Sustenance for Research

The food in Germany is not the best in Europe; certainly France and Italy have claimed expertise in that area. However, I've enjoyed the ability to buy really good fresh bread and cheeses as well as get some good deals on European wine. However, two staples of my diet are hugely challenged over here: salsa and peanut butter. You can purchase both items pretty easily at most grocery stores. But unless you enjoy salsa that tastes like ketchup or peanut butter with a powdery chalk taste, they are best avoided.

Well, fortunate for me, I have the best fiancée in the world! She traveled thousands of miles to visit me for a week and brought several pounds of peanut butter and salsa in Sam's Club quantities. My pantry is now balanced again. There is nothing better for complimenting fresh bread than chunky peanut butter. And Bavarian cuisine can always be spiced up with salsa that actually has a kick.

The major dilemma now is trying to figure out how to ration out portions so that they will survive until I can refill my supply. I actually think I'm tempted to consume them more than I would in the States because I know how privileged I am to have them. It certainly gives me major bragging rights to the ex-pats in Munich.

Now that I am no longer distracted by this deficiency in my diet, I can get back to work.

Let's Get Organized

Now that the grant I've been working on the past month is finished, I'm ready to get back to the routine of going to the Stabi every day. However, I woke up yesterday morning to a good amount of snow and decided not to head to library just yet. For one, the lure of a picturesque view of the Isar canal from my window kept me cozy at my desk with my cup of coffee. In addition, I knew I had some serious organization problems to tend to that had escalated while I was working on the grant.

To make the best use of my time and money, I've been maintaining a two-fold approach to research. The long opera reviews I find are photocopied for scrutiny at home. The short reviews are simply typed into my computer and saved for future reference. I was proud of this method; but then I realized that everything was hard to find with my original notes taken in several legal pads. I needed to create a master database so I could find these reviews quickly.

I decided to spend the day logging every review onto my computer (not just to tally everything turned up for statistical reasons), and highlighting the ones I intend to review more closely later. I made sure to indicate in the database whether they were saved on my computer electronically as a PDF or JPG, typed into a computer log, or buried in stacks of photocopies . The whole process was a pain, but I think I've saved myself some stress down the line. It also reminded me I need to be more on top of things to make sure I don't forget to write down pertinent information. After flipping through old magazines and newspapers for hours it's hard to keep focus; but enforcing sound research habits should keep me in line.

The next step is to set up the smart tables on Microsoft Excel so I can sort everything by composer, opera, reviewer, journal, year, and other parameters. And they said dissertations aren't fun until you're in the writing stage...

Territory Claimed!

I just received the announcement that the DDM (Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology) database just completed its fall update; and I'm pleased to see my registration made it in time to be included in the update. Although the dates of my study are absent from the title, I feel relieved that my little niche has been staked and flagged with my name. With over 300 additions made in this update, including completed and "in progress" dissertations from all over the world, it was important not to wait too long. Journalistic criticism is currently a hot topic, as illustrated by a recent panel at the AMS (American Musicological Society) meeting last week. And now that my own tiny block is reserved, I'm much more thrilled about the excitement than I was when I was afraid someone would jump on my turf. Surprising how much competitive fervor permeates the world of musicology. My recent addition to the database also inaugurates a series of dissertations soon to follow by my colleagues all advised by my mentor. Until now, despite her successful publications and accolades, my advisor has not unveiled any protegees to the academic field. However, with a class of four of us all under her wing, that will soon change.

Inhalts Never Deliver What they Promise

So I've slowy begun to realize how little stock I should put in consulting the inhalts (table of contents) of the journal volumes I'm perusing for opera reviews. Occasionally there is a review featured by a signed auther and included in the list of contents. However, I've found from experience that the reviews more frequently turn up in the news sections of the journals (Nachrichten), supplied by various correspondents whose identity is only surmisable. I'm thrilled to find more data. But had I known to look in these sections, I wouldn't be requesting some volumes a second time. The other difficulty is that it takes 3 or 4 times as long to get through a volume when you have to skim through every piece of Nachrichten, which is usually printed in Fraktur. If I went only by the Inhalts, I'd just flip to relevant pages and be done in no time. But now I'm developing calluses and straining my eyes more farsighted. Some years there are no opera reviews of value in the Nachrichten; other years there are dozens. Too bad Google hasn't made a search engine for these journals yet. I guess I'll have to survive the great ol' musicological rite-of-passage that my professors endured.