i think some people just do this. I work with some who are of this touchy feely type, who don't seem to understand personal space at all. I would just try to limit the opportunity for her to do this - get a table in between you 8-) - I would guess it isn't a big deal to her, just the way she is and probably no more a conscious action than breathing. I would try to ignore it, regard it as her little foible and think of it as that.

i also have a load of stuff to do, a newbie tech starting at school, 6 new teachers starting in September in the department, but coming in in the next few weeks to  get a feel for the place, a rock identification exercise to sort out for next week, budget to sort out (where did that £20.000+ go last year) ready for when I can start ordering again, plus my PhD stuff. However whilst on half term and in between doing other things I have read Hart's Book 'Doing a Literature review' and it has been so worth the time its taken to read it, if you can find a few hours to peruse it it will probably make writing your lit review so much easier. There is no magic formula for getting through these crowded times, I think the theory is, you appreciate things so much more when you can get a break, but I've never got to that stage yet, so can't vouch for that one! :$:-)

My Director and first supervisor, both know each other very well, the director was my first supervisor for a while, then the other asked if he could be my first supervisor and ousted someone else, who had been my other supervisor (but he wasn't really on my wavelength anyway, so that was a good move) so there have already been some changes to my team. I'm sure they have loads of things on their minds, but I had my summer holidays from school planned so I could get on with some data stuff, having completed the set task, and now I feel in a bit of a limbo situation. If I could just pop in, I would, but that just isn't possible. I may just give them another week and a bit as it is half term then  and I should get the statement for the board prepared by then, perhaps if I send this off they may remember they have yet to send feedback on the chapter - and remember they have other things to organise too. :-(

My first supervisor has gone to another university, and had promised to still keep in touch and be my supervisor. The director of studies is still here. My problem is that I have not heard from the director since January, fair enough I suppose, but I sent a chapter to my first supervisor in April, who said he was tied up with the election and would get back when it was over. I also CCd in the director of studies, but I have heard from neither of them. This is annoying as if they had read, commented etc. I could have jumped the next hurdle this academic year, whereas it is going to be September before I can get it in. I have started writing the submission for the board, but obviously need their comments to get it right, plus there are two things they have to arrange and I can't. I feel let down by them. I don't want hand holding or anything like that, but as there are things that they have to do, I am stuck until they sort it, plus I feel as a part timer I am not getting the service I am paying for. The trouble is, what to do about it. I can't get into the uni to talk to anyone as they are not there when I can get there, plus there will probably be the excuse that they have undergrad stuff to mark. I'm reluctant to e-mail them as I think they should be organised enough to know they have things to do that they are not doing. I am going to a meeting on Thursday run by other members of the department, so do I mention it? Do I ask for a change of supervision? My field is different enough for anyone to take it on as none of them have experience in my research area, but it seems a big step to take, especially as they will probably have to arrange my examiners in the fullness of time as theirs is the closest match and they are the world experts in their field. Any ideas?:-(

I've put a sort of overview slide at the beginning of the presentation I'm doing this week, just so they know where I'm coming from.

kindness and loyalty are good :-), you can do some training you know! Its really if major things cause problems, thats where you have to be careful - too much wanting to control is bad - on either side really. Irritation goes with being with someone, you can't help it, every so often the minor thing, leaving a coffee cup lying around, papers left all over the place etc, are minor, but once in a while its the last straw and then they cause problems even though they are not really the cause of the simmering annoyance, just the catalyst that takes it over the edge. So if this is the case there is no real problem, its life!!!

thanks for that, I will persevere with it for a while, and then might just get a new one :-( on the other hand it will probably be faster than the one I have at the moment. :-)

I think you need to be honest with yourself, deep down do you want to continue the relationship or not? you could make a list of good and bad points which is a bit clinical, but may help a bit. it depends upon how these little tantrums pan out - is it always you who gives in, if so, you could be storing up trouble for the future - and that means the first one to say  'I was wrong', not the ' I was wrong too' which isn't the same. This doesn't mean you should never disagree of course, but there is a difference between disagreement between equals, and those where someone always wants their own way. Four years is a long time, longer than some marriages even, but whilst there are no permanent ties, such as living together or more, you can get out without too much trauma if you need to, once you cross that line into permanency- semi or otherwise - it is a different ball game.
Do you see a different side of him, that you don't like when you disagree? Do you feel threatened - even a little bit? As for the hair etc. i would only have accepted anyone telling me what to do if I was able to dictate what they did too, equality is good dictatorship is not. Don't try to get used to something you are not comfortable with, it won't work in the long run.

