Yes, fair point. I've tried voting for a few people more than once, and it's a bit crap that you can't acknowledge that they've gone out their way to help you. On reflection, I do think that the system needs to change.

Have you tried Findaphd.com? Or have you tried to google for PhDs in International Relations? To find the top universities for what you want to do, you can look at the league tables for the various institutions around the world. Try the Guardian Education website of the Times Higher Education website.

This is a valid point. I suppose it, and correct me if I am wrong moderator, is to stop the gratuitous conferral of stars to non-deserving forumites. As we all know, stars are awarded for hard work, and although the system is flawed, it does help ensure this.

Hello Cobweb, I recently posted about many of the same issues as yourself. Trouble, lack of motivation and feeling lonely are all issues that I am currently trying to deal with myself. I currently don't have the relationship issues that you have given mine ended before it even got to the lying stage.
The way I see it, you've missed a deadline because of the above issues and you haven't let your supervisor know yet. In my opinion, that's no big deal, just e-mail your supervisor and let him/she know that it will be sent very soon - this happens with me quite a it. As to your question on how easy/difficult it is to submit 35000 final words in 10 months - it's doable! I have 7 months to produce 90 000, so you'll be able to do that, honestly.
The motivation and little work issue is, however, a different matter, mediated in part by your relationship? Motivation and feelings of having done little work, in my experienced opinion, form a vicious negative feedback cycle, so the less work you do can make you feel even more unmotivated and think why bother (it has with me). Motivation comes through work enjoyment, achieving realistic aims and feeling as though your work matters. Perhaps you can set and try and achieve aims, start a progress thread on this forum or even talk to your supervisor about the problems you are having. I'm certain that there are other forumites on this forum who have better advie with regard to this. Please see the advice to my thread; there's some really good advice.
I think you need to discuss things with your partner as well, iron any issues you have with trust out. I hope that they understand what you have to go through when doing a PhD and appreciate that. Until you just sit down with them and try and talk things through, it's going to do your head in.
You say you're only one and a half months into your course? It's early days, honestly. You'll still be finding your feet, and the amount of work you have to face can initially feel overwhelming and give you an inferiority complex - it did (and does at the moment) me! I'm sure you're supervisor will be able to put you at ease.
Lastly, don't forget that this forum is a very good source of support. If you have any further issues or problems at any point stick them on here. There is a wealth of members with a range of life experiences that probably cover the problems you're experiencing and if they can help, they will. Take care :-)

P.s. I hope this isn't inappropriate, but please tick the helpful user button for me if I have been helpful. I want 5 stars for Xmas

Yes, Eska I'll nominate you for a star - if anything because of the creative nature of your poem. I'm thinking of moving on up in the world beginning an election campaign for 5 stars myself. I'm looking forward to guest appearances on Parkinson's, News Night and hosting Question Time. I should warn you that the most you can get from 4 stars is an offer to star in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, so being a 4 star celeb is not all it's cracked up to be. Ba Humbug.

This might be a good seating solution, Florence - it's got lumbar support (so it's good for backs) and is relative cheap too: http://www.overstock.com/Office-Furniture/Boss-Lumbar-Support-Executive-Chair/2377844/product.html?cid=133635

I use a Captain's chair (v.comfy), but the family cat, during in periods of schizophrenic frenzy, has attacked it - so there's not much of it left.

