Way hey! Well done on the first draft, Bug! That's really speedy work too, although I guess I can understand that if you're paying international fees yourself...

Hope you slept the sleep of someone who really deserves a good sleep!

I'm not sure that anyone will give more 'substantial advice', Chuff, as yours seemed spot on to me. I agree that you should take this RA job - five months is a long time to sit around waiting for the Postdoc fellowship that may not even be a 'yes'. Of course, I'm sure it will! But it's good to have something definite in the meantime and it's very normal for people to have to leave even short-term contracts in the middle.

At my uni, they said it could be up to six weeks.

Hope you hear soon and that it's good news!

Yay! Nice work, Button. Everytime you do it you'll just gain more confidence now. Well done!

Oh my goodness - York is incredible today! It's calf height snow outside my front door. I was due to head to Leeds for an initial meeting with a headteacher about my research. I haven't gone and fortunately the meeting was cancelled...

I have a pair of woolly tights and some fluffy bedsocks and a pair of trousers on bottom half, a long sleeved black top with a knitted tunic and black wool cardigan on top half. Not quite enough but the heating has only just gone back on here at home, as I've just battled my way home.

I've just made it onto campus and perfect timing as it's a raging blizzard outside now.
However, I was wearing:
ugg boots (proper ones - Emu - really recommend them - best thing I've bought in ages, so much better than the cheapo versions)
hiking socks
jeans
black top
MASSIVE khaki fleece from outdoor shop
big winter coat
alpaca wool scarf
hat

However, our walk onto campus got me a bit overheated so I've now taken off the hat and the fleece and the coat.
Heating seems to be on strong here so will be fine until I go to my seminar later - reckon that room will be freezing.

Mine is only wee at the moment - on 203.2MB but I've only just started eight weeks ago! All my annotated bibliography stuff is in Zotero though, so that's a fairly significant amount of stuff.

Hi GinBee

I started my MA in 2008 and finished my BA in 1998. I obtained a reference directly from the department - found the appropriate prof's details on the website and went from there. Best thing? He remembered me and now I'm doing a PhD back at that uni and was chatting with him just yesterday!

However, even if they don't remember you (I think we only bonded over both being from NE England!) they'll have the details they need on file and will get you something appropriate for an MA reference.

Hope that works OK

Yay! Congratulations - have a great night! Hope you don't need to do anything productive tomorrow...(up)

It's possibly worth looking at Bailey's work - some of it's for international students but this one isn't and it's on google books here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6ZlA5rsoxjsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=academic+writing+bailey&source=bl&ots=7cweTtcfWh&sig=mmNv6s3QwLDbLrYQirK4ZjZ0Djg&hl=en&ei=nuHmTJXjB8OChQe9lZCqCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Academic Writing: a practical guide for students - Stephen Bailey

Hope that might help.

I just got allocated a permanent desk in the Humanities Research Centre - no more hot-desking and hoping the space you want will still be available when you arrive. Time to buy a pot plant!

Yay! Great news, Jepsonclough! And what a fabulous husband you have - thoughtful bouquets AND software!

If you start before Sept 2012, my understanding is the fees will be around what they are now (apart from inflationary increase) and will not change during the course of your studies. So just start in January and you'll be fine...

I just got an email this morning telling me I've got my first referred publication in the IATEFL Conference Selections 2010 book!

That made me whoop, not smile!!

Hi
This is another option, which my husband uses for all his stuff as he's a freelancer and uses lots of different computers. It's a bit more sophisticated than the Dropbox idea, I think. Although it does cost, as a result: https://www.sugarsync.com/