PDAZ

What brought you to Fun Trivia?

Geez, that is a tough question; it’s been a very long time. In general terms, I have always been a trivia buff – one of my favourite games ‘back in the day’ was Trivial Pursuit, and I have a bit of a competitive nature (in a nice way). I’m one of those personality types that hooks onto certain niche things and then puts a lot of energy into it, usually at the expense of other things. FunTrivia became an outlet for that aspect of me, I think... and it is a great community of like-minded people.

skunkee

I see from your starting date that you have been a FunTrivia member for almost 18 years - wow! How did you first become involved and what has kept you going for all these years?

I checked my profile, and I joined in November of 2002. Thinking back to where I was in my life at the time, I’m actually a little surprised that I got involved in the website at all! I graduated in 2001 from the University of Manitoba with Bachelor degrees in Music and Education, and in the Fall of 2002 I was in my second year of teaching (Gr. 7-9 band and social studies) at Blumenort School north of Steinbach (MB). My wife (of six years at the time) and I had two boys, aged (almost) 4 years and 1 year old. And on top of that I would drive into Winnipeg 2-3 times a week for my part time job as a reserve military musician.

I’m thinking that I must have gotten involved in the site as a stress-release / personal hobby that let me put aside the busyness of regular life and do something that challenged me and let me pursue other areas of interest. And while I have taken ‘breaks’ from being super active on the site, it was always there in the background (responding to correction notices / playing some quizzes for fun). I very much like the community aspect of the site – I've been involved with various ‘teams’ over the years, and I think that is probably the aspect that has kept me coming back. It’s not just a trivia site.

skunkee; CmdrK

Have you ever taken a break? If yes, what brought you back? You have left FT and come back more than once. What do you find so attractive here?

Yes, I have taken breaks. Some long ones. After I initially joined, I wrote a flurry of quizzes (44 of them, mostly on books I liked and Manitoba or Canada-based things – write what you know, right?), and then I basically stopped. Looking back again, I can see that my life was in a bit of an upheaval at the time. I had quit my first teaching job, but not managed to land another position for that September, and life was uncertain. I spent much of that school year substitute teaching, which is very stressful when you have a young family and that is your only source of income. And then, I took a full-time position with my OTHER job, which entailed a move to Kingston, Ontario in the Fall of 2004. A new job (running a volunteer military band at CFB Kingston), a third child (born September of ‘04) and moving across the country away from family all kept FunTrivia on the back burner, and I didn’t really think about it that much for quite a while.

It wasn’t until after I had returned to Manitoba (this time in Portage la Prairie) and had been teaching again for a couple of years that I got back to the website. In the Fall of 2010, I was once again between contract teaching jobs, but some of the other stresses that had kept me off the site were no longer so impacting. My three boys were now (almost) 12, 9 and 6 years old, and I had changed my part-time military position to be working with cadets, which I could do locally - no commuting required.

The big difference for my FunTrivia involvement this time was getting involved in a Team. I joined ‘USS Enterprise’ as a Star Trek fan, and I had found my people. Since then, I have also started my own team (Whovians) and when I got tired of being a team leader, joined ‘The Revenge of the Llamas’, where some of the friends I had made on the site were quite active.

In the past 10 years, FunTrivia has followed me from Portage la Prairie to Brandon and to Cross Lake (in Manitoba) before making the move to Vernon, BC in 2015, where I currently reside. When I stepped up into a full time high school band teaching position two years ago, FunTrivia again (out of necessity) went on the backburner, but one good thing about living and working through Covid-19 measures has been having the time and inclination to get back to the site.

Matthew_07

FT old timers would have noticed the trio Creedy-reedy-reeshy. Could you tell me more about your username?

‘reedy’ refers to the instrument(s) that I play. As a junior high student, I played in band and I started with the oboe, which is a double-reed instrument. That was pretty much the only thing I played all the way through to graduation, and what I played as a member of the military band and in my first few years at the School of Music at the U of M. Eventually, I added the bassoon as my secondary instrument (also a double-reed) and did a Minor Practical Study for my music degree, and started playing it with the military band, as well. I also owned an English Horn for a while, too. Three double-reed instruments made me very reedy, to be sure.

skunkee; CmdrK

You have written close to 500 quizzes which is an even bigger wow! Congratulations! Do you have a favourite category or categories to write in? Is there anything special you do to keep that quiz writing interest alive?

