Presents I Received in 2010

This morning I must wait for my sister-in-law to arrive with her kids and her guy before we can open our presents.  But the year has been chock full of gifts that I will spend some of the timing waiting (and waiting) thinking of those I have already received:

• A kick-ass research project that is interesting in and of itself but has also led to some terrific opportunities this past year:
• talks at Laval University, Mt. Holyoke, Northwestern, and Konstanz;
• grants from  Canada and NATO to fund:
• travel to Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark to research the book;
• and a publication in ISQ in 2012.
• a bunch of co-authors on a variety of projects, pushing me to think harder and differently;
• the aforementioned travel.  I have gone to places I have never been before, meeting interesting people and seeing some fantastic sights.  I am very, very lucky.
• two graduate students getting heaps of success in a very tough job market;
• the usual helping of interesting and engaging McGill undergrads;
• four seasons of ultimate even as I get slower and gimpier;
• a pretty fun winter of skiing with a daughter who is now skiing almost as fast as me;
• an aforementioned daughter who is now almost fifteen but only embarrassed by me much of the time (as opposed to all of the time) and still willing to hang with her dad some of the time;
• an ever-increasing group of friends and colleagues who challenge and support me;
• and a wife who puts up with my time spent on the internet spewing about all kinds of things.

I hope your presents provide you with as much joy as mine already have.