romeomikegolf
Where does the name "schoonie101" come from?

I have a habit of accidentally mixing two different words together. Several years ago when I was visiting friends in Australia, we were discussing future plans of picking up a beer or two. Somehow, I combined "Schooner" and "longie" (longneck) into Schoonie, and my friend Tobias ran with it. I haven't been able to shake that nickname since, at least in Australia. I needed a username for FunTrivia and that was as good as any. Apparently, I wasn't the only person with that username (who knew?), so I tacked a "101" onto the end of it.


Squisher
You are a geologist. Explain how you chose your career path, and do you see yourself changing that in the future?

Looking back, it really seems like a stream-of-consciousness chain of events. I always had an interest in geology since I was a kid growing up in the Santa Monica mountains on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. Most of my field trips in elementary school involved fossil hunting or some other kind of geologic endeavor. Although I excelled in the geology class I took as a senior in high school, I still never looked at geology as a career path, thinking I would steer more towards environmental engineering (which was a relatively new field at that time) while minoring in geology at USC. It ends up that I enjoyed geology so much, I made it my major and dropped engineering entirely. Once I graduated, I still wasn't sure which field of geology I wanted to go down. I did have a bit of a background in the environmental field from college and that industry was booming at the time I graduated. I got a job pretty much right out of school and have been in that industry ever since. There have been some rough times lately as the real estate and construction markets (which the environmental field is closely tied to) have crashed in recent years but for the time being, I don't foresee myself changing my career path. However, my wife and I ARE looking at investing in real estate and making enough money with rental properties so we can hopefully retire within the next 5 to 10 years.


lesley153
Why did you leave Los Angeles, and are you pleased you moved? (Please tell us where you moved to.)

Although I left Los Angeles, I have lived in Southern California my whole life. Some people may not like me saying it but, really, pretty much all of Southern California is Los Angeles, just one large connected city. I have bounced around between LA, Orange County, and San Diego a bit, mostly just following career opportunities. Right now, I am living in Lake Forest, which is in Central Orange County. My work is in San Diego, and I was living in the north part of the County until I moved in with my wife who lived about 40 minutes north of me in South Orange County. Having a baby though, we just needed more space so we moved into a bigger place that we could afford, moving me even further from my job. Right now my commute to work is about two hours each way so I have been really trying to find a job that is closer to home. I have had some prospects but it is slow going. Overall I am very happy with where we moved to as it is a quiet neighborhood, very family-friendly, and close to a lot of good food. It is a little further from the beach but that's a small sacrifice!


Squisher
How has your upbringing shaped who you are today? (I know, for example, that you were raised without television.)

Not having television was huge for me growing up. Although I had some lapses in knowledge of some items of pop culture, I read voraciously and spent a lot of time outdoors. I was never bored and I always could find something to do. Also, my parents were very active, outdoorsy people, traveled a lot with me as a child which helped make me very open minded towards new experiences, different cuisines, and exploration just in general. This is something I really want to pay forward to my daughter. My wife didn't have the opportunity to travel when she was younger so we are very active traveling with our daughter. I really believe you can learn a lot more traveling and seeing the world than you can in a classroom. And DEFINITELY more than just lounging around watching TV all day.


Squisher
Who has had the greatest influence in your life and why?

My mother has been my greatest influence as she is very assertive, adventurous, and maintains a great attitude towards life. It is very inspiring to see her, in her early 70s, still traveling all over the country and truly enjoying herself in the process. I can't help but want the same for myself and my family.


romeomikegolf
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 16-year-old self?

I would tell myself then not to be so shy and concerned with what other people might think. I believe it is natural at that age to be a little self conscious and not want to stand out from the crowd so it is really more of a reflection than a regret.


honeybee4
What does being a new father mean to you?

