hi guys - thinking of an all night long work session tonight - more to reset a silly body clock! anyone want to join? I'll put the coffee on :)

Hello,

My two pennies :)
Yeah 'mummy' might not be the best move - but BY ALL MEANS dedicate to your mum - bet she is brimming with pride!
I wrote an acknowledgements page followed by a photo of my Dad who very sadly was killed during my second year and wrote underneath the picture 'Dedicated to the memory of'

What you COULD do is do one copy with your mummy page in for yourself :) and leave it out the ones for your library/supervisor etc.

Either way all the very best to you!

B
x

Hmm tricky issue, but I think that I have to say Fled and Walter_Opera make some pretty good points and I also agree with chickpea.
All these issues depend heavily on the supervisor and the rules he or she has and also the expectations of students he or she has. I have covered a variety of research positions with one post involving supervisors mailing at midnight to ask people to come in for 7am (which I did - it was required) to my current supervisor who grants a lot of freedom.
If the PI in the original situation requested attendance at 9am then, like it or loathe it, that’s what has to be done. I don’t think its OK to say 'I’m not a morning person' and then simply not arrive - especially if everyone else in the group does.
I don't want to appear mean to the original poster but I agree a lot with what Walter_Opera says! I would even venture to say (somewhat reluctantly) that the OP sounds to me to exhibit some self destructive behaviour.
What would have made it easier to be a little more objective in what to think here it would really require knowledge of the behaviour of others in the group and bearing in mind the post is 6 months old we are unlikely to get any more information.
But to others that look to this post as they may be experiencing problems I would take on board the advice given in the posts. If the PI says 9am then you go in for 8.55am, its not acceptable to be late for scheduled meetings.
I am of course in NO WAY saying ANY kind of bullying is acceptable having been on the receiving end of it myself, but I am saying its hard to be objective in this case.

All said I hope the original poster is fine now and been able to move on - wish them all the best really!

B
x

Hi AislingB - thanks for your reply :) its nice to hear the other perspective! Apologies on behalf of all owls - you shouldn't be frowned at for leaving at 5 when you are there at 8! *hoots angrily at those owls!*

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your replies, glad I'm not the only one! I find it so annoying that for all we do as much work as the early birds we are frowned upon for not being sparky at nine am!

I put alarms on other side of room, I even have a coffee machine on a timer in my bedroom to go off at 7.30 and I still look and feel like the walking dead.

Interesting though how when the early birds knock off at 5-5.30 us night hoots don't frown at them in a 'oh you are off early aren't you?' probably because they will (and rightly) say 'I was here at 8 though' :D
I think its the one sidedness that gets me! :D

Hats off to all early birdies though!

Hi guys,

A bit off topic but as you can guess from title I am an owl - a great big owl! BUT I so want to be a lark so I wondered if anyone has managed to switch from owl to lark successfully?

I think I am at the extreme and of owlery as I could happily stay up to 4-5am and sleep until 12 but I want to be seen bright eyed and bushy tailed around the dept? I know its unfair on us owls as we work the same but at different times but we all know that owls are frowned upon whereas the larks are not!

any advice greatly appreciated!

Bevcha xx

Thanks TreeofLife

I hope so, will be sprinting up that hill no problems! :D
Thanks for the advice with the sweetener, I will instead try to cut down - to be honest through the week I tend to have only maybe 2 cups of tea.

My saving grace is that I don't drink fizzy drinks, no cola or anything like that, I don't eat crisps and I never have processed meals.

:)

thanks lots for your advice :)

Hi Guys,

Still nibbling healthy things and walking home every night (its about 3K) I dont walk in because its at the top of a massive hill and I would be a mess by the time I got there!

I wanted some opinions on sweetener? I dont have a sweet tooth with the exception of in tea :( I have replaced most of my cuppas with herbal tea but just wondered if Low Cal sweetener has worked for anyone?

thanks again for all replies!

B
x

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies and the advice! I am following it to the letter having done a huge shop of healthy goods yesterday and will try to fit some more walking in (saves on bus fare too!)

Regarding Dr Jeckyll indeed it is sensible to not go into running straight away but I should have mentioned that up until an injury in May I was an avid runner (injured during Edinburgh Marathon) however after injury I clearly carried on eating as if I was burning all those calories! Hence the cardiac when I got on the scales :D

Many thanks guys - will keep you updated. Just submitted a paper today too - I will NOT celebrate with cake!

B
x

Hi All!

Its been a LONG time since I posted on here, last time being in 2011 during a horrid postdoc experience and you guys certainly helped me through it!

Now doing a lovely postdoc in sunny portugal and enjoying it (although procrastination STILL rears its ugly head now and again!)

Now guys here is my big confession - I have turned into a big podge! I used to be a nice 9.5st in first year of PhD and now I am a squidgy 11.5st (im ony 5ft4!) and concerned that if I continue in academic field I will become morbidly obese - although I will be the greatest computational chemist in world as I will be too fat to leave my desk :D

So come on guys, what can you suggest? what keeps you all slim whilst being eternally stuck at desks?

ps I will be taking up running again - long distance

cheers me dears!
B

THE PLOT THICKENS!

Firstly thanks to everyone who viewed and replied it really means a lot!
Well allow me to share with you the latest developments. I wanted to know how much notice I was required to give and asked to see a copy of my contract for the fellowship I am on. Well lo and behold this fellowship never existed!! I am paid by someone else entirely! Has anyone aver come across such a thing before and if so what did you do about it? I must be honest and say that I am furious that I have been lied to like this - just shows I am better off out of this!

keep smiling everybody!

B
xxx

Hi There!

Thank you very much for your reply and advice. I will be able to take around 3-4weeks from ending this one to beginning the next one so in that time I hopefully will be able to get a bit of sparkle back and perspective!
This forum is great, sometimes helps just to get the words out there!

best wishes
:-)

Hi Guys,

Last time I posted here I was over the moon as I had just passed my PhD viva which went really well and I really couldn't have been happier.....one year later.....

I took a postdoc offer outside of my home country (UK) and it has resulted in the worse depression I have ever found myself in.
It started off not too bad I felt good about the project and the new challenge and was enjoying it that was before supervisors true colours revealed! Bullying, pushy, narcissistic, arrogant, deluded, abusive .... I could go on! The stupid thing being the harder I worked the worse the bullying became. When I took holiday I was entitled to I was sent abusive mails and also when attending a family members funeral the same abuse incurred :-(

Resultantly I now have zero motivation and less than zero confidence and feel like crap, to drag myself in at all is agony now and I was never like this in my life before - I have asked a trusted staff member if there is a counselling service available. I have four months left before I begin a three year funded fellowship (which I won) with someone I know very well and I cannot wait. 4 months feels like forever though!

Phew! that was a bit of steam let off!

Hope everyone is enjoying their post doc time!

Hi Guys!!
Thanks for all your replies!!

I did my PhD in theoretical chemistry in UK. My studies were the usual stories of ups and downs :-). Problems with resources, things just generally not working etc Hee hee!!
I prepared for my viva by revising as much of the basics about chemistry and the theory about computational chemistry as I could and I thought this proved to be really worth while because even though you may not specifically be asked basics it really does help you explain what you're trying to say in the exam. I wasn't asked the questions I thought I was going to be but there certainly wasn't anything unexpected or unrelated and 2.5hrs later I walked out with a pass!! Great feeling!!

all the best
BevCha
xxxxxxxxxx

:-) Hi everyone!!
Throughout my PhD i've come onto the forum to get some inspiration (especially during writing up! ,-)). There's always loads of really encouraging messages and I just want to say keep going everyone you'll get there and best of luck!!!
BevCha
xx