Yawwwwnnnnnn...

I would have done the following:

1) Not have broken into a sprint with my work - it is a marathon after all (and I'm burnt out now).
2) Have chosen to do a research study smaller in scope.
3) Gotten my ethical approval sorted out quicker!
4) Have asked myself seriously - do you really want to do a PhD and be a researcher?
5) Have actually started a healthy exercise regimen.
6) Treated it like a 9 to 5 job, and not have tried to demonstrate so much promise to so many people.
7) Have recognised that there is life outside of PhD land and you should grab hold of it while you can, while you have the time.

There's probably a lot more I can actually add, if I have a good think about it.

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo! Welcome to Film Review 2010 with Peasucker, or Willy as some have very creatively and affectionately named me (how the hell do we go from Walminski-pea-sucker to Willy, btw - tut, tut?). And tonight we review Peter Jackson's latest offering, The Lovely Bones, and Pumpkinhead. First up, The Lovely Bones...

Essentially a chick flick borne of chick lit, The Lovely Bones is the story of how a young, innocent and naive teenage girl is murdered by a seemingly innocent neighbour (with a very dark past) and then must battle in purgatory between her need for revenge and urge to move on into heaven and release her family from the torment of her disappearance. The film features all the hallmarks of a Peter Jackson film: very expensive special effects - and that's it. Curiously, however, too me it felt like watching an ITV 1 Drama Premier - all shine and pervasive sense of pointless melodrama. The characters are not adequately developed, and as such it is not possible to identify with or feel sympathy or empathy with any of them. Unfortunately my ability to critique this film is somewhat marred by the fact that no-way in hell would I ever be seen buying the book it is based on from WH Smiths. It does feature actors of Hollywood actors of note, including Susan Sarandon (whom I hate, since she's a stinking, green tea-drinking, spiritualist feminist).

Pumpkinhead...1980s gory horror at it's most efficient, with a pleasing twist of Southern Americana gothic. In keeping with the theme of dead kids and vengeance, Pumpkinhead tells the story of a young boy who is murdered by city kids, and his father's need for vengeance. Angry, apoplectic, infused with rage (and all the other adjectives you can think of to describe someone who is really mad at someone else), the boy's father visits a witch to summon a demon to slay all those involved in his boys death. From there no further description is necessary other than the label of teen slasher movie. This film has an awful lot of strong points including impressive special effects for a B-movie, excellent cinematography and quite good character developments for the first ten minutes. However, his son's uncanny likeness to the Milkybar Kid did ruin it for me a little. For instance, by making me laugh at inopportune, such as when he is killed.

Well, that's all for now folks. Stay tuned...i.e. it's someone else's turn to do a review now.

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo!

Well only the first 3 pages but if we extrapolate...I'm winning so far ;-)

You know, statistically speaking I have been the longest unchallenged poster on this thread. As such, I am currently the winner. So, unless someone remains unchallenged for longer than 45 days, I win. How do you like them apples?

Thanks Keenbean and Sneaks. I have a supervisory meeting in a week, and I'll bring it up then. It might be Sneaks, as you say, that I'll have to organise it into volumes and have a very big appendix. I need to be careful not to overwhelm the viva examiners with too much stuff. See, I'm making and validating a questionnaire and everything that I have to do for that will create a huge amount of data. And, I don't want to sound simple, but I see my PhD as the story of how it was conceptualised and made within a mixed methods framework. I've already cut it down significantly as I was going to use a lot of psychometric trickery, so it's already a bare bones attempt at making a questionnaire. And it is the absolute minimum I can do to justify my methodology. It's difficult to write at the moment because I don't know where to put the writing, if you know what I mean?

Hello forumites. I have a very serious issue that I'm hoping to get some input on. In a nutshell, I think my PhD may be too big and ambitious. The problem is that I have stack loads to write about and have not an inkling of how it is all going to fit together. I'm a devil for details and I've spent hours just sitting still, inside my head, thinking: "How the hell is this going to flow?" I do have some chapters written and have stack loads of data analysed. I've got about another 8 months left and still have stack loads of data to collect and analyse. It has been suggested by other academics that my PhD is too big, that much of it could be post-doc work.
The problem is that in order to use my theoretical framework, methodology and a lot of the other stuff, I have to do this now. There's no getting around actually having to do everything I was originally going to do because otherwise my PhD would require complete re-conceptualisation, new methodological design and so, in a nutshell, a complete re-write. I'm not going to do this, even if my I am going to require another year. I wish I had been aware of what problems this could have created at the start - benefit of hindsight and all that.
I have that many ideas and concepts, so much to show and write about, as it stands, that my PhD will necessarily be quite vague and I might not be able to really show what I know and have learnt in my writing. And Christ Almighty, don't even get me started on what the discussion is going to look like...
Anyway, I'm not sure there are any words of advice other than from Nelson in The Simpsons: "Ahhh-haaa!"

