Received an email from my advisor saying that I'd been nominated for an Excellence in Research award from the Graduate Council at my institution. Wow. What receiving an award really means is that I get a paid trip to TX to meet with my committee, which means prepping a 30 minute lecture on "my" research for the Council conference, and completing enough data memos to make any meetings worth the while. Duh. Always complicated, yes, but always exciting. Meanwhile, dealing with derailment due to a surprise contribution as a book chapter and multiple conference abstracts with fun and promising presentations including musical collaboration. So, when will the dissertation actual begin? I tell myself that all of this is dissertation. Each bit helps me gain clarity and perspective, not to mention good 'ol practice. It's just a long road, long long road.
