Þorfinnr Karlsefni. He explored Markland, which is relevant to my research.

I have one date — 1347, describing, briefly, a trading expedition to Markland.

Pray, good sir, when did they discover Markland? It's described in the Grœnlendinga saga but I cannot find a date. Even a year. Even a friggin' decade.

The Grœnlendinga saga and Eiríks saga rauða are giving me the headache from hell. I've learnt some very, very, very sketchy and uncertain and minimal Icelandic, enough so I can identify familial relationships and names, but I know nothing of their calendar system during the time of the sagas.

I am an annoyed panda.

For the kind soul who asked — my research is on the French and English colonisation of l'Acadie / Nova Scotia, as they passed back and forth several times depending on treaty obligations in wars fought in irrelevant places. It's a fascinating study of English vs. French management of literally the same lands, with the same First Nations peoples, & c.

That isn't Icelandic, but I'm just trying to establish a date for first European contact, which was definitely with the Vikings (and more importantly, exposed the First Nations to Europeans for the first time, which they remembered, as I can show in my Wampanoag Confederacy source documents), and I cannot find it.

I am closing my scholarly research databases, I am closing my timeline done painfully and painstakingly in Excel, I am closing EndNote X3 (thanks be upon the thesis gods that chose to give us benevolent bibliographic software) and I am going to lie with a cool compress on my forehead and try to stop shaking with frustration.

There will be 250 pages wrested from me by 16 March, 2010 so I can have a rough draft. There will be, there must be, there shall be. But, like childbirth, it will be painful and I will be having thoughts of regret, and not incidentally, strong drugs, throughout.

Still trying to decide on Edinburgh. I really need some stuff that's too delicate (correspondence, mostly) to scan or microfilm. On the other hand, I so can't afford it it's ridiculous. Though I can if I stay in hostels, I can afford it, just barely, on my grant. Oh, and not eat.

Below, beneath a cut, is a fascinating piece, "Frodo Baggins, A.B.D." and highly recommended reading for all researchers in acadame.

( Frodo Baggins, A.B.D. by Susie J. Lee )

For those who have not read the books or seen the films, the significant parts of the story centre around a long journey made by a hobbit named Frodo Baggins. He travels across a land called Middle-earth to throw a ring into the middle of a volcano called Mount Doom -- an action that, for doctoral students, is known as "filing the dissertation."

Like many a dissertator, Frodo's terrible and treacherous mission has a dual nature. He cannot, and does not, accomplish the goal without the help of others, but ultimately, he must bear the great load alone.

( Frodo is accompanied on the journey by his hobbit friends Sam, Merry, and Pippin. )

Frodo, on the other hand, has made the decision that he wants to go all the way. His most important companion is Sam, who is the equivalent of Frodo's "partner".

Sam is not a Ph.D. student, and more than anyone else, he has the terrible burden of being the one closest to the ring bearer. Sam's own fate is tied to that of the ring yet he is helpless to determine his future in a direct manner. He cannot make Frodo finish; he can only try to make it easier for Frodo to do so. He is the long-suffering hero whom every ring bearer thanks at the beginning or end of the acknowledgments of the dissertation — the one about whom everyone writes "I couldn't have done it without you."

On their way to file the dissertation, Sam and Frodo separate one time. The separation is the result of a deception spun by a fallen soul named Gollum — a.k.a., the doctoral candidate who will never finish.

( Gollum lived with the ring for many years and it destroyed his life, mind, and well-being. )

For example, he is stabbed three times during the course of his journey by disgusting and horrible creatures. He is hounded by terrifying beings called the Ringwraiths. Those attacks are the equivalent of the dissertator's endless financial struggles. ( Each loss of funds prevents him from paying enormous photocopying costs, expenses for travel to archives, bills for books and supplies, health insurance, and campus fees. )

Gandalf is instrumental in running interference for Frodo and making sure that he can complete his mission. He writes recommendations for grants and letters of introduction to libraries. He critiques drafts, locates possible sources of money, and feeds his student whenever possible. Most important, he offers intellectual guidance and moral support. Gandalf has his own challenges, however. In the Mines of Moria, he faces down a horrifying demon called the Balrog — meaning he must also teach, research, publish, and serve on committees.

( Frodo's “fellowship” also includes family, friends, dissertation groups… )

Frodo and Sam have finally arrived at Mount Doom, which means that Frodo finally has the full draft. But he looks terrible; he has been defeated emotionally and spiritually by the burden of carrying the ring. He has reached the end of his long journey, but will he file?

At the volcano, Sam yells to Frodo to throw in the ring. But by this time, the strain and burden of carrying the ring for so long has damaged Frodo's mind; he doesn't want to let go. He looks at Sam with a crazed look and says, "The ring is mine!" which, translated, means that he can't or won't finish; he has more research to do, more editing; the dissertation is just not good enough; he must reformat the page numbers.

He has taken the step toward becoming Gollum. He will remain A.B.D. forever. Sam cries pitifully. His life is ruined, too.

( All of a sudden, Gollum appears and wrestles Frodo to the ground. )