I have 3 sups, my 3rd just make comments on his specific little bit which the other 2 are generally ok with as he's the more experienced in that bit, but the other 2 tend to disagree quit a bit.  My primary sup has said to me that when I get comments from the 2nd sup for my chapters, I should meet him and we'll go through them and see what to change and what to ignore. He says as he's primary sup, the buck stops with him.  This is also potentially cos my 2nd sup is prone to changing things again and again, changing things back to how I had them originally after he's told me to fix it etc! We also cc everyone into emails regarding chapters so everyone can see what corrections are suggested.  Perhaps you can just gather corrections, then have a meeting with all three as Emmaki suggests and let them fight it out. But I'd definitely let your primary know about the changes, he'll wonder why you are making corrections otherwise.

lol, thanks Emmaki and Ev :) Emmaki, it takes time to get enough votes to build up your stars, it seems one is relatively easy to get while 4 is way more difficult! And Joyce you're right, every so often there is a little flurry, I think people forget about the helpful user button until someone mentions stars and then suddenly they all bump up! :D

aarrrgh!!!  I hate my life!! I don't have some of the stuff I need for my methods chapter, some of it I can get on Friday but some of it I don't think I've even done, basic stuff that I'll probably get a slap on the wrist for!  My head's turned trying to get this chapter into some sort of order, I've had to constantly go back and re-tweak the method and it's getting really difficult to write it up so it doesn't look like a right mess! And I've had yet another argument with my boyf, that's one every day this week :(  Stupid arguments but still, it's just tensions that I don't need, I'm crap at trying not to think about it until it's sorted!

First off, a massive Happy Birthday Eska!! (gift)

Secondly, Have you made plans for lunch? If youare in writing mode then stay and write, you'll feel great after getting loads done, especially if you've had writers block, like a little birthday present to youself (in a sad-PhD student kind of way)!! If not, then whack on your dress and go out and enjoy your lunch! Nothing like a little silly rain can spoil your day, it's your day and you should enjoy it!

Have a great time :)

Hi folks

Sue, that's great that you are having a night to yourself, I agree with AL and don't take any work, or at least just take a little bit that you can do in a very short time as you don't want the constant feeling of work pressure and guilt destroying your night, it's just one night off that you bloody well deserve!
And AL, try not to get too overwhelmed with everything. I know it's difficult, and I can't imagine how hard it must be to have to fit in writing around other things like work and actual life, but you are getting there, slowly but surely. Your chapter will take shape somehow, you have to just keep plodding away at it. I'm like you in that I'm not the greatest scientist ever, I have made some pretty silly and some large mistakes in my data collection and analysis that I have to fix somehow! My method development chapter I'm doing now is like a fairy story to me, I'm suddenly starting to understand why I did all those thing 2 years ago, I hadn't a clue at the time and now I'm reading papers and trying to put in references to make it look like I knew what I was doing the whole time! :-) You just have to remember we will get there. Eventually. and then we will be free!! I plan on spending a few days after I submit just chilling out, drinking champagne and having gorgeous dinners in the evenings! That's what's keeping me going!

the hero laughed, and said "No".....

yup, when u start a thread, in the top bar of each posters reply there is a Helpful User button that you can click if someones been particularly helpful! The more clicks you get, the more stars! Although I've only ever seen the mods have 5 stars! :D

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for that! Soon I'll be able to join Wally and the others in the 4 star VIP room...I'm very excited! ,-)

thanks Love Hz, I haven't mentioned anything about it to her as I have a feeling this is partly what is going on. Plus I don't want to get on the aforementioned nasty side of her, I can take her surely I just don't need the added hassle! She does make a show of things that people should be doing for her, I think because she's used to getting the help she wanted but now that she's still not bucking up and putting in the hours the people she works with are getting a bit fed up and not going out of their way to help her as much so she feels really hard done by!
But you're right, it's not my project, I can just try my best to be there for her if things go wrong although I'll have do a good job of biting my tongue!

