Monday, June 4, 2012

Grant writing, amirite?!

Field season has truly started here, and, let me tell you, it's been absolutely kicking my ass.  I love being outside, working hard, getting sunburnt, and drinking recovery beers at the end of the day as much as the next gal--but not ten days in a row.  Time for a break.

So, here I sit on my first day in the lab in a long while typing away at a grant I'm working on for the USGA, fully immersed in air conditioning, giving my feet a well-deserved break from my Chacos...and I'm already bored.  Give me back my field season!

Seriously, writing (at least this type of writing) is an absolute chore for me.  I don't mind writing stale, starchy methods and results sections because that's simply the best way to present that information.  It's the background/objectives/discussion that breaks my heart.  Why does it need to be so formal and crusty?  What necessitates stiffness and boredom?  WHY PASSIVE VOICE?!  Why?!

It's the liberal arts in me that makes this so difficult.  I have been formally trained (well, it's been forced down my throat and imprinted on my brain) to communicate my ideas clearly, eloquently, and engagingly.  No more. R1 research institute demands that my writing consist entirely of:  Complete Clause (citation). Complete Clause (citation).

Jeez.

Anyone else out there feeling my pain?

On a lighter note:  Operation Pollinator plots!

This is the plot at one of our fancier golf courses.  Picture was taken ~1 month ago--silly me.  I need updated stuff for this business.

This is... beats me.  Not actually one of my native plants that I seeded in, but it was pretty and the pollinators loved it.  Does anyone know?

This is a poppy.  But it's not my poppy.  It just showed up in one of my sites.  Mistake on the part of the wildflower seed company?  Pretty nonetheless.

This beautiful sucker is lance-leaved coreopsis.  It's definitely the dominant bloomer right now, but I anticipate plains coreopsis and black-eyed Susans taking over at some point.

More updates on the Operation Pollinator plots to follow--and an explanation of what exactly Operation Pollinator is.  How did I miss that the first time around?

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