Thank you for all your advice people. I guess we all get roadblocked at some point. I'll keep going on - and use some of your good advice in turning this book to my advantage as best as possible.

The thesis shock has been put on the back burner and I know I must just carry on. In retrospect the book is a positive thing, kind of - at least I have something to define my thesis alongside and against.

I'm off to dance in fields of candy canes and dancing Care Bears TM

*dazed* Ehhhh

Yes, a blur of 14 year old prospective students. It went okay. I stopped being actually sick at 3am today - so it was just the headache. The workshop went okay - they seemed to get something from it!

Somebody sat on me - yes sat on me - on the bus today at 8am. You can imagine the kind of response I gave them...

*curt, nauseated tone* "Excuse me, you're actually sitting on me!"

I have to work headache and tummy bug possible today, and I am giving a workshop for 14 years olds. Save me!!

Oh dear! Sorry - I had a needy momment. Must push on. I can do it!

*grits teeth*

You're right, must keep going!

I have a rewiew panel in 6 weeks, and I am starting to get the feeling that this may be a hard one to pass. My thesis is a mess - esp after finding a recently published work covering swathes of it. I know in time I can move my thesis on - but with 6 weeks to go I just don't know. I actually want to cry, again. Why can't I seem to do this thing? I feel like my supervisors are really losing patience - and interest. And I don't even know how much of this is in my head or not!

Suffice to say - I need to impress with my upgrade. So, does anybody have any experience of pulling their thesis together again? I have done the reading, have case studies - it just seems too slack to pull together again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phzlFOdHAgA

Diana Haddad & Khaled - Mas Louly

Sometimes I just want to give up my PhD and go elk tagging in Northern Sweden. I'm being serious.

Thank you. I know things will pick up. I feel extremely low right now. My PhD has totally lost its mojo.

The book arrived. I read it - it is magisterial. My thesis is ravaged, I will have change chunks - but thank god, she has ommited to look at something I was signficantly looking at. So relief and tears in (unequal) measure.

I remember DanB. It sounds like he has been up to a lot!

I have often imagined sending a thesis to my supervisors with puppies and kittens in it, a few flowers, and happy faces - and my preface would read (verbatim):

" I wrote bout animals cos I fink they r well cute"

Biscuits. Of any sort.

No , it isn't anybody I know. Just a recently retired academic. And the book looks beautiful. Crud.