Presented with gratitude, the acknowledgement pages for my Master's Thesis (Racking Up The Twitter Points: How Professional Hockey Player Identities Are Affected By Twitter Usage) at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

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Acknowledgements
Writing this thesis often felt like a journey of infinite improbabilities, from the moment I
was accepted at Queen’s, through to my professional detour in Hamilton mid-Masters, an
experience that truly helped shape me and my work, to defending my thesis while simultaneously
being enrolled in Teacher’s College. Every time I felt like I had found a way to flow, sparks
would fly. But it is our choices that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities, and
while I never doubted that I could complete my thesis, I did have my doubts about being able to
do it well, and complete it in time. And so, there are a few people I must thank for keeping me on
the right path.
To my family, near and far, old and young, thank you for supporting me more than just
financially. Stephen, for introducing me to Kingston and showing me the little secrets that make it
my home. Jillian, for keeping me sane and always being available when I felt defeated. Arlette
and Jovan, for constantly reinforcing my Teflon armour, and for your puppy’s love. Kris, for
letting me use our chats as opportunities for fleshing out material, often unintentionally, and,
along with Atif, providing a calming perspective in moments of completion panic. Holski, for
reminding me that there are four lights. Matt, for being a guiding star several times over the last
few years, and alongside Marty, Rob, Heather, Erica, Lauren, Karima and all my other SKHS
labmates, for tolerating my absenteeism and being there for me when I needed your help. My
supervisor, Dr. Samantha King, for her guidance in this process, and, along with Drs. Rob
Beamish, Mary Louise Adams and Martin Hand, teaching me to see the world as the social
construction that it is. Angie, for always being available to talk about music, and for answering
silly questions that are probably posted somewhere on the website. Heather M., Heather B., Laci,
Olan, Ann, Annemarie, Leigh-Ann, Brenda, Velina, and other inspiring conference friends, for

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repeatedly piquing and expanding my interests. Jesse, for keeping me au courant of the latest in
our mediated reality when I was busy working on analysing something that might soon be passé.
A special thanks to my brilliant copy-editors Bryant, Aliza, and Heather B., for volunteering their
time and energy to keep me on the straight path. The Kingston Waterfront Rotary Club, for
keeping me involved in my community at times when I was trying really hard to just say “no.”
My awesome healthcare team (Dr. Rae, Dr. Murphy, Dr. Vlahopoulos, Joel and Carol) for taking
care of me when I couldn’t do it alone, for teaching me how to stay grounded, and for reminding
me to relax every now and then. A nod to my broadcasting family, journalism and musician
buddies, and Kingston media friends for endless hours of “hurry, hurry, wait” entertainment. And
last but not least, I must thank my #ygk friends; Tommy, Moira, Will, Gord, Koopy, Richelle,
Cris, Kathryn, Chris, Trish, Julie, John, Liam, Hannah, Bernie, and so many others, for offering
your love and care over the past few years. You got me through all the in-betweens, and you’ll
never know how much that means to me.
Much of this thesis was put together while under the influence of chocolate, harmonies,
and Doctor Who. The magic of a plausible sci-fi show that truly is about nothing more or less
than hope for humanity encouraged me to keep chugging along. The realization that time is
actually more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff also helped me deal with the
anxiety of taking so long to complete my MA. After all, truth takes time.