So, who is Graham?

So who is Graham? Good question. I have to admit I don't always know myself...

I grew up in a small Canadian city called Guelph. Located near the Canada's famous Great Lakes, it meant a childhood that was full of outdoor activities and trips. Summers were spent at the family cottage and at a boys' camp in Georgian Bay. It was during these summers that I learned about swimming, canoeing, back country camping, and most importantly, sailing. Childhood sailing experiences included everything from small dinghies to full-sized keel boats that you can sleep on. Though I have to admit I'm not the greatest sailor, I still sail to this day.

These days I have to admit that I can't sail every day. That thing people call "work" seems to keep my pretty busy.

Fortunately me my work always week me interested. I work at a small consulting engineering firm that specializes in water purification and process engineering for the pharamceutical sector. My field of expertise is controls and automation. I also do a fair amount of project management, requirements engineering and control system design. It's a fun job because there are always new and challenging projects, and you constantly get to meet new people. Almost as fun as sailing :)

Though I finished my engineering degree a long time ago, I do have to admit I still like studying. At present I am slowly working towards a B.A. in history, one course at a time. As a part-time student at the University of Guelph, I take one night course each semester. I think of it as having a weekly documentary where I can ask questions. Working on the arts courses is also a nice break from the engineering work I do during the day. Long term education goals? I'm not sure, but I'm not going to rule out doing a part-time MBA or MSc at some point.

I have been playing musical instruments since I was about five years old. My first instrument was recorder, which I played quite seriously up until I was I was in high school. (For an example of the kind of music I play on recorder, you can go to any decent classical music store and pick up a CD of recorder music written by Cornelli, Telemann or Vivaldi. Two of my favourites are Cornelli's Concerto in C, and Telemann's Suite in A-minor.) At fifteen I made the decision that I did not want to study Baroque/Early Music in university, so I stopped what had been my regime of practicing two hours a day. I don't play much recorder any more, mostly because I can't seem to find the time. However, when I was twelve I picked up the clarinet and have been playing ever since. I am pretty much self-taught -- I asked the school music teacher for a fingering chart back in grade seven and just went from there. While I was in high school I played in the senior band, a jazz band that I directed, and a number of other ensembles. Ever since high school, I have been quite active on the community music scene and have played with various different community bands and orchestra over the years. I have also specialized on several of the harmony clarinets including: Eb clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet. Currently I am the principal clarinettist in the University of Guelph Orchestra, and I play in a wind ensemble at Wilfred Laurier University. In addition to recorder and clarinet, I occasionally play a number of other instruments which include saxophone, trumpet and bassoon.

Outside of work, study and music I still manage to do some work in the community. Ever since I started university, I have been quite active in a number of volunteer and non-profit organizations. In the past I've sat on a number of different boards and representative bodies both at the university and in the community. On the computing side of things, I am a volunteer WebMaster for a number of different non-profit groups as well. I have to admit I don't do as much community work as I used to but I do still enjoy working on community projects when I can.

On a more personal and less organized front, I still manage to find some time for myself. On the water I still sail dinghies, and next summer I am looking forward to joining a community sailing club that is nearby. Back in 1999, I became a certified SCUBA diver and love exploring underwater. Other hobbies include European history, English/French literature, fixing musical instruments, mountain biking, going to the opera and trying to play golf. I also have to admit that I really like watching boxing.