Ha, Button, I'm planning my work around the Olympics schedule too! Allowing myself a break at 3pm to watch the diving, and going to have the gymnastics on in the background while I work later, and then I'll relax in front of the swimming this evening. Heaven! I'd really resent working if I didn't allow myself this time.

Hi Sneaks, good to see you back here! Hope the job's going well, and you get the paper done okay.

I applied for a postdoc job a few weeks ago, and got a rejection email this morning, followed by an email from the guy in charge of the research project saying they'd rejected my application because they got hardly any decent responses, so they're readvertising it to try to get a better pool of potentials, but they liked my application so could I re-apply please. Which was both great and disconcerting. Should I be happy they liked my application, or disappointed that they didn't like it enough to go ahead and interview anyway?? Of course I've replied saying great, I'll re-apply, thanks etc! Fingers crossed...

Made good progress on my journal article but I'm starting to run out of steam, so I'm switching to marking up changes needed in a print-out of the thesis-so-far. Something I can do fairly well while keeping an eye on the Olympics, I hope!

I wonder why you want to watch the men's gymnastics :p

Batfink - I'd take it as a positive. If they didn't like you, they'd probably not bother contacting you. It also means you were probably the best of the bunch, but they might be looking for someone with more experience maybe. It also should give you hope that you're not up against too much competition for it AND its not lined up for an internal candidate. (up)

lol gymnastics!! I might have to re-arrange my schedule ;-)

To be honest, I haven't been following the games at all simply because I know myself and I'd just spend the next 10 days or so in front of the tv:-(

Batfink, I'd take them contacting you as a positive as well. Go for it and good luck!!

I have to much to do. off to look at my lit review now.

Heh, I admit I'm finding it hard to drag myself away from the Olympics at all!

Cheers, that's what I thought about the job thing. I'm very aware that I haven't actually completed my PhD yet, and only have one journal paper accepted (and not published yet), so I'll be competing with people who are way ahead of me on paper. So, yes, happy really! Fingers crossed.

Time to do some work, now the diving is finished!

Funny this, today has been the most productive day of the week so far. Still, I've not felt this rubbish for ages.

I'm just struggling a bit at the minute because I was told to talk about 'animals' in my thesis by examiners but I'm not sure which ones 'vertebrates' or 'invertebrates'. If 'vertebrates', do they mean 'mammals', 'reptiles', etc. Even if they meant mammals, did they mean... the possibilities are numerous and I'm going to have to pick what I think is the one they meant. Rubbish!

I think it's time I called it a day, had a relaxing shower and watched some tv.

I hope you all had a better day than me. Good night!

Morning all.

Skig, I hope you find a way through yolur question, that's the sort of thing that would slow me down too.

Today, I want to finish my journal article. I feel like I've been writing it for weeks and I don't have time for this! I only have the discussion and conclusions to do (and I know roughly what I need to say) so this should be perfectly possible. Concentrate!

Good luck everyone!

Morning!

Thanks Batfink. I had a good thinking session last night and arrived at the obvious conclusion that I can't possibly know exactly what they'd like me to add so I'm going to add what I think is the best option, still under the same umbrella so hopefully I won't be penalised for it as I'm still fulfilling the requirements.

I have to finish a journal article too. I have next week as a deadline though so lots to do!

Goals for today:
1) to read two papers - breaking it down to small bits!
2) to continue working on my lit review
3) finish intro paper

Almost finished my journal article - just the final part of the conclusions and then refeences, formatting etc to do now. But I just can't concentrate today, so I'm calling it a day now.

Hope your days have gone well!

Morning everyone!

I managed to get the nasty section of my lit review written yesterday yippee, so the whole of today is going to be taken up doing a thorough editing job of this chapter.

Good luck anyone working today! (up)

Hi all!

I got my lit review done on Friday, so have had a lovely (but busy) weekend off! Now I'm ready to get started again, although it's a bit of an 'in limbo' day today.

Goal 1- email sup
Goal 2- read previous theses to get ideas for intro
Goal 3- make a plan for intro chapter

Good luck everyone working today!

Good morning!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I really need to finish my article by friday so it's all about the article today!

Have a good day everyone!

Hello everyone! Hope you're all raring to go!

I worked through the weekend, finishing my journal paper (ridiculous how long that took). Yesterday I planned out what I need to do to get a full draft of my theiss done by 17 September, which is the deadline I've agreed with my supervisors. It is just about possible, but yikes it's going to be tough!

My plan for the next few days is to get to grips with the last bit of statistical analysis needed in the thesis (wow, saying that makes me feel good!) It's going to be tough because it's a method I haven't used before, and software I'm not familiar with, but we'll give it a go!
Goals for today:
1.) Re-read notes I made when I went on a training course for this stats method
2.) Start drawing up 'idiot's guide' notes on using the software to apply the method
3.) Read some key journal articles that use the method
4.) Go to supervision meeting to discuss journal article
5.) Write up notes from supervision meeting
Hmm, that should fill up the whole day!

wow Batfink! I'm well impressed with your energy levels!

I've got the beginning of a cold so not feeling too great at the minute but I must finish my journal article by Friday. It could probably be Monday but I'd much rather have the weekend off ;-)

I've been struggling a bit with it as the ideas are there but I'm finding it difficult to organise them whilst getting the references! I might just write them as they are and get the references later...

Have a good day everyone!

I need to write a methods section for my paper today. I'm really struggling trying to write my PhD studies up for publication. My supervisor is just so demoralising. I spend 2 weeks making what I think is a good paper - she doesn't read it at all and comes back with what she *thinks* its about and declares a complete re-write :-(

I know she doesn't read it because she phoned me up at 11.30 a few days ago saying one of my papers needed to be completely re-scoped to emphasise Point XX that she had read in an article. She said "have you read the article, I really think you need to include it and talk about Point XX"

I had cited the article she was talking about, approx 10 times in the article and my entire discussion is about Point XX :-(

I said this, but she just ignored me and hasn't got back to me. Finding it very frustrating and as I go onto other studies to write them up, all I can think of every sentence is how she is going to rip it all apart and declare a re-write necessary. She never tells me *how* I can improve or *why* it needs changing though, she just puts changes all over it without checking with me that she's on the same wavelength.

In the past her changes are the ones that have got me rejected from journals. Her changes to my thesis were the ONLY things that came up as negative in my viva. I trust my own gut, but can't go over her head as her name is on the papers. RAH.

Anyway. I'm trying to remain positive. So today's goal is to write up the method section of my current publication attempt

Sorry to hear you're struggling with sup (again!). I know this is cheeky but, as you know that she's not reading the article anyway, can't you just email her what you've already written and add on the email 'I've added point XXX in these sections y and z, arguing blablablah...'?

I think your motivation has rubbed on to me Batfink as morning has been quite productive so far, thanks:-)

I really need to finish this intro today! Only another few hundred words to go.