I think at the beginning, it was more about what I liked than about the categories. I wrote quizzes on movie actors and bands and books / authors that I liked, plus geography and history quizzes that touched on Manitoba or Canada. Seeing some of the different ideas that people had for quiz construction got me to branch out into other things (Commond Bonds, Spelling Bees), but then I hit that first long break in 2003. When I came back in 2010, I put a lot of time into writing ‘Star Trek’ quizzes with the ‘USS Enterprise’ team.

And then I discovered the Author’s Lounge.

So, to actually answer the questions... I think my favourite category to write in changes with time. I try to be a bit of a ‘Renaissance Man’ and do a bit of everything. To that end, I have set personal goals (sometimes related to badge challenges) that then extend into milestones. Writing a quiz in every Category was kind of just the start. Then it was five quizzes in every category, then ten. I am now three quizzes away from having 15 quizzes written in every Category. Then there are the photo and match quizzes. I just recently managed to have a photo quiz written in every Category and just need to write a match quiz in Brain Teasers to do the same there.

But what probably brings out the most unique and interesting quizzes that I write are from the Author’s Lounge Commissions and other challenges, plus the Author’s Challenge Titles.

PDAZ

I've enjoyed taking your early 'Doctor Who' quizzes and noticed you've written several other sci fi quizzes. Who is your favorite Doctor, and which sci fi series is your favorite and why?

I didn’t get into “Doctor Who” until some Australian friends introduced the series to us while we were living in Kingston, which happened to correspond with the ‘regeneration’ of the show in 2005. So, my first Doctor was Chris Eccleston. I would probably have to say that David Tennant is my favourite, though I am not the rabid kind of fan who has a hate on for new Doctors. I have thoroughly enjoyed them all for differing reasons. And my early “Doctor Who” quizzes are born out of a need to become better versed in the pre-2005 show. I want to know it all!
All that to say that I am a Trekker first and foremost. I am loving the resurgence of “Trek” shows and movies in the last few years.

Matthew_07

As of June 2020, you are one of the Top 20 authors who have written the most quizzes on the FT site. Is there a particular series of quiz that you are working on right now? What motivates you to write quizzes?

I have a number of series on the go. I kind of break things down to short/medium/long series in my writing, so as I get tired of one thing, I can switch to something completely different. My (current) ever-present long series are the early “Doctor Who” serials (20 done so far), “Star Trek: Enterprise” (on Season 2), a series on the Oscars (14 done), and a bible alphabetics series (8 done). And I will intersperse other quizzes inbetween to keep things fresh (shorter quiz series, or adding to older ones that I have done, or one-offs that are usually based on Author’s Lounge activities).

My motivations vary, but overall I really enjoy the creative process, and I love doing the research and learning about all the interesting background info.

CmdrK; Matthew_07

What is your favorite accomplishment on Fun Trivia? You have earned an impressive 11 Editor's Choice awards. Which of them is your personal favourite? Could you tell me more the quiz writing process of that quiz?

I think my favourite accomplishment is writing quizzes in every category. It has forced me to delve into areas that I might not be comfortable with, and expands my overall breadth of knowledge. I like knowing things.

As for the ECs, my personal favourite is https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Hobbies/Give-Peas-a-Chance-355507.html . It was born out of an Author’s Challenge title suggestion that brought to mind a song by the Arrogant Worms (“Carrot Juice is Murder”). After that it was really just a matter of having fun with it. And, given the title, I also provided ‘peas' as an answer choice for the first nine questions, even though it was never the correct answer until number ten (FITB).

Matthew_07

I noticed that you have written something special for your 200th (https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/General/The-Quiz-Journey-354300.html) and 400th (https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/General/The-Continuing-Quiz-Journey-382161.html) quizzes, where you revisit your quiz-writing adventure over the past few years. Looking at all the quizzes that you have written, are there any differences in the topics, approaches, and styles in your quiz-writing?

I’m sure my quiz-writing style has changed significantly over the years. Apart from my own personal growth as a quiz-writer, I think a lot of my inspiration comes from seeing what I like in other people’s quizzes. Sometimes I try to emulate, while other times I try to do something unique. Having multiple ways available for writing quizzes (photo/matching/regular/FITB) allows for some experimentation.

I’m not the type of person who plans out and writes my quizzes in a Doc file first. I will typically plan it out right in the form, which sometimes means that I end up doing some copy/pasting as I realize the need to move questions around. But, I typically map out my questions ahead of time, giving a few words as ‘place holders’ and working from there. Sometimes this means adjustments need to be made, but most of the time things work out.
I *do* enjoy trying to add a bit of humour to some of my quizzes (depending on the topic), or approach things in a conversational way. This doesn’t work with every subject, of course, but I try. And even though I know some quizzes will only be played by a very few (like with quizzes on the band Moxy Fruvous or the history of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles), I still like to put a spotlight on things that I have experienced or enjoyed.

CmdrK; kyleisalive; flopsymopsy

You have lived in several Canadian provinces, what's the reason for that? Tell us a bit about where you've lived for the past years. Do you enjoy it? Where is your dream place to live? Before you moved to British Columbia (one of my favourite places), you lived in a small town/village in the wilds of Manitoba (I think!). What do you miss about it – and what do you like most about where you are now?

I think I’ve answered a bit of this question already. Born in Manitoba. Moved to Kingston, ON for work. Moved back to Manitoba. The move to BC was a bit different, though. Let me explain.

In 2012 I was looking for another teaching position after filling in a maternity leave job outside of Brandon, MB, and I managed to land a job teaching on a First Nations (Cree) Reserve in Cross Lake, MB. I taught Gr. 1-4 and then 4-8 music & guitar there for three years, altogether. But during our third year there, my middle son (13 years old in Gr. 8) was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. He spent six months in treatments (in Winnipeg) and came out cancer-free, fully released from everything on July 24th, 2015. From the moment the diagnosis came down (in February), I began the process of looking for a new job that would put us closer to medical services (Cross Lake is a 7.5-hour drive north of Winnipeg). After months of nothing, I finally landed a job on the FRIDAY BEFORE LABOUR DAY, which entailed a move to Vernon, BC. After having spent some summers in Vernon (see next question), I also watched for potential teaching positions there, along with Winnipeg-area schools.

I didn’t get a lot of quiz-writing done during that stretch of time. None, in fact.

Apart from that last few months, life in Cross Lake was... different. I got to experience a little of what it is like to be a visible minority, although I will say that my time there was generally positive. I truly value the life experience and cultural understanding that it gave my children, and I think all of us developed a better understanding of living in relative isolation. I still keep in touch with many of my colleagues from Cross Lake.

But for the past five years we have lived in Vernon, BC. The Okanagan region is simply gorgeous. If you are at all an outdoorsy type, this is paradise. Lakes, mountains, skiing, back country trails, hot springs... everything is close. Vernon itself is not overly large, but has everything you might need. And in a few hours’ driving time, I can be in Vancouver or Calgary, or down to Spokane, if I have an inkling. Simply said, I *am* in my dream place to live.

PDAZ; flopsymopsy

I've seen pictures of you in uniform. Care to elaborate? I know that you are actively involved in the Canadian Reserve. How did you get involved in that? Family tradition? I know that you’ve passed the involvement on to your sons so if it wasn’t a tradition before, it is now!

Yeah, I joined the Canadian Army Reserve in 1991 as a musician. My best friend had joined the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders (infantry) Regiment a couple of months before our high school graduation, and I thought I would follow in his footsteps, but on a different path... I wanted to be a Naval Combat Systems Operator (with HMCS Chippewa) and head out to the coast for training during the summers. I thought it would be a great part-time job that would help pay for University.

I didn’t get in. Quota for basic training reached before they got to my name. Try again later, they said.

So, I went to work at a summer camp instead, and that’s where I met my wife. Everything happens for a reason.

Later that summer, I saw an ad at the Unemployment Centre for ‘Military Musician’, and I joined the Regimental Band of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. Got in pretty quickly... all the paperwork was already done. So, if you do the math, this summer marks 29 years with the Canadian Armed Forces. I did (almost) 18 years as a bandsman before transferring to work with the cadet programme in 2009. Each of my three boys were strongly encouraged to participate, and they have all since moved on to other things. I’m still going strong. Compulsory Retirement Age (CRA) is 65, so I have another 19 years to go.

My time in cadets is what brought me to Vernon the first time in 2012, working for the summer with their music training programme. I kept going back, and thought, 'wouldn't Vernon be a nice place to live?.

kyleisalive

You've written a lot of quizzes about a lot of topics, and for most authors on the site, you can learn a lot about someone from what they write about. What's something you think we're not necessarily learning about you from the wide array of topics you've chosen that might be interesting to note?

Well, you’ve seen that my career has been largely shared between things musical and things military, but on a few occasions, I very nearly took some different paths.

Upon my graduation from high school in 1991, I was accepted to Brandon University to do a Performance degree. I didn’t get the summer job I hoped for (Navy Reserve), so I ended up not going. I worked for a year, and changed my mind about my career. In the Fall of 1992, I entered the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, with the intent of becoming a Geological Engineer. After one semester, I realized that I didn’t want to do math and physics for the rest of my life (I was good at it, I just didn’t want it to be my life), so went back into music.

I got married in 1996 and we had our first boy in 1998. I still wasn’t done school, and the pressures in my life as a young dad trying to manage school and still support a family were pretty heavy. I ended up going on academic suspension for a year (1998-99), and during that time, I explored other career options. I nearly became an Air Traffic Controller (made it to the interview after the aptitude test), and I went through the whole enrollment process up to the final background check interview (nearly a year’s process) to join the Winnipeg Police Service.

But, in the end, I returned to University, made up for the year that earned me my suspension, and then finally graduated as a Music Educator in 2001.
And then later, while employed full time with the military in Kingston (2004-2008), I almost gave up on the teaching option to join the military as a Regular Force officer, looking to the Training Development Officer role. Again, a close call, but I went back to Manitoba and back to teaching, instead.

Matthew_07

You are a very active contributor in the Quiz Author Lounge and other quiz-writing challenges (Commission, TRIC, Player Author Challenges, etc). Do you have any advice for newbies who would like to venture into these games?

I think my advice to newbies in this area is to take some time writing things that you already know before trying to branch too far out (as the Author’s Lounge activities tend to force you to do). Get to know the editing process and what makes for solid quiz-writing before going out on those proverbial limbs. And then, go in a little slowly. Maybe go with TRIC and the Author Challenge quiz titles (where you have the choice on what you are doing) before trying out something like a Commission where you just never know.

But yes, *DO* get involved in these areas, because they make the whole FunTrivia experience that much more enriching.

skunkee

What changes to FunTrivia have you seen over the years that you like?

Honestly, I’ve been pretty stoked to see pretty much every change as it has come along, even if some of them took a little longer to grow on me than others. The photo and matching quizzes are terrific alternatives to the basic multiple choice/FITB quiz. Out of 480 quizzes that I’ve written, 130 are photo/matching quizzes (keep in mind that I had already written 200 quizzes before photo quizzes were available to the unwashed masses).

As someone who enjoys getting badges, I like the many that have been added over the years, with all the different game options, and most recently, the tiers. It’s great to have new challenges to reach even from challenges already achieved.

flopsymopsy

If my memory serves me, when you were living in Manitoba you served in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, also known as the Little Black Devils. Like all riflemen in the British tradition, the Devils do everything at a faster pace than ‘normal’ infantry soldiers, especially when it comes to marching. Don’t you ever run out of puff? And how do you march that fast and still manage to play an instrument? Are you still with the Rifles or have things slowed down in British Columbia?

Yes, the Little Black Devils typically march at 140 (beats per minute), compared to the normal 120 (or slower for Highland regiments that like to sway their kilts). Generally, it’s not too bad, as that kind of thing is only done in spurts for unit parades or at a military tattoo. It’s the long street parades that are killer.

But you may not know that rifle regiments also have a double-march. For the Winnipeg Rifles it is ‘Keel Row’, aka ‘Pork, Beans and Hard Tack’, and it goes like spit at 180. The infantry guys run (knees up!) with their rifles at the trail. And someone once thought it would be cool to see the band do the same thing (I disagreed). So just imagine trying to play instruments while RUNNING!

This is why I became the Bugle Major of the band (carrying the big stick in front of the band).

And yes, things are definitely slower with the cadet programme now in BC. Even the local Reserve army regiment is an Armoured unit (British Columbia Dragoons) - they like to drive their recce vehicles.

CmdrK

I know you're a Star Trek fan; what got you interested in it?

As long as I can remember, the geek in me has been a “Star Trek” fan. Sure, the Original Series predates me a bit, but “TNG” came out while I was a teenager, so I basically grew up with it. Thinking about it a bit more, my interest in “Star Trek" probably grew out of “Star Wars” and all the reading I did as a kid... Sci-fi and Fantasy ahead of anything else.

kyleisalive

Living or dead - how would you prefer spiders?

I actually don’t mind (most) spiders. I would happily have a tarantula as a pet, given the option (my wife would kill me). I certainly appreciate the job they do, ridding us of pesky mosquitos and the like.

That said, there’s nothing quite as creepy as a gazillion baby spiders floating through the air and making spider webs everywhere. And then there was that movie I saw as a kid...

Yeah, on their own, not so bad. In hordes, not so much. Plus, camel spiders.

rossian

Picking up on flopsy's earlier question, and from playing your quizzes, it seems you know a lot about musical theory and play an instrument or maybe several. What do you play? What kinds of music are you interested in?

To reiterate, my primary instruments are oboe and bassoon. As a band teacher I regularly play trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, flute, trombone and baritone/euphonium in class. I have learned the basics of percussion, guitar and ukulele, and have a rudimentary piano ability.

Don’t ask me to play bagpipes.

As with much of the rest of my scope of interests, I have a wide range of taste in music from classical (all eras) to jazz (mostly big band), to rock and roll (mostly ‘60s through the ‘80s) and various indy groups. I like most attempts at a capella singing. Not so keen on the rap / hip-hop or techno stuff, and very not so much on country.

skunkee

2020 has been an...interesting year. Is there some special hobby or mechanism that has helped you cope? Has FunTrivia been a part of that in any way?

It has actually provided me with the time (and inclination) to get back into quiz-writing mode. Since taking on the high school band teaching job (plus cadets), I just haven’t had the time or energy to put into being active on the site. So, since going to the online teaching model (which really sucks as a band teacher), I found myself with time on my hands that I haven’t had in a while.

So, I’ve been on a bit of a tear since the end of April, writing 40 quizzes in that time.

rossian

If you were marooned on a deserted island (one with electricity, though) and could have only one book, one film/movie, one music CD and one DVD of a television programme or series, what would they be?

Okay, let’s see. I’m going to take the liberty of expanding ‘book’ to ‘book series’ and say, Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time”. If you’re going to be insistent on the ‘one’, then I will go with the Bible.

One movie – no contest - “The Princess Bride”.

One music CD? Probably “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestral arrangement by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

TV programme / series... “Doctor Who” (all of them). If I have to choose one season/series, I would say Series Four (2008) with David Tennant and Catherine Tate (and the introduction of Alex Kingston as River Song).

flopsymopsy

When you came to Britain a few years ago, it was because one of your sons had been ill and he was granted a wish by a children’s charity. He wanted to see real life castles and Dr Who – did the visit live up to expectations? What bits do you remember most? And what do you want to see next time you come to the UK? (My regards to the family, by the way!)

We absolutely loved visiting Wales and England. There just wasn’t enough time to do even half of what we wanted. The ‘Doctor Who Experience’ was quite good in Cardiff, but I really loved Cardiff Castle and Caerphilly Castle... such an amazing history! I didn’t like the speeding tickets that came in the mail a month later, though.

I remember a pleasant afternoon visiting with YOU, flopsy, in Salisbury. Thank you so much again for coming to visit with us!

I remember having to whiz through the Royal Greenjackets museum in Winchester (sister regiment to the Royal Winnipeg Rifles) because we arrived with less than half an hour before closing.

The Tower of London was quite good, and so was arriving at Buckingham *just* in time to witness a changing of the guard (without pre-planning for it).
It was disappointing to learn we had missed seeing Peter Capaldi at Foyles bookstore by a mere 20 minutes!

Phantom of the Opera!

We really enjoyed the trip, and hope to return someday. And maybe make the trip north to Scotland next time. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo?

kyleisalive

What does the future hold?

As a band teacher dealing with Covid-19 measures, I’m not even sure what September will hold. But, pandemics aside, I’m looking forward to some new stages coming up in my life. My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2021, and in 2022 our youngest boy will graduate from high school. Soon it will be empty nester life and probably some grandchildren to dawdle on knees. I know it’s going to come sooner than expected.
On FunTrivia, I hope to continue my impossible goals of writing quizzes on every “Star Trek” episode and “Doctor Who” (TV) story. And maybe reach 1,000 quizzes on the site? Nearly half way there!

Very interesting.

Thanks for this!

Great interview.

The second 500 is easier than the first.

Thats a really fascinating interview. Thanks to all concerned!

What a great interview, thanks to all involved!
And reedy, next time you're in Europe I'll give you a lesson in playing bagpipes

If that ever happens, we want video evidence. Maybe without the sound, though.

I'll have to dust 'em off first, haven't had a blow in a couple of years ... so definitely video-sans-sound at the moment