Sorry Matt, I didn't mean for it to sound mean!

I think you give good advice but I reckon if you paid me a quid for each post I read refering your PhD that you didnt start, I would be able to buy quite a few bits and pieces.

It reminds me of "one time, in band camp..."

I was just trying to explain myself, that's all - if I say "I'm temping" it seems strange that I'm posting on a PhD board. So I answwered the question of what PhD i was doing, and just used one line to say why I'm not. Hardly War and Peace is it?

Matthew'd dead right about bullies trying to make you feel that you are overreacting: it's a nasty, manipulative tactic and you musn't let them get away with it. I've had a colleague try that on me (and several other people) That's why I suggest you keep a record: if it ever comes to a formal meeting over this behaviour you can bet that the bully will either a) laugh and suggest that you are overreacting to their "helpful" advice, or b) cry and claim that THEY are the victim of YOUR bullying. Men tend to do the former; women the latter.

If you'd like some further reading there's an excellent website:

http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/

which may help you gain more confidence and decide what you want to do next.

Hello Matthew82!!! Thankyou for being friendly and making me welcome!!!
Is this you??? www.********.com/profile?******** - web link removed by administrators - please do not put links to personal information on this board, people may not want their details broadcast

If it is then you look very friendly!!! Speak to you soon love Laura xxx

Er... yes! what's your username?

i am named after a narnian unicorn :)

Pardon?!?!

Hello Matthew!!! Or do you prefer Matt??? I don't use the site, I put your name into Google and found it. Jewel I didn't know there was a unicorn in Narnia but then again it's a long time since I read anything like that!!!

Hi driven2insanity

I agree with the others. These are not acceptable comments from your supervisor. I wonder if it would be worth maybe chatting informally to your director or studies or maybe other students (if she/he has other students).

I hope you manage to get this sorted (or develop a thicker skin!) It's hard enough doing a PhD as it is without comments like that.

Best of luck.

Well, I guess a good lesson learnt is do not use the same username for multiple websites.

Good point H, although it can get somewhat confusing with multiple usernames. I've closed my other thing down, although I'd been planning to do that for a fair while...

Good idea, especially with all the watchers and stalkers on here.

Are there really "watchers and stalkers"? I find it quite sad, not to mentioend a little alarming, that people both have these tendencies, and have nothing better to do... What exactly is gained from it?

Experiments have shown there are plenty of watchers. Unfortunately these experiments led to the eventual banning of poor DanB.

Eh? DanB was banned? But I thought he was one of the main people on here... So who are these watchers? PhD students? Supervisors? Or just strange people?