hi there

id def say you should go for it, it sounds like a great opportunity to get work experience while doing your phd and the contacts you'll make and people you'll be working with are invaluable. Regarding your relationship, even if you are doing a masters, at this stage post-undergrad the big holidays don't exist anymore. You will have to spend most if not all of your time in the country you are working/studying in regardless of whether or not you do a masters, phd or a 'normal' non-academic job. Your girlfriend I'm sure will understand this. You will still be with her for the next 2 years while she finishes her degree and then who knows where she might get a job, she could stay in the same place as you until you finish your degree. I wouldn't get too hung up on how things will go in the future, there is absolutely no way to figure out that now. You have no idea what opportunities will open up for you.
So I say go for it!

ok, here's something I do, and I'm not sure if it's a 'good' thing but in situations where you keep on and on tinkering with something, it helps sometimes....
When I have something that I keep wanting to add more things into, firstly I talk to someone non-academic about it. like my mum. I'll call her up and start telling her about when I'm working on and explaining it to her, obviously in lay-mans terms as she'll not get the technical bit. That helps me to see what the most important bits are, the bits that are necessary to understand what's happening. It's amazing how often I overlook hugely important simple things in favour of the latest exciting thing that might be interesting only to me!
then I'll take myself off somewhere away from my books and read through what I've got. If all the important bits are there, I concentrate on just the style/consistency of the text. Any other points that I feel I should include I'll write in the margin. Then a few days later after not looking at it at all, I'll head back to the coffee shop, re-read and see if the extra bits are still important and worth including. And if I can't make up my mind, I'll put it away til the last minute, so I don't have time to include them and I'll have to give it to my sup without further changes!
Like I said, I'm not sure if this last bit is a good thing, but I do tend to go off on tangents which seem vitally important and interesting to me at the time so it helps me!

Good stuff Natassia! If you are happier now that you have this guy in your life then obviously he means something to you and that's important. No point being the smartest, most successful person in the world if you're miserable along with it! I really hope you can work it out with him, he sounds like a good 'un!

Hi there!
ok first off, I'll tell you something my dad told me. He is a counsellor and he once told me that the one thing that stops people getting over issues and moving on is that they cannot forgive themselves. Doesn't matter whether it's a big or a small thing, it will follow you around until you forgive yourself for whatever it is. It sounds to me like you are really mad with yourself for letting your reserach fall behind but you have to accept that what's done is done and all you can do now is try to sort it out and you will move on and it will be ok. I know it's scary facing your supervisor when you've been avoiding them or your work hasn't gone right, I've been there. But the anticipation of the thing is often worse than actually talking to them. The worst that can happen is that they'll get mad, possible shout at you but then that's it. It's over, you can get started back at your project and you'll know now that avoiding it won't help so you can get stuck in and let yourself enjoy it. And remember, you got onto the course, you have your first degree and all the other exams that led you to your masters, so you can do this. As soon as you speak to your supervisor and you find things are starting to move forward again, your confidence will come back and you'll surprise yourself.
I really hope it all works out for you, and as others have said, keep on the forum, we'll help you do it! (up)

Thanks for the replies everyone, I really appreciate it!
That's a good idea to avoid the shop talk, I think I'll definitely do that one! I totally get what you're saying too Chrisrolinski, but I know for a fact that when she's in work it's not all busy busy busy. She works in a civil service place, and take the half hour tea break at 10 and 3, and the half hour/1 hour break for lunch. I did a bit of work there myself and she's well into the civil service way of doing things.
I think part of why she's being like this is due to a mutual friend of ours. He had said to me he was concerned that she wasn't doing enough work to submit on time, and worried that if she didn't submit on time she'd take it quite badly. And it is very difficult to talk about these things with her, she's extremely defensive and can get quite nasty when she wants to. Anywhoo, he tried to have a word with her about it and tried explaining how much work him and myself and other students were doing but it just seems to have made her more defensive and more of a martyr about her work. But avoiding the shop talk will hopefully help, she's alright other than that!