When I finished my lecture today, I had an easy afternoon - and I'm going to take it a bit easier this weekend as well. In fact, for the first time in my life, I'm going to watch Hollyoaks tonight on the recommendation of my little 3 year old niece, as she says "It's got fightin' in it". I'll see my supervisor on Monday about the problems; she's a lovely woman and she'll understand. Like Tom Hanks said in Philadelphia (glad I didn't watch that last night with the way I was feeling - death by drowning in tears!): "For every problem, there is a solution". No matter how bad things get, and I must be at the arse-end of a very big cow now, I'm not giving up. I've tidied my study den in a Feng Sui effort to focus my concentration, and so all the paper work doesn't feel as intimidating.
I'd like to thank everyone that has commented and offered advice (Sneaks, Bug, Eska, Caz, Rick, Yellowtrebble, Chrisrolinski, Keenbean and anyone else that I've forgotten); I am really moved by it, appreciative and the advice is very good too. I'm going to follow it. Oh, and the poems are excellent and very funny. Are you sure this shouldn't be closetpoetsforum.com? I think it was Bug who said that you don't put your life on hold for a PhD, it happens while you do it. And to switch to a David Brent Philosophising Mode for a minute, I'm going to say that PhD life is a helter skelter and I'm currently climbing to the top of the Big One in Blackpool, which is going to, erm, take 7 months in my analogy (for our non-native members it's a really famous roller coaster in the UK), so the ride down is going to a crazy, mad, bad, exhilarating blast that ends with me wearing a funny hat and changing my name to Dr Walminski on my Visa-Electron card.
And I'm reminded of a very special person who fought against impossible odds to become the best heavy weight boxer in the world for about 20 years in a row and is still the best at age 63 (Rocky 6), even though his a chronic arthritic and riddled with varicose veins all over his body, who united the East and West during the height of the cold war nuclear tensions in Rocky 4 and lost all his money in Rocky 5 (sleazy accountant, you see) but was still a good all-round guy: Sylvester Stallone. Anyway, he's my new personal trainer via the power of Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AemCeiuI_k

It's not just me that recognises his potential either. BUDINGkicksADRIANNE, a member of YouTube, watches this and exclaims with glee: "kick ass movie..damn i better all 6 copies of it and put it on my collection...this kind movie u? wud simply love to watch over and over again and wont get tired..." Wise words, BUDINGkicksADRIANNE! Sorry, you've got to laugh.


Thanks again everyone for your help and the sense of community :-)(up)

Oh well, I'm probably going to cement a reputation on this forum as a moaner - I'm really not though (I've got a stupid sense of humour and I like to laugh and joke). I'm just really fed up with it all, the PhD, and I want to just give it up. I'm miserable and it just makes me feel trapped. I've got teaching tomorrow and then teaching on Monday, a paper to submit, people to recruit for data collection (which is proving really difficult) and 7 months or so of funding left. I'm fxxked. It's not like I haven't tried. I've conducted a descriptive phenomenological study involving 20 subjects and 2 focus groups. I've conducted a statistical study involving 30 subjects. And now I need more subjects, and then more and then more. It just makes me really upset, because it's like being a sales agent trying to get them involved - and then I'm struggling with the paper. I'm not enjoying it and I have no motivation at the moment. I do want the PhD and it must sound hypocritical because of some of the advice I've given before. But (and thank god this site is anonymous because it sounds embarrassing) I'm lonely, feel withdrawn and I have no life because of this - and it just isn't me.
I can't leave now though - I'm too far in and stand to lose too much. But I can't carry on and on like this.
I'm going to have to go through hell (melodramatic, I know, and we all have to do it) for 7 months and I'm just not looking forward to it. I've got a cognitive study to do and then a series of validation studies. I'm not lazy, at all, and I feel like I've worked non-stop - I just can't keep up. I'm just tired and spend too long in bed because I dread facing the day of late. There's no answers to this, most likely, but any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you.:-(

Find love in 6 months or 6 months free? How on earth do they define finding love? Con-merchants!

I have this book - if you would like it just PM me. :-)

Hello Montezuma. If I were you I would definitely publish before you submit your PhD. If you want to do a post-doc, already having publications increases your chances of being successful. Plus, it can be argued that publishing papers is a part of the PhD process, and it will certainly help you in the viva as it'll indicate that your research is of a publishable standard.

Yeah it were dead good. Big tick and gold star to that man. Anyway, I've heard that if you don't feed a troll they go away. I've got so much crap to do and life's too short to be arsing about with little, petty people like you. Have an nice, erm, life annoying people. ;-)

Cleverclogs, are you bored? Why not watch an X-Factor re-run on ITV2 or I'm a Celebrity on ITV catchup? You know, there are plenty of other sites on the internet (it's really big) where you can get off on trolling. Little wonder you hate ladies of the night since you have no use for them - it's apparent what your first love is. Jog on.