I think that some people trivialize the PhD process out of jealousy--so maybe the remarks you are getting are from people who secretly wish they had the ability ( not just intellectual, but personal motivation and courage) to balance a marriage, a child and a PhD ( not too mention the Evil Fuzzy!) and are jealous in fact that you can do what they only dream of doing. I think that the world is full of people who do not take that actual step of following a dream, and when they encounter someone who is doing it, with all its ups and downs, its disturbing to the small but perhaps confining corners of their world.

I have prepared a beeeeyooooootiful table and now I want to print it off. Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to either shrink it so it all fits on one page, or make it print legibly on to more than one page. Its a table constructed with the most basic of Microsoft Word commands--not in Excel or anything that requires higher brain function to work. Or so I thought.

I am sure that there must be an easy way to format it to print off and it doesnt matter how many pages its on...but I cannot figure it out. Sigh.

Any help??!!! Any guidance much appreciated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/asparaguswithgrilled_74649.shtml

This sounds like a lovely trout recipe, and it supports the local British economy by using British asparagus! Some chive creme fraiche and dill or is it the other way round and does it matter...and you are on your way to a fantastic trout meal!

SimCity Classic ( the original Sim City) is available online for free!

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/5737/flat/park.html


This has to be one of my all time favourites--how the value of pi was demonstrated in a park by a circle of 24 people holding hands and 8 people forming the diameter of the circle! Science at work!

Time off can be as valuable as time on--and it was such a lovely weekend, who could resist being outside? It felt like being in Southern California!!!

I think to some extent it comes down to how you plan your work. Do you have a work plan that is reasonably achievable over a day? Do you keep track of it? How? Otherwise, I think if you just arrive to a desk, a computer screen and a pile of papers and the sinking feeling of having to get something done, that its impossible.

Its good that people ask after you on the other hand--they care about your welfare! And they are right, its good to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise. I think that key to doing a PhD is remembering the importance of a healthy diet ( easier said than done) and regular outdoor exercise, esp. the value of sunlight. Exercise is supposed to raise endorphins, which relieves depression, and those feel good chemicals are vital to your intellectual function! A good walk around the block has sometimes given me that flash of insight needed to get going again!

Mokey, I think that they honