A Friendly Friday Fragments

Thanks to Joy & Mrs. 4444's for hosting their hops.

Joy wanted us to do a bit of an autobiography this weekend.  Since I am really not that interesting, here is my point form version.

• I was born in Toronto in my mid 70s and grew up in East York.
• As a kid I enjoyed playing baseball and going on camping trips to Killbear Provincial Park.
• My first job was working in the same factory as my dad - errand boy, grass cutter and unfortunately bathroom cleaner.
• On my 16th birthday I worked my first shift at Toronto Parks and Recreation.  I would stay another nine years doing that.
• I went to St. Patrick's Catholic High school. A fabulous school which has recently been ranked 660/691.
• I completed my undergraduate studies at Brock University, my Masters at the University of Waterloo and my Doctorate at Wilfrid Laurier University.
• As an undergrad I won the Gordon Taylor Award for undergraduate research, as a MA student I was the only person ever to receive multiple Statistics Canada Student Research Awards and as a PhD candidate I wonder the ISTTE Graduate Student Scholarship.  In 2010, I was part of the research team that won the Charles R. Goeldner Article of Excellence Award.
• Two of my post Masters jobs were working as the Tourism Development Coordinator for Chippewas of Nawash First Nations followed by holding the same position with the Walkerton Tourism Recovery Partnership.
• My first journal publication was entitled The Role of Rural Shopping in Canadian Domestic Travel Behaviour in the Journal of Vacation Marketing.
• I married Heather in approximately 15 years ago.
• We adopted Robyn in January of 2002.  Liam was born in 2006 followed by Erik in 2010.
• I taught for a year at the California University of PA before moving to Charleston in 2006.
• I was awarded tenure last year.
• Currently, I have published over 75 pieces (journal articles, book reviews & conference proceedings) in since 2004.

Now onto Friday Fragments.

• This weekend I will be attending  The 2013 South Carolina Festival & Event Planners Conference & Trade Show.  
• On a related note: Not only will I be supervising 37 students at the conference, I will also be presenting on Monday morning.  It will be a busy weekend.
• On a related related note:  The research I am publishing may be viewed will be controversial.  Lucky me.
• The kids have been off yesterday and today, then have the weekend along with Monday off as well.  
• On a related note: Heather is thrilled that this will be a weekend where I am unavailable.
• The teaching schedule is already starting to beat me up this semester.  I have worked at least 14 hours everyday this week before going to a conference this weekend.
• On a related note: Heather hasn't gone completely nuts yet.  Although she is upstairs making random animals sounds at the moment.
• I am sorry that I have not been visiting and commenting on blogs as much this week.  I am trying to sneak in a few every now and then.
• On a related note: I miss having some much time to play with my blog.  That was an unexpected benefit of my sabbatical.