In keeping with the posting themes of the day you should demand that you be given your own personal live in trainer, who is so good that when he/she exercises, you do not have to and their results make you fitter and healthier. You should be given your own organic farm, where you can get whatever you want, and your home will be staffed with organic chefs, who can whip up an organic meal at the mere lifting of a finger.

Your standards are a bit low, Chris, I think you should demand the full support to which you are deserving and entitled. I want a full symphony to play music for me at my whim at any time of the day or night, and be able to read my mind for this, whether I am awake or asleep, so I do not have to waste my valuable time speaking to them. I also want endless deliveries of Pizza Hut pizza, with extra thick crust and lots of pepperoni and extra cheese! Although your idea has merit, you could go on a round the world trip for two years and then come back and hand in the magician prepared thesis. Why even bother to put up the front of a skint beleagured student?

And I need a barrista to manage the espresso machine because having to make the coffee myself will be too distracting, and someone to unwrap the choccie bars, and a sous chef to grill my trout. Cheers.

Oh and how could I forget, I also need a George Foreman trout grill and lots of fresh fish delivered any time of the day or night to my research office, boned and filleted and ready to grill. Cheers.

I would like to have an espresso machine for my use alone put into my research office. Please provide me funding for this. I also need an endless supply of high quality Godiva chocolate to appear instantly on my desk. Please provide me funding for this.

Well spotted Jouri, they do seem to be very similar posts and writing styles. Perhaps people think if they post here some cabal of professors will get together and email them a degree--all they need to do is just wait and open the email and PRESTO, a PhD?! What was O.Stoll's posting some weeks back about Drrr Frnnzzz or something to that effect?

I am with Hypothesis and Rosy, they make me laugh. They are infuriating at the level it totally undermines the idea of hard work for the PhD degree--the accomplishment, etc, but it also shows a real lack of understanding of what the degree stands for ( hopefully!) and its not just an honorary title for sale. Although there are universities that bestow honorary doctorates to famous people--seen as distinct from the PhD award--is that what those posters are after! No PhD is free... there are fees and tuition and etc, and even if you have funding--someone is buying your PhD in the sense that the costs of doing it are being paid for.

Congrats!!!!!!!!! Very thrilling and exciting news!!!!!!

On a previous visit to the UK, I stopped in a place called " American Pizza" that was run by Bulgarians. They were really excited that a real American came into American Pizza, and I felt like I had my 15 minutes of Warholian fame. I was just going to say I miss Pizza Hut--but its here. I just haven't been!

Taco Bell ..sob...yes, I miss Taco Bell! It is the BEST! I went mad the other week trying to find Mexican food and the best I did was a veggie dish of some sort that a local place billed out as Mexican. It was OK, but Taco Bell it was not! I told my family who live in Maryland about the Maryland Chicken franchises here, and they cracked up about that--I am going to send them some pics of those! They did not believe that there was really such a thing! I do miss Mexican food and Taco Bell in particular, but am making do.

I have to rein in my extrovert tendencies here! Well to an extent, but I decided to stop completely worrying about it, and just try to act like myself, while being aware that the environment is more reserved than the US. No one has been too weird about it. And I feel more at ease, and relaxed, instead of feeling like I have to measure each word and being afraid of making a mistake. I figure if I do, oh well, the worst that happens is someone says tut or tsk. Or pretends like they didn't see you.

I admire anyone negotiating a new country where the language is different. I find it challenging enough doing it in my native language--and the US and the UK are not that far apart in many things besides language, the legal systems are common law, and the US "identity" is heavily British oriented, with Americans viewing the UK as "home". That said, there are differences enough that it can be disconcerting, and I hate that feeling of oh no, I just did some social faux pas... but you don't know what...or people don't understand you.

Oh yes the coat hanger bridge! Sydney has changed a lot since my innocent days on the Northern Beaches. I had a memorable New Years Eve at the Opera House, and my first "real boyfriend" when I was in Australia. Oddly enough I travelled to Holland the summer before I went to Australia, with a friend and her family, one of her parents was Dutch. I had my first kiss along a Dutch canal from a lovely Dutch boy--it was very romantic, even a rainbow while we were kissing!

I also remember trying to buy Gummi Bears in Germany...no one could understand my German.

LOL Rosy, glad you meant Guinness and not green beer. I was starting to feel all disillusioned about Irish traditions. Next you would tell me you ate sauerkraut with turkey as a tradition!

It is soooo American, but I have noticed the High Street card shops advertising for it here!