I didn't actually get up till lunchtime but have been working solidly since then. I'm going to get something to eat now and will probably do some more work until 9.30pm when I am going to watch Bridget Jones's diary. Even though I am a workaholic geek of a PhD student, I'm not a sad singleton, so I have something to be thankful about. (No offence to anybody who is single - I am refering to the Bridget Jones type)

I'm really into what I'm doing at the moment but want a cuppa so if someone else makes it I can offer mini choc muffins or choc krispie cakes in exchange!

Do people usually take weekends off? Unless I have something arranged I just work seven days a week to make up the hours for a normal working week.

Thanks Bonzo, I'm going to kick ass now and not be too considerate. She has failed in her duty as a supervisor - end of story!

I agree people have a right to holidays but if you promise to do something important before you go then don't it's not really very professional. It is causing me major stress, as I have no idea whether what I have done is what the panel wants and I now have to go in 'blind' as it were to defend my work.

Bonzo, I have done this already and she acknowledged my e-mail in which I sent my draft chapter, but then no feedback. Her e-mail is now an out of office reply and I cannot telephone her. I think I will contact my second supervisor and ask if she is able to give me any feedback if she has time (I know she has just come back from her holiday so should be able to get hold of her) There are a couple of post-docs on the project but they are working in a different area to me but I could try them, so there are other options.

Oooh I know what you mean. I had the same problem recently, and it was so annoying when I put my Athens details in and it said the subscription from my uni had lapsed. I contacted the library and complained but they said that electronic articles can still be accessed through the inter-library loan service. You should check this out. I think they can e-mail articles directly to you.

I have a second supervisor who is head of the project I an working on. She is also on the review panel. I feel sort of as if I am going behind my supervisors back if I contact someone else but that is daft really I know. If she didn't fulfil her promise then I have to look at other options.

My previous review panel went badly as my lit review was torn to shreds. I have my next panel in three weeks and I really wanted to make sure that the chapter I was working on was as perfect as I could get it. I've worked really hard and had some initial feedback from my supervisor and re-wrote a lot of it and added more research I'd done. We arranged I would e-mail it to her this week and she would send me feedback before she went on holiday this afternoon. But she has gone without doing this. I have to send it to panel members before she gets back and even though I have a meeting with her before the panel it will be too late to do anything about the work I have submitted. I really wanted to be more prepared this time. This is just one of my rants I suppose as there is nothing I can do about it.

I did a course in academic French designed for people with OK French who needed to consult journals, papers, documents etc in French. You should check out your language dept if you have one or your faculty's training programme. Bonne Chance!

If you get one wrong then it comes up again so you can have another go.

I had a look at this site and it's fun. You are right about the difficult words though! I got up to 46 and lots of rice was donated so I feel suitably charitable and educated now.

I'm in a room where the radiator comes on when the water is heating up, so although I have a window open, it has been stifling. It's nice and cool now though. I'm trying to finish a chapter to send to my supervisor tomorrow. My deadline for my review panel isn't for two weeks but the selfish woman is going on holiday on thursday so I have to get it to her before then for feedback.

Depending on who funds you, you are likely to have the money paid in instalments. I'm funded by the AHRC and get four payments a year. This amount just stays in my current account as I am using it regularly for the usual day to day and monthly outgoings. I suppose I could put some of it in an ISA until I needed it but it would only have to be transferred back after a month.

Are you certain you have not been invited. I know that sounds a silly question, but maybe if everyone else seems to be going, then it was an open invitation and you do not need to wait for a formal invitation. You could try just casually asking what time people are meeting and see what reaction you get. I had the same thing happen to me years ago when I worked in a shop. The company had a big event and everyone went except me. Someone had to stay and work, and it seemed that I had been chosen so wasn't invited. However, this was just a little part-time job while I was an undergraduate so I wasn't really bothered about socialising with them anyway.