Thanks for that, I may have dislodged the dust from the fan when I turned it upside down. I know there is some way of making sure it looks for the drives in the right order, and I used to do it quite often when I looked after the school IT system - a while ago now though, so I've forgotten most of what I knew then :$ a job not so much taken up, but thrust upon me I might add. Computers sure know when to suffer problems don't they - who says they are not going to take over the world???:-)

Yesterday, when I switched on my laptop it failed to get going, it seemed to be loking on one drive for the startup, possibly the D drive, and when it couldn't find it, it kept on switching itself off, and having another go, getting stuck every time. It did this for a while, I unplugges everything and it made no difference and then I turned it upside down to see if I needed to change the battery or something - its actually on the mains, but anything was worth trying, anyway I gave it a tap or two, turned it over, and it started up properly. It did this once before recently, but its OK at the moment. I've now backed up everything I think is worthwhile onto a DVD, but I don't want to reset it unless I have to. I used to know how to get it to the blue screen, but have forgotten, so couldn't check to see where it was looking. Any ideas?

there are probalby as many methods going round as people researching! The thing is that because there are loads you can't actually read about all of them and need some direction sometimes. The best way to start is to read a few books, Robson's Real World research is good, so are Ground rules for good research (Denscombe) and Methodology by Clough and Nutbrown. Here I've been going to some sessions set up for students and have come across methods that I have never even considered - but I am now. This doesn't mean I think you are wrong, its just that I think we are all in the same boat here, too much to choose from. I know I started out with fixed ideas about my approach, which has now been altered as other ideas have come my way. If you have read about other methods, and they don't fit your bill than you can argue against using them, if you haven't read about them, just say you will think about what they have to say, you don't have to do anything about them if you don't want to, but you might find it useful ammo at a later date when someone asks you why you have chosen the approach you have taken. Don't forget though, they may be trying to convince themselves that they are using the right method for their own research :-)

My main supervisor has left, although still wants to be my super, the trouble is its really difficult at the moment as he has many other things on the go too. I am waiting for him to look at some stuff, which he can't do until after the elections, my other supervisor here hasn't even replied even though I cc'd him in, so I'm really stuck, I wanted to get through the next hurdle by July, but since the stuff has to be in in June I can't see that happening and its putting me well behine inother areas. Not sure what to do for the best really, he is the expert in part of my field, but no-one is an expert in the other bit (its probably me :$). so it looks like I'm ploughing a lonely furrow here, and when I look at what help others are getting I feel a bit cheated really, they are getting far more for their money! i would see how it goes before making a decision though.

give yourself a proper break, with no worries about what you ought to be doing, you will then come back revitalised and ready to go, and what is more you will probably find those little grey cells have been working all the time, just in secret, and the minute you are ready to start again they will spring into action and give you loads of new insights etc. So no slappage, a nice pillow to curl up with, a nice cup of something, a favourite biscuit ot two/ a film/indulging in a hobby or something for a while will do you the world of good, you will soon get back into wanting to do some work, be like the bunny in the caramel advert, you know it makes sense! :-)

don't panic button, i think a lot of people find that getting hold of victims - sorry particpants :-) - is harder than it sounds in text books. What you can do whilst waiting though is decide exactly what you want to get out of the interviews, maybe make some charts/templates etc., so when you start to do them you know exactly what you are looking for. That doesn't mean you will know everything, suprising bits are what makes these things worthwhile but being a bit prepared is helpful. When I was doing my masters my supervisor was an unwilling conscript who knew nothing aobut my area, and made it quite plain he would rather be elsewhere. I saw him twice, once at the beginning, and once when I gave him my final version to check, which he didn't I might add, and when I asked him when it had to be given in - my timing was different as I had to wait for one module to be delivered before I could finish - he said he didn't know and left it at that. I believe choc bars have been known to woo participants :-)

every so often there is a little flurry of star giving, and then it all goes quiet for a while, which is why I'm stuck on three:$ still three is the magic number isn't it???:-)