Gald you're OK: sounds like you body is telling you to chill for a while. Spend a few weeks doing things that make you happy

So me and a colleague make a joint decision on how to analyse an undergrad student's samples. Student is not happy with that decision, and suddenly, apparantely I made the decision all by myself and my colleague is completely innocent. Of course.

And said student is being quite aggressive about this (he's a big bloke, I'm a small girl and I don't like being given bolsy attitude by undergrads. Grrrrrr)

Phew. Off my chest now.

Grrrr

Errr...thanks, but I had actually thought of Google.

I've also tried Microsoft, our own IT department and the manufacturer of the computer in question, but none can help. Hence me posting on this forum.

What is "global memory"? And why is my computer saying that it cannot allocate global memory to whatever I'm trying to to?

Grrr...

1) People talking with their mouth full

2) Students turning up late for appointments

My supervisor (here in the UK) is Dutch, and we don't have any language difficulties - he speaks English better than half the bloody undergrads - but he has told me that the Dutch are much more plain-speaking and direct than the English, and that he's had to tone that down a bit since he moved here. The example he gave was of someone having a disaster haircut: in the UK, everyone will make supportive noises and tell you how nice it looks, but a Dutchman will cheerfully tell you that you look ridiculous

It must be tiring for you: I was once in the Netherlands for a few weeks(related to my PhD), and I understand what you mean about shopping being tiring. I knew enough Dutch to get by in shops and cafes, but I fell into many embarrassing situations where I couldn't make myself understood and you get fed up of that (and end up staying in the hotel room).

Mind you it gave me sympathy with all the non-English speaking students that come here.

Sorry I don't have any practical advice, just general sympathy But is there an internatioal student's society where you are? Surely you can't be the only Australian?

I think exercise makes all the difference; it raises your resting metabolic rate so you are slower to gain weight in the first place.

Heh. It's funny, none of my family celebrate St Patrick's Day; we think of it as an American thing

Nooo, no no no no no no nooo....

It's not easy for me to distingush American regional accents: I can just about tell a New Yorker from the rest of them, but that's it. And I cannot distinguish a Canadian from an American, which has led to embarrasment on occasion.

Well, I'm most definitely a solitudinous person. It does have advantages in that I don't go out, so have extra time to study (not that I often do). But more often it's a bad thing being so shy because I have real trouble teaching undergraduates, and meeting people at conferences. So your extroversion should serve you well as a lecturer: you do need to be able to engage with everyone, I think.

Shani, home made earthquakes? That's ace! Mind you aren't the Swiss also planning to create an artifical black hole with that new particle accelerator

I was so relived this morning to hear it was "only" an earthquake. I really thought someone was breaking in. Should have guessed cos I remember the last one.

It really scared me! I didn't know what it was...I woke up with a jolt and heard massive clanging from the radiator. My first thought was that someone was kicking the door in. Then the birds started cheeping like nutters.

The family underneath me ran out in the back yard, but they talk Chinese so I didn't know what was going on till my friend texted me this morning.

I'm embarrassed to admit I slept with the light on all night after that...

It's usually my own darn stupidity that makes my experiments go wrong. I've a real talent for missing the obvious.