Job's I've had:
Nametag Maker/Engraver
Carpet Installer
Test Services Administrator
Laundry Truck Driver
Canoe Pusher
Substitute Teacher
Bookstore Cashier (BYUH baby!)

Places I've lived:
Yucaipa
Virginia
Provo
Laie

Food I love:
Haliewa Eats (thai)
Red Lobster
Chili's
El Azteca or Betos or Cucas

Websites I visit:
Blogger
Amazon.com

Places I'd rather be:
China
Greece
Italy
Morocco
Afganistan
Iraq...

Movies I watch:
Many, many...

TV Shows I LOVE:
Planet Earth
Blue Planet
The Office
Arrested Development
Family Guy
Sea Lab
etc

Hey guys! Here's a new post. I had to update everything to a google account or something in order for anything to work around here. Things are going great around here. I started observing and student teaching at King Intermediate school. The kids are retarded but they are pretty funny. Melissa only has one year left and then we will be running back to the mainland (after we can find a way to ship all of our crap back). Gad bless you all!

Well... I haven't written for a while. I have been spending any of the time that I would usually spend on my blog with the photo album. But things are going good here in Hawaii. It looks like we are going to be moving into a new place in about 3 weeks. It looks to be a 1 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and bath for about $300 less than we have been paying for the pieve of crap that we are living in now. That will be a welcome improvement to our life.

As you can tell from our photo album we are getting into photography now. I am trying to talk Melissa into doing weddings and portraits and so far we are working towards that. The only problem with the whole thing is that as you begin to learn more and more about it that things that you desire get more expensive. So we may have to just stick with what we got until we become rich folk.

Melissa I excited to almost be done with the semester and I am excited to almost be starting school again. After subbing for this last little while I am excited to have my own class were I can comfortably be assured that if they are crying it is directly my fault and not the fault of some unknown factor (honestly, do you remember crying all the time in elementary school?).

That is all...

I have made a new photo album for everyone to view what is going on with my life...

the address is:

www.kaymac.net/mattandmelissa

I am going to work on getting some sort of comment system going for each of the albums somehow... we shall see!

Lots of things have happened to me in the last few months. First and foremost, I got engaged... and for all of you who are wondering... yes, to a girl. She is an amazing girl, extremely funny, beautiful, talented, etc. It happened:

We went up on a hike to Stewart Falls, it's a hike that we had done before, but I had planned it all out. We got everything necessary for a picnic lunch and everything (I had taken the day off work). Once we got there, there was a lot of snow still near the falls and there really wasn't an adequate place to have it. However, I saw a little ledge right to the side of the waterfall that I thought would be nice and we would just have to do a little climb to get to it. I didn't know at the time that Melissa is extremely afraid of heights, I know she had mentioned it before but I didn't really take into account that it was a serious thing. Anyways, I talked her into getting up there by telling her that it would be worth it. Once we got up there, and Melissa came out of shock, I proposed to her. Getting down proved to be very difficult because we couldn't go down the same way we came up. I tried to find an easier way down but it simply put us into very, very, very thick little willow tree. The willow trees and us pretty much had to exchange blows in order for us to get through. By the time that we finally got down, I had to apologize and ask her again if she would marry me. And she said... yes.

So we are getting married on August 11th. Invitation pictures have been taken and pretty much everything is planned. It is going to be wonderful.

In addition to the whole marriage thing... I am now an official graduate. My family all got to come up and see me walk and pose in my little roby-thingy. I really just wanted to wear a speedo underneith my robe but I hear that the school and church leadership really frown on that. Anyways, I finally paid off my parking ticket and now I should recieve a piece of paper in the mail. Yeah.

Right now I am just working, laying carpet for BYU. I will be leaving around August to get married, honeymoon, and then honeymoon some more by moving to Hawaii. That is all.

For some reason I feel like it is required for me to post a picture everytime that I post. However, I don't really feel like going through the hastle this time. I figure there are now enough pictures of myself floating around in this wild, wild world web-thingy to warrent me not having to post on this one occasion.

This last weekend was really fun. I flew down on Friday night for a quick weekend with the family. Mostly for the chance to see my new niece Lia. She is very cute. However skeptical I was before, I now whole-heartedly agree and give my consent for Billy and Katie to continue breeding (Just don't abuse it!). My Aunt and Uncle and Cousin also flew in from abroad and we had a right-good party going on. I flew back Monday morning just in time to not go to my classes that day and go home from work early.

