Good luck with your complaint, Sleepyhead. Often, as someone else said, they back down if you kick up a fuss.

I am collecting conference badges because I am curious as to how many ways my name can be mis-spelled. Up to 6 now!

You know what worries me (a bit)? You can buy in daal and rice and spuds, which are all cheap, but you have to boil them for ages and then your electric bill is sky high. How to get round that one?

Claudia, don't worry about your mid-twenties! I don't want kids, and since I was two (literally) people told me that I'd change my mind as I got older: I'm now 32, and I never did. Sure, some do: but plenty don't.

The other thing that gets me is when people ask why I "decided" not to have kids. I didn't; any more than I "decided" to be straight rather than gay, or brunette rather than blonde. It's nothing to do with lifestyle choices, (men always say "Oh, you want a career instead?" as if the two are mutually exclusive) or childhood experiences: it's more fundamental than that.

No; summer is the busy period in my line of work. Boo!

I went to Lille last winter, so I'm looking for a good winter destination for this year.

I have made mole poblano for a party, Olivia: that was pretty good but a lot of people had reservations about the idea of a savoury chocolate sauce. But I liked it.

I'd totally forgotten I started this discussion: very strange to see it again

I feel sorry for teenagers at the moment: they can't do anything without the bloody papers shrieking about it.

Heh. Going back to when I was small (a long time ago...) I actually preferred it when both my parents were out at work. I could do my own thing without being watched

Just reminded me, cos a colleague has taken the entire summer off to look after his 14 year old son, which seems a bit much to me: let the lad go out and live his own life!

Well, I don't think anyone (including me) has intended to be unhelpful. It's the nature of discussion forums that we will all have different viewpoints, and I think there's no harm in airing them

I agree with you, PCGeek: going back to my earlier post, I could not believe the amount of men who said that they never employ women under 45, because "they'll just go off and have baby after baby" (or words to that effect). I can sympathise with both sides: I know from industrial work how hard it is when 2 out of 5 members of staff are away for almost a year. But that's why I think leave should be "parental" rather than maternal: that way, (ideally), women would be no greater risk than men.

I don't want kids either: I'd probably laugh out loud if someone suggested I would go off and get pregnant.

Do any uni's have groups for student parents? There seem to be societies for everything else round here. If there aren't, you could try starting one up.

Internet consumerism is good: you can spend hours viewing stuff you'd buy, if you had the money

Perhaps it also depends on the field of your studies. Social sciences are - I guess - much more flexible than other subjects. It would not be possible to take any time out of my PhD due to other groups waiting on my results: I'm part of a big chain. But I think most other PhDs are less rigid than this.

The American students played me a song by some US band, in support of their Taco Bell fantasies. I think these are the lyrics (from a quick Google):

"Hi, can I help you?
I would like a basket of chips,
a beef chimichanga with a side of sour cream.
I would like some guacamole on my chimichanga
with a casadia of tomato, onion, and vegetables.
I should like a burrito with beef, beans, and
I would like a carne assado taco.
Could you put some hot sauce on that for me?
No, inside the taco. Not on the side.
Yes, can I have a carne assado taco?
Not a pollo assado, we don't have chicken.
Do you have guacamole?
Can you make me some guacamole?
I have guacamole.
Ok, on my burrito I would like the muchaco beef and the shredded pork.
And some more cheese, please".

Yes...you probably had to be there.

Mexican seems under-represented here. I've only ever seen one Mexican take-away in the UK.

I am very partial to an enchilada.