It's Chris Morris, so you can rest assured of its calibre.8-)

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo! Welcome to Film Review 2010 with Peasucker. And reviewed tonight we have The Road and The Book of Eli. First up The Road.

Depressing, depressing, depressing. The story of the love between a father and his boy in a post-apocalyptic world. Very atmospheric with 'beautiful' scenic shots, it features cannibals and the last can of Coke on Earth. I picked a tonne of holes in the plot and thought it dragged a little. There is much speculation between people with too much time on their hands (moi!) over exactly what caused the apocalypse. I reckon it was natural disaster because if it was nuclear then they would have died of radiation sickness - plus there is still ash that falls from the sky - even many years after the original event. There are a couple of gratuitous nudity moments that sadly feature The Man and not Charlize Theron (I'm not being a perve here, I just think it should have been more realistic) - she dies about a 3rd into the movie. She just says, "Like yahh, I so can't deal with this any more. See ya! Sure wouldn't wanna be ya!" and walks off into the night. It does actually remain quite faithful to Cormac McCathy's book.

Now the Book of Eli. Hmmm, where the hell did Denzel Washington learn his kung fu from? The Book of Eli could be classed as a Christian movie on acid and steroids, with a dollop of Spaghetti Western thrown in to the mix. It is essentially about Jesus 2.0 who dies in order to save us from our sins - again! Carrying on with the seemingly current obsession of Hollywood with the Apocalypse (2012, The Road, 28 Months Later), Denzel is a man on a mission to preach the word of God to mankind. Armed with a Machette and the last remaining copy of the bible, he wreaks holy havoc on anyone who gets in his way. There's not much to the plot, other than a few sweeping dramatic shots and Denzel looking cool and walking in slow motion occasionally, as he makes his way from A to, well, B. As with most films that feature powerful men on a mission, a 'silly' woman complicates matters for him and he ends up getting shot. But she's a quick learner and becomes a good 'un in the end by carrying on with his mission, in the guise of Jesus 3.0.

Well, that's all for now folks...

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo!

Hi Slowmo. There is absolutely nothing random about your post. You've just described a very big portion of the PhD process. You're becoming a researcher and demonstrating all the skills necessary. What type of research do you do? Is it the positivistic natural or biological sciences, or are you dealing with qualitative research. If it is the later, what you have just described is integral (which you'll already know). If it is the former, then you really should be a qualitative researcher.
Ironically, I don't feel like I've changed at all - and I do plenty of naval gazing. Not to drastically simplify matters, I only feel different in terms of I know a bit more stuff. I'm probably a bit more cynical if anything - and short tempered!

Yeah this is a super idea! I'll be back later, after I've finished reading and making notes on cognitive interviewing (yawn...) with some of my film reviews. Eska, I've seen The Road and the book of Eli and I'll compare and contrast. Await my reviews and expert analyses with baited breath...

Sneaks, I've also collated the data and subjected it to complex general linear modelling. Anyway, the computer says you came last because you're meal was the worst, you frequently abused other diners and you offended male guest by making them eat of a naked man. I'm mentally scarred by the experience and will now have to live with it forever. If anything, I should be suing you for compensation.

Sorry for my harsh ways Teek, but I am a perfectionist and expect the very highest standards. I also take my temper out on everyone when my work isn't going well - as happened last night when I was judging the quality of your meal. Teek, you're a victim of circumstance. I'm pleased that I came second, but feel that I should have come first.

Eska, this was a really good idea as a competition! We need a new one on a new thread now. We've had story writing, star collecting and celebrity PhD student come dine with me. What can we do next?

Pink arrows painted on the road? Vandalism! It'll cost the council a fortune to clean that off. Teek, you're already off to a bad start with your meal. I only came for the alcohol really - so I'm very disappointed that you didn't describe what was on offer. I'm also very envious of the idyllic location of the abode. Teek, it's going from bad to even worse for you. At least there's no naked men here - and I do like Belle and Sebastian too (very bohemian). I'm beginning to think this meal might be okay after all. So, what's for lunch...

Salmon - but is it sustainably farmed? Duck? That's like eating dog - and they're very greasy to eat as well! And what hell is all this other fancy stuff that I can't even pronounce? What social class division do you think I'm from? 1? This is such an elitist and socially divisive menu, I can't possibly eat it or condone it! Well, I'll just have the chocolate pudding to keep you happy.

Hmm, having only had sickly sweet chocolate pudding and gallons of sparkling wine and feeling queasy, I think it'll be a good idea to go on your trampoline. Sneaks, gerroff, it's my turn. Bllleerrrrrggghhhhhh! Darn, wasn't expecting that! Well Teek, given the disappointing nature of your meal, you can clean it up! I'm giving you....3 out of 10! Argue with me over the generous score and I'll knock a point off. You have been warned.