My Kingdom for a Grant

Now that the holidays are over I am back to work on the dissertation. Well not on the dissertation itself, but on applications for more funding. I've already expressed on this blog the frustration of spending a portion of your time on one grant applying for the next one. And that attitude has not changed. It's amazing how much valuable (and in my case limited) research time is devoted to these grant applications. But like trading in baseball, you have to give up something valuable to get something valuable.

I am currently torn between reusing a chapter I wrote for a previous grant or rewriting it based on new research I've discovered. The advantage of resubmitting the old chapter is that the prose is polished, thoroughly edited, and the order of ideas and exposition are clear. The con to the chapter is that the conclusions are frankly obsolete, based on a very early sample of sources I'd gathered. A new chapter could incorporate the newer sources, making the conclusion more credible. However, a new chapter would need to be restructured. I simply cannot append the new data.

Although I feel rushed and am hesitant to abandon the library for the next two weeks, I am leaning toward writing the new chapter. In the end, I will have to rewrite the chapter anyway. And as the grant is competitive, I need to put forth my best work. I also suspect that such a long hiatus from my sources at the library will encourage me to pick up the pace when I return in a few weeks, driven by my long absence. Another year of funding is too valuable to sabotage with a premature chapter.

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.

Marathon

So I decided to train for the Torino 2008 marathon this year to give myself some occasional distance from the library and my computer screen. It will also contribute to my determination to maintain a routine lifestyle here in Munich. So I've never run a race longer than a 10K (6.2 miles) and am a bit daunted by the half-marathon experience of my training partner. So far this week, since Sunday, I've run 20 miles with four more planned on Saturday and an eight-mile long run on Sunday. Although I've been able to run the prescribed mileage each day, I've felt sore and tired all week. I guess this is the usual shock reaction your body makes when you transition from laziness into a fitness routine. Although since my knee injury I've done a good amount of running, and clocked in a personal record at the Cincinnati Redlegs 5K in 2006, I haven't maintained a schedule like this since I was an undergrad. For cold and rainy days like last Sunday when I did a seven-mile run, I would have remained indoors. Now I have to weather all kinds of conditions and wash my winter running clothes twice a week.

What has made me enthusiastic about this training is a recent purchase, the Nike iPod. The receiver plugs into the bottom of your iPod nano and a sensor is either installed in one of Nike's special running shoes, or attached to the shoe laces of a different brand. Nike has never made a shoe comfortable for my flat feet, and since I'm getting ready to change from Brooks to Mizuno running shoes in a month or so, I'm glad there is a flexible option. The great thing about the Nike iPod is that it tracks your time, speed, etc. as well as save your previous running data, which you can upload online and share/track with friends. If you clock in a personal record, the voice of Lance Armstrong appears: "This is Lance Armstrong; congratulations you just set a personal record for the mile!" As you run, you iPod shuffles or goes through playlists as normal. You can even select a power song before you start running that you can activate immediately any time you need a boost--just imagine switching on the Rocky song everytime you get slow halfway up a hill. I also got one of those iPod arm bands you always see the celebrities wearing in gossip magazines. I feel like a hardcore runner now.

Wake-up call Munich

I'm now in my second week of research at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich. I haven't really been very productive, since Oktoberfest has been going on. One particular weekend morning I woke up with intentions to work at my desk in the apartment while the weekday hustle and bustle was over. To my surprise, a parade began right outside my window. This consisted of several Bavarian marching bands, Alpine hornists, and singing choruses. Oktoberfest had begun, right at my weekend study spot.