Porridge!!!

Just put it in the microwave, buy the good oats and you don't even need to make it with milk (use plain old water). If you are feeling extreme, chop up some banana or apple to serve with it. Yummm.

Want a more savory snack? Just sprinkle some lardons over the top and serve with a boiled egg.

ps, please don't try the savory snack, that recipe is fictional. Although, I wonder what a certain Mr. Blumenthal would have to say about it?

Alas, if only it was...

Just been to the supermarket, it's expensive, and unfortunately they don't accept hugs for payment. Truth be told I didn't think they would accept my card...

In a nutshell...
cover letter
find 3 or 4 relevant skills, experiences or accomplishments that demonstrate your suitability as an independent researcher that is able to think for themselves - write about them. Don't suck up to the sup. Trend the fine line between arrogance and confidence.

I've said too much already... I have a couple of awesome coverletters that never fail to get me a job interview. Unfortunately, I do actually charge.

Good luck with the letter.
(up)

How much are you offering?;-)

Are you from Northern India, Nepal or Banglasdesh? If so, you should rethink your plans!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8489349.stm

Woo hoo! I've been looking for a post doc forum for a couple of months. As I couldn't find one I'd started giving my 2p on cycling forums. But now this is here I'm gonna be flaming the boards 24/7 (work permitting). Being a post doc is so much better than being a PhD student, and hopefully being on this forum will be even better than being on the PhD forum! 8-)

Thanks for the useful input. Glad to see I'm not the only one who has fretted about this. I'll stick with correcting the typos and not do any restructuring prior to the day of judgement. Although like SarahK5275 says, now I've seen said paragraph and noticed that it makes little sense I can't help but worry about it.

After a restless night last night I've decided that my energy would more wisely be spent on re-reading important publications I referenced in the thesis and making sure I know the main points inside out! Although it's finding the time to do that that is the problem...

Here's a quote that sums it up nicely.
"I am definitely going to take a course on time management... just as soon as I can work it into my schedule." - Louis E. Boone

Thanks Louis :)

Hi everyone,

So I've finally been given a date for the viva and I'm ploughing on through re-reading the thesis. It's hard work that's for sure....

Anyway, I can see some things that could be explained a little more clearly/concisely/elegantly and I'm wondering should I go correcting them now and give my viva examiners a copy of my amendments in the viva or do you think this will cheese them off?

For example, I have a written a paragraph which, I feel, lacks clarity. To make it clear I'd have to rearrange it and add in some missing details. Up until this point I've only added the odd reference and corrected punctuation and typos at a rate of roughly one every two pages, how'd they get through the net, eh?!?!

Anybody faced a similar dilemma? Should I sit tight and correct it after the viva? Am I over stepping the mark by making a fairly big change to the thesis pre viva? Where would you draw the line on previva amendments?

All input kindly welcomed.

Another pharmacist PhD!!!

All the pharmacists clear days, take off and earn extra wonga. Who wouldn't? Your stipend is tax free and earnings on top of it are taxed as if they are your sole earnings, you probably won't be much worse off at all (so you're looking at ~£13.5K stipend + upto £6.5k personal allowance before tax kicks in). Most PhD "contracts" state that you are entitled to 6 weeks holiday, plus bank holidays and enforced university closure days. Enjoy!

If only someone had told me earlier that counting tablets was so lucrative!

You know what this means....

Even further dumbing down of degree courses so greater numbers of non-EU students can pay up and whizz through them. I'm not for one second suggesting that non-EU students don't cut the mustard, but many I have personally taught have a very frail comprehension of the language and unintelligible written work, but somehow manage to never fail a single year or even an exam $Moo$ (That is a cash cow). One nameless uni has even built an all in one teaching/living complex for the sole use of non-EU students, talk about ghettoisation.

That aside, my aspirations of 8-10 weeks holiday and a plush office to myself have been put on hold since hearing this i.e. becoming a lecturer. Instead I’m hoping for the government to stick tight to funding allocated build its “cathedral of science” (Science 11 December 2009), hopefully research away from universities will be protected in the interests of a knowledge based economy. Only time will tell...

Hi Scaredgirl, my viva is coming up soon too and I am also very scared. But I'm sure you'll do fine, I haven't heard of anyone ever failing (and have even seen some people who seemingly didn't have a clue pass too).

Best of luck for Friday. I'll be re-reading a chapter of my thesis in your honour this week.

There are some pretty good tips for how to handle the build up to the viva on this forum and on the www. I often read them to find reassurance/solace. Do let us know how it goes.

Blimey this is definately the lucky crowd! I don't trust mine as far as I can throw them.

There have been too many examples of my ideas being poo-pooed and then suddenly regurgitated by my, ever so wise, supervisor as their own idea. On a couple of occasions these "unworkable" ideas of mine have also ended up making up part of someone else's project. The thing is I wouldn't have minded if my sup had said "interesting idea, do you mind if I pass that on?" or words to that effect.

So yes, I guess the answer is that it relies on good old fashioned trust. Unfortunately my expereince has made me less likely to invest that trust in academics. I'd also be expecting the growth of extra/new forked tongues now the budget for HE has been cut.

Anyway, I'm warming up for some (gift), which should take my mind off the crazy world we live in!

Thanks for the good advice,

I'll be giving a couple of garages a call tomorrow to ask about servicing. I wish I have the time to invest in learning about cars, but alas, academia is the vampire of time. Being a scientist I don't trust anything I can't see or thoroughly test; car engines fall into that category.

I've come up with a dastardly plan too, if the service +any work is more then, say, £500 I'll flog the car to some unsuspecting international student. May as well get in on the act alongside the universities! Just hope they don't recognise the top hat...

What should I do?

I've recently bought a car, a 12 year old hatchback that is showing its age. A service is going to cost fair wonga and I'm really not sure if I should just flog the banger once the winter is out or cough up for a service.

Bearing in mind if I sell the car I probably won't be able to afford another one.

Ah, I had this same problem during the last 6 months of my Ph.D. I had to start clearing days of lab work so I could just read and write for chunks of time. Once you re-read something it usually blows off the cobwebs and something clicks in your mind and, viola, you remember.

I found a disciplined approach here paid dividends. I would spend an hour printing the journals for the day (usually 10-15), then read and write while going along, not stopping to print more journals, just making a little note where needed to be expanded. It was pretty overwhelming to begin with but I soon found my groove.

At the end of the day I would print important publications and leave little notes on the front of them for the next writing day.

As a semi-moronic male of the species I find that I need to be focussed on one project at a time; my poor brain can't cope with multi-tasking.

Good luck with the write up, don't overdo the coffee!

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Come on Keenbean, spill the beans, are you Pete?

See you in the Dog and Duck at six.