too much. I knew the manager of the Blockbuster on 45th south and Highland dr. and she gave me a job. I worked here up until I went on my mission and further developed my Kevin Bacon knowledge.

Little Caesars Pizza-This was a summer job that I worked in conjunction with Blockbuster for the Mish. It was a good time but I still can't believe the slackers that worked there. There was one girl who just walked around and ate and smoked every 30 minutes. This was before the "hot and ready" craze, when we actually took orders and what not. It was a difficult job and I was glad to leave when I did.

Shopko-This was the first job I got after I returned from Alabama. I was desperate and needed money in a bad way. I was hired to work the graveyard stock shift. The job is simply unloading a gigantic diesel full of items and then putting it on the shelf. The shift went from 10pm -6am. I think I almost died that night. Yes, it was only one night because I never went back. It was the worst!

Media Play-I was lucky to get this job shortly after leaving Shopko. Media Play was a lot of fun and I got to walk around and help people buy movies and cd's. It was great and I would have never left if it wasn't for my next opportunity.

Dynatronics-This was the job that changed Matt Sanchez forever. It took me in as a chubby boy and spit me out a responsible, hard-working man. I worked there for 2 1/2 years and still kind of wish I worked there. I started in the customer service dept. where I worked in a room with 9 women. Women who would rather gossip and eat then do ANYTHING. Seriously, I almost went crazy each and everyday I was in that dept. I thought about quitting on a constant basis. However, I learned to put blinders on and work hard. I earned a promotion to the Sales & Marketing dept. where I stayed for another year. It was great and I learned so much about business and industry. I left Dyna because I was working so much and needed to go to school full time. Dynaworld, I miss you.

The Olive Garden-One day I was driving around and I saw a banner on the Olive Garden outside of the Fashion Place mall location. It read, "HIRING!" I did a U-Turn and went in and applied. Getting this job was a big deal for me b/c I had never waited tables before and they didn't want to hire me. I convinced them that I would do a good job and they believed me. I had fun with it but it maddened me when I got stiffed on tips and I eventually left after about 4 months. You'll never believe how they make the bread sticks!

Discover Card-I heard about working at Discover Card through a friend. It seemed like an OK job and they paid decent so I gave it a shot. I WAS A BILL COLLECTOR. At first, I saw it as a game and loved talking people out of there money. After about 3 months...I could not do it anymore. I had to get out and one day, I just never came back. haha!

Gold's Gym-I was a personal trainer at the Gold's in Orem near the University Mall. It was a lot of fun and I actually planned on moving down to Provo to go to school and wanted this to be my job. I loved working out and helping people so it was a natural fit. However, I changed my mind and decided to move to Salt Lake...so the job had to go. I shaped a number of buns, that's for sure! :)

Great Harvest- I still feel bad about this job. I was hired on to make bread and all that Jazz but after one day, just hated it. I'm not the kind of guy that can make the same loaf of bread for 10 straight hours. So, I left and never came back.

Scott Allen Real Estate-My good buddy Scott was looking for an assistant. I was looking for a job, so we put two and two together. Scott and I had some fun times in his office and this was the time that I pestered him to ask Nicole about Amanda. I had heard that Nicole had this cute girl to set me up with but couldn't until she came home from Hawaii. I kept on Scott for months and then one day I got her number. Thanks Scott.

Wells Fargo Bank- I was actually very surprised to get this job. I applied and the very same day they interviewed me and gave me the job. This was the time in my life that I realized I was very good at interviewing and felt I could get any job. I worked there for 3 weeks before leaving.

Air Gun Depot-My buddy Steve, and I had worked at Blockbuster and Media Play together and he told me about the company he worked for. I actually still work here and they have been very good to me with scheduling. It's a quality establishment and I'm lucky to have this job.

KSL-TV- I interned at KSL in the sports dept. An AMAZING opportunity and I loved it very much. I learned so much and this is what got the ball rolling with me and knowing I could do anything.

Utah Jazz-Cyprus Crew-A random job that I did last year. I was one of the boys that ran onto the court and threw prizes into the crowd at Jazz games. It was great and gave me some very very good contacts.

1320 KFAN-Another internship. A great experience. I learned a lot while I was there and learned that I never want to work in Radio.

The Daily Utah Chronicle-Working for The Chrony has been great. I have had the opportunity to interview pretty much everyone at the U. I've honed my writing skills and have gotten better at pretty much everything associated with journalism. Here's my latest...

JazzBots-Just got this job and just wrote my first post. It's the official blog for the Utah Jazz. My job is to portray my feelings as a Jazz fan in a creative and fun way. Should be fun. We will see.
Utah Jazz-Internship- I have not started this Internship yet but have big plans for it. Working on the Cyprus Crew is what lead me to get this job. This is a big deal for me and think it could possibly open MANY doors to my future. I'm sure you'll hear more about it!

Guess I've been busy...

In Case You Didn't Know

Manda and I were on Good Things Utah a couple weeks ago as the Newlywed Couple that took a marriage survey.

We were discuss our experience and if it helped us out.

It was a fun experience to be on TV and hope we didn't embarrass ourselves too much!

Have a look!

A Completely Ordinary Experience

The following experience happened to me a very short time ago. As in less than 30 minutes...

I stopped by the Great Clips on state st. and 114th south in Draper today. I wanted a nice trim so I took my lunch break to do so. I got a very nice haircut and I am happy with it. However, I had a random experience with the haircut lady, Angela. I knew her name was Angela because of her little official license she had.

Anyway...

Ya know how you either have a haircut lady that is super-talkative or you get the one that is eerily quiet? Well, today I got one that was neither. She spoke, a little, but it wasn't ever conversation. Just randomness.

It all started when I walked in... I was happy because nobody was waiting and Angela was kicked back, relaxing in her chair. She stood up and exclaimed..."Mr. Jude Law!"

I gave her a little grin but was more or less just confused.
As soon as I got in the chair she said, "Oh, you have the day off don't you!" "No, I'm on my lunch break I replied." "If I ever wore flip-flops they'd kill me!" she said.

The haircut proceeded with no errors. She sure did know her way around a pair of scissors.

"I'm gonna give you some texture. You're the kind of guy that likes texture. I can tell." Again, I just gave a polite smile.

"Did you want a shampoo?" I politely declined. "Are you serious?! I love a good shampoo. I love to wash my hair!"

Near the end of the ordeal, Angela inquired if I would like any gel or product in my hair. Again, I declined politely.

"Oh, I see. You're Mr. Casual! (motioning with her hands) That's cool. That was me yesterday. Just casual, ya know."

I thanked her for the experience, paid my check and left.