Green beer?

I hate the newish style of jeans. I want my jeans to end up near my belly button instead of drifting down around my hips. I think the hipster style of jeans creates muffin top myself, unless you are completely rail think like Posh Spice, they make you have muffin top. My waist is near my belly button, not near my hipbones!

America goes insane for St Paddys Day--with their version of "traditional Irish" things. Basically, even if there is no Irish person in town, its a celebration of things green. Wear a green shirt or drive a green car and you can join in a parade! Drink green beer! Its IRISH TRADITION! ( according to the Americans)

Sauerkraut is a very German dish--its where I think the nickname of Kraut came from for Germans--anyway I don't care for sauerkrat. As the name suggests I think its made of fermented cabbage. Some people really like it but I don't!!! I prefer the traditional Irish dish of a pint of Guinness, served in the correct traditional Irish pint glass with the slight bulge near the top of the glass.

I meant..the same as I had been doing...not the same as you. You sound really healthy with the yoga and all!

Good for you SillyBilly! I am sort of doing about the same--mostly healthy, could do better. I keep some fruit in my office to eat ( and have tried to cut out or back on the Doritos) and generally eat mostly healthy, if a bit heavy on carbs ( easy to fix late in the evening). I should get more exercise, but I do a lot of walking just in my daily routine to and from the uni, to the market or shops, and back, at least 30 minutes a day, sometimes much more. I wanted to get back into running...maybe I will give it a go this weekend.

I caved in and went for a bag of Doritos...and am cracking up over their packaging....it says that they are made the "traditional Mexican way." Hmmm..I never knew Doritos were a Mexican tradition! It reminds me of going to lunch at an Irish themed pub back in the US with some work mates, where the waitress described the turkey sandwich as being made in the traditional Irish way with sauerkraut! Hmmm..I never knew that turkey, sandwiches or sauerkraut singly, let all alone altogether in a sandwich were traditionally Irish!!! Well, I should get back to work on my PhD in the traditional way...!

What part of Oz are you from? I lived in Sydney ( Northern Beaches) for a year as an exchange student in 5th form and have been back to visit several times! Love the country! Nearly ended up there instead of England at one point, but that is a long story!

Hi Numbat

I am an American doing a PhD in England. I completely underestimated the toll and stress and strain of being in another country. You are right, that even the small tasks of daily life like shopping can feel overwhelming. I am now starting to feel in the groove of things, so to speak, but it can still be very tiring to negotiate daily life. I think Shani on here described that as part of culture shock, where you suddenly cannot even do the smallest daily tasks you used to take for granted.

I do not have the language barrier you have--but sometimes the difference in spoken British and American English is quite striking! And it is a wholly different culture, the way of getting things done and how people relate very different.

I know it was just a spell check error but the "artificial inelegance" always makes me laugh...Is that like tripping and stumbling on purpose, to get attention, or accidentally on purpose spilling your drink on someone to get their attention? It sounds like a Bridget Jones move! I heard of a student whose spell check turned her attendance at the XyX Community College ( a place that gives out 2 year degrees in the US) to the XyX Communist College!!!! as she listed her degrees and attendance in an application!

De nada, Xeno. I hope that things get back on track for you and that you start to feel better! I think we all struggle with this to some degree or another.

but the point being, that successful women sometimes tend to date "down"--I hate that phrase, cannot think of a better one to describe what I am trying to say, in order to try to avoid the problems and competition they encounter in other types of relationships. Bottom line-if your partner loves you and is committed to the relationship, he will not force such a black and white choice. If he will not yield, move with out him and be glad you got away.

Maybe I have just had ill luck or ill choosing in partners, but it seems that at important junctures of my education and career, if I was in a long term relationship, I had a partner that sometimes tried to force choices, a them or the education/career opportunity. I think that this may be a common issue for highly achieving women, that their success does not sit easy with the male psyche at some level. There is some kind of "syndrome"--named after a character in the show Friends, about a succcessful woman dating a man that was not as "achieving" as her--I cannot for the life of me think of what it is...

I agree with what Tricky said. If he is committed to you and the relationship, he would find a way to try to compromise. Your dreams and goals would also be important to him. Sounds like he may be jealous of your opportunity and perhaps secretly threatened by your abilities and successes. I was faced with something similar after my US undergrad degree and a boyfriend that wanted to get married, while I wanted to go to law school ( 3 more years of school). He said he would not wait while I went to law school, I decided I was far from ready to marry at the age of 21!!! and that if he cared about me and my dreams he would not have forced a choice that so utterly foreclosed them. I went to law school, and I don't know what became of him!

Hmmm I think that it depends where you wear them. A night out, sure, I think they are fine...but anything else, I think you might run the risk of being perceived as having crossed the line so to speak. If you are going to a conservative do or with a more conservative crowd, they are likely to think...hmmm...trampish or even perhaps dominatrix!