I swear it was raining out of a clear blue sky in Leicester this morning. How is that possible?

Deiseal, I once drank Febreeze (it was the middle of the night, I didn't put the kitchen light on and I though it was Coke). I survived, though I was doing Febreeze-scented burps for a week.

Hey H, are you familiar with the good old smell of pyridine?

People seem to be polarized on this one: I've been told that serious academics must always work at least one day in the weekend, as well as weekday evenings, but I've also been told that working at weekends results in burn-out. As for me, if I'm feeling inspired (not too often) I can easily work all weekend, but only occasionally - I can't just work because I'm "supposed" to. Though I do try to do at least an hour of reading on weekday evenings.

There's a rumour that somewhere there exists a place called "The Academic's Trouser Shop", where all the male staff buy their clothes

Interesting...thanks for the replies everyone. Seems that most of us were amongst the first; with me it wasn't discouraged, just never even mentioned. It was something that people down south did hehe...

I still wonder how different the experience is for people who come from a long line of academics. I don't know anyone who does, but then I'm at an ex-poly and I suspect they are all at Oxbridge.

Sainsbury's own brand (cos I'm a cheapskate)

Yes, the iron tablets are making me constipated (in this case the face is not angry, but represents me sat on the toilet getting nowhere)

sorry Miss, didn't mean to trivialise it. I've had that many bad haircuts in my life I know how hair can affect your self-image. I might do as H says and start taking iron, my hair's always been flat and lifeless anyway

Apparantly there are lots of reasons, and it's usually temporary and stress-related. Two people I know had this; one had survived a bomb, but the other had no discernable stress and was completely healthy. Their hair just thinned out rather than fell out altogether, and wasn't too noticable.

My faculty is something like 95% Asian at undergraduate level, but at PhD level there's a lot more diversity. I'm originally from a very white area (I'm white) and at first it was a bit odd being in the "minority", but now I don't even notice. In fact one of my proudest moments was when a student asked me to pass on a message to my supervisor, but didn't give her name. When my supervisor asked if the student was Asian or not (to figure out who it was), I hadn't actually noticed so couldn't say.

That could also be defined as making me gormless, but I like to think I'm now officially colourblind.

...to all the Dutch and German forum-ites. And for the rest of us, it's still a good excuse to eat cookies and get drunk.

Prettige feestdagen!

Just curious. I was, and sometimes wonder if having a history or culture of higher education in your family affects where you apply to, what subject you do, how hard you work while you're there...as for me, I think I rested on my laurels way too much as an undergrad cos I was already seen as the smart one for getting into uni at all. (Not any more mind you, one of my zillion cousins graduated last year with a first in Maths. So the benchmark has been raised for the rest of them hehe).

The building here is always mostly empty by 4pm on Friday.

Exactly, take no notice of attitudes that are no doubt down to jealousy. Like I said in the "rude prof" thread, people who are comfortable with their own lives don't need to be critical of others.