A lot of waking up during the night? Just kidding. It means the world to me and I feel so blessed in having helped create this life. It is such a joy being with my daughter that it is very hard for me to be separated from her. Dropping her off at day care in the morning is extremely difficult - not for her, for me! She is such a happy child and as far as babies go, really low maintenance. She is hardly ever fussy and my wife and I got really lucky that she started sleeping through the night (7+ hours) once she was six weeks old. There have been a couple setbacks lately when she started teething but generally she has been really easy on us.


lesley153
How has parenthood changed your ideas and priorities?

Before you have children, you really live for yourself. Once that moment happens, there is a complete shift in priorities. Everything you do is for your child and in the interest of their well-being. In a way, I am really glad I didn't have children earlier in life. It's not that I think I couldn't handle the responsibility (I have no doubts I could have risen to the occasion) but being more financially secure and a lot more patient goes a long ways in caring for a small child. Another thing I have noticed is that when you don't have children, time kind of flows by without much of a point of reference. Watching your child grow, it's mind-boggling how fast time goes by. My daughter is almost a year old and I seriously do not know where the time went.

Additionally, things that you may have grown blase over are seen in a completely new light as everything is a new experience for your child. It is incredibly amazing to see the wonder and excitement at the world in your child's eyes.


romeomikegolf
You list both surfing and snowboarding as hobbies. Where in the world would you like to go to do either?

Despite parenthood completely taking over my life and leaving little time for personal pursuits, I do plan on getting back to surfing and snowboarding again this fall and winter, respectively. My dream for surfing has always been to take a boat trip to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. Warm water, uncrowded, and overall perfection. Having only had the time to surf a few times this year (and to think I used to surf 4-6 days a week) so far though, I would REALLY need to get myself back in surf shape again not to mention up my ability quite a bit as shallow reefs carry a fair amount of consequence!

With snowboarding, I am generally pretty content with the mountains around Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake City, Utah. However, if we are talking about a dream trip(s), I would love to go to Alaska and Chile. Big mountains, steep terrain, lots of powder. Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia would also be a pretty cool trip and something that is a bit more attainable. Hopefully can do that in next few years as that would be a great family trip.


lesley153
How is your surfboard - or should I ask where is your surfboard?

SurfboardS actually. I have six of them and they are unfortunately all languishing in my garage gathering cobwebs. Surfing more or less got put on hold once my daughter was born but now that my daughter is old enough to go to the beach and the weather is cooling down a bit, there will be more opportunities to surf. I have a smaller one earmarked for my daughter once she is old enough but that won't be a few years.


Squisher
(From team member bloodandsand) Have you got your daughter Sierra surfing, snowboarding or skiing yet?

Not just yet (she's only 11 months old) but I can't wait for the day! This winter, my wife and I will bring our daughter up to the mountains and do some snowplay with her. She should be walking by then (she's pretty close to it now) so I am sure it will be fun for her. A lot of ski resorts have daycare so it will be good for my wife and I to get our life back a little!

It will be a while before my daughter is ready to go surfing or even bodyboarding. However, we have taken her to the pool a few times and she really enjoys the water (provided she has a good nap beforehand!). If the water is warm enough this fall, I'd like to take her into the ocean with me just so she can get a feel for it. Waist-deep water tops and in relatively calm conditions. Maybe by next summer I will push her into waves on a bodyboard. It really is a wait-and-see approach as I don't want to push her too hard and then she gets freaked out and is then fearful of the ocean. However, she is a pretty resilient child and she bounces back pretty well from any spills that she takes.


Prison
What would you say is your greatest achievement (in real life + on FT)?

My greatest achievement in life is meeting my wife and having a healthy, beautiful baby girl. Everything else just pales in comparison to that.

In regards to FT, I went through a crazed run a few years back where I made it my mission to try to win everything. During that time, winning the Global Challenge was my greatest achievement as it took a lot of consistency and perseverance.


Prison
If you could meet any FT player, who would it be and why?

That is a tough question and one I don't think I could really answer. Pretty much everyone on here, I'd relish the opportunity to meet up with and talk a bit of story with. FT is a collection of great people from all walks of life with many unique perspectives. It's really hard to just single any one person out over another.


Squisher
How would you describe your perfect day?