The only down-side to my trip home is that I am now sick. I have been taking large quantities of DayQuil during the day, and NiteQuil during the... well... the nite. I think that things are looking up as far as my immunal capabilities are concerned.

I am looking forward to graduating this April. I have horrible "senioritise." However, I feel that if I can just keep on at this pace I am at right now I will pass all of my classes with little difficulty. And then I will have that glorious piece of paper that I have strived so hard for these last 20 years.

Right now the plan is work up here during the summer. I am going to try and get my carpet job again, if I can work with Jared D. and maybe Taylor... cause that would be really funny most of the time. Plus, I could make pretty good money for not doing very much, and the days go by fast. And then I am going to move out to Laie, Hawaii. There I will attempt to become a substiture teacher or something (130 bucks a day). Or, maybe I will just work at the Subway, or maybe the PCC.

This is a nice picture that Melissa likes of us. I was experimenting with a new image uploading option... Thanks you... for your time.

There once was a dream called snow. This last week it has been rather cold and snowy. The coldness has been propogated by the sudden death of our heating. Baby it's cold outside (and inside).

We have, however, made good use of the snow. We have designed and created a monument to our superior culture on our front lawn. I have provided a picture below. Joint credit goes to our entire apartment with help from Melissa and Chiara. But... I must take the credit for recieving the inspiration for the monumental steps (also instrumental in the building process) and the lion. In conclusion, the neighborhood is very impressed and many pictures have been taken. Ironically, the Daily Universe (BYU's Newspaper) featured a snowman built on campus on their front page. I don't even know if you could call it a snowman, 3 balls with some sticks coming out it. Ours looks like Zeus, God of Olympus, in comparison. Lets just say that if good was gonna make a snowman, he would have made one that looks close to ours... obviously better, but similar.

In other news, Melissa got a job. I know it's amazing. She got hired on at US Bank. Full-time, benefits, more money than I've ever gotten. It just goes to prove that this whole school thing isn't all that it is cracked up to be.

I start work again tomorrow. It is sure to be a joy.

I am still awaiting news of the expected birth of my first neice... that should be happening soon.

I took the Physical Science 100 Challenge Exam so that I wouldn't have to take the class. I got a 58. I needed a 60 to pass. That really pissed me off. But I think that I am going to just take the final and see what I can get out of it.

One of my teachers handed this out last semester and I thought that it was pretty funny:

Math for 2005

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $3.58. The counter girl took my $4.00 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking a the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s.

Teaching Math in 1955:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1965:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, of $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1975:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math in 1985:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underling the number 20.

Teaching Math in 1995:
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math in 2005:
Un maderero vende un camion de madera de construccion para $100. El coste de produccion es $80. Cuantas tortillas puede el comprar?

BYU's newspaper, The Daily Universe, is often an interesting read... especially the editorials. The other day I was reading with a couple of friends and came across a particularly special and inspiring article entitled "Bush Like Captain Moroni":

Bush like Captain Moroni

One might think no one on the editorial board reads the Book of Mormon very often by what was said in your recent editorial regarding protesting the Iraq war on BYU campus. From the remarks made by President Bush, the reason we are in Iraq is to stop the same type of people and things Captain Moroni covenanted to stop.

The President said, “These people cannot stand free societies, they have no regard for the human condition, they’ll kill women and children at the drop of a hat; all aimed at frightening the American people and trying to get us to withdraw … The lessons of Sept. 11 are lessons this country will never forget … In the long run, a democracy will help eradicate the conditions that allow these people to find any kind of support.”

Obviously, the church opposes people like the Gadianton robbers, of which Bin Laden is a modern day copy. Saying people protesting the war on BYU campus was “somewhat refreshing” and they made good use of their time, is like Captain Moroni saying the king men’s actions were “somewhat refreshing” and they made good use of their time.

Seth Marsing
Price, UT

This editorial has very much inspired me to support the war and our governments policies. It has opened various discussions... most especially because of our charge to read the Book of Mormon this year. My friend Jack has further Seth's analogy by comparing Christ's decent to the Nephites in 3rd Nephi to our beloved vice-president Dick Chaney. Although I see many similarities... I must disagree. I see Jesus's actions corresponding more to that of Karl Rove. I may be wrong... but how can I fight how I feel.