My perfect day would be a beach picnic with my extended family, just relaxing, surfing, fishing, BBQing what we catch, enjoying a nice sunny day, then dropping my daughter off with my mom and then having a nice romantic dinner and evening with my wife.


Prison
What do you consider the most important value/trait a person can have?

In my opinion, loyalty is the most important trait. It is easy to be fair-weather and be there when times are good. However, when life gets tough, that is when you really find out who your true inner circle is.


romeomikegolf
If you were given just a single wish, what would it be?

I would wish for my daughter to have a baby brother to grow up with.



Thanks to all who participated.

Lovely interview - and worth waiting for.

Hmm, six weeks sleeping through the night? My sister slept through the night at 11 days. It took me 6 days.

Congrats on the baby, and for a wonderful interview.

Look at our Schoonie, all grown up! nice interview!

Thanks Schoonie.

Now for a tough question.


Who through the years on FT have you learned the most from when debating topics with them, especially the people you still disagreed with every word they typed?

Great interview. Thanks, Schoonie101.

Interesting interview and I am so glad to hear your two very special ladies have brought so much contentment and happiness into your life.

We'll be dropping by for some fun on the beach someday! Great interview!

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this interview.

That's a good question. It was fun sparring with people in the politics and religion chat boards while those were up although it did get heated at times. Problem with those subjects is that you'll rarely change people's minds; likely just tick them off! There were some really good conversations however in the process and I wish I could remember the names of some of the parties involved - it's been a while...

edit: I only wish I had a way to post a picture of my daughter up here. She really is a cutie.

A fantastic interview Schoonie 101.

I still think you're the funniest person I've met on FT!

Great interview, mate - good to know more about you. I minored in geology myself. I'm glad somebody else here knows what an anticline is.

Isn't that like a cosine..... Oh, wait, geoLOGY not geoMETRY....

Enjoyed getting to know more about you from a great interview, Schoonie! Hope things work out so that soon you won't have such a long commute to work, although I do hear from others that it can be useful time...

Thanks!

Considering my wife is also a geology minor, our daughter has no hope but to get dragged along on a lot of hikes (we have already taken her on several actually) and other outdoorsy adventures. However, there is a moratorium on (more) rocks in the house. Where the really fun part happens is that my wife and I went to rival universities (UCLA and USC, respectively) so the war of the onesies is in full swing. I am just glad that my wife takes it in good stride when she comes home from work and sees our daughter decked out in USC attire. I am also fully aware that turnabout is fair play...

MadMartha, hopefully I can get a new job soon. The less time spent away from home, the better. Had an interview today which I think went relatively well; however, there is a lot of competition out there. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Please let us know!!

There's been only five interviews I was truly looking forward to (not that the others weren't fabulous as well lol) - and one of them was yours Schoonie. This interview certainly didn't disappoint. You're adorable, funny and have always been nice to me. I am SO glad you've found the happiness you deserve. LOVE the stories about your daughter. Hope you find work closer to home. Wishing you all the best.

Great interview Schoonie. Wishing you all the best.

Minor update on here while thread is still unlocked.

In late October, I did find a job a lot closer to home. Increase in pay, a much shorter commute (~25 minutes), friendly coworkers, and a really great job overall. There is a bit more travel involved but we make it work as best as we can with a little help from family.

In other news, my daughter started walking in early November and is into everything, not to mention quite a climber. Really neat to watch her learn and grow. Going fast...

Congratulations on the new job!
I hope your daughter is making the most of her new mobility, and frightening your visitors.

Thanks!

She is quite the daredevil which has my heart in my throat a lot but as long as the spills she takes aren't too catastrophic, she'll be ok. I figure it's healthy for children to learn their physical limitations by trial and error. I hover a little but not so much that she doesn't feel restrained.

Daredevil? Taking after Daddy?

Lol. It's a little terrifying from the other side of it. I am glad our new place is mostly carpet instead of hardwood floors. Cushions the falls a bit more...

Thanks for the update Schoonie. So glad you found a job closer to home. Your daughter sounds like a normal, happy little girl who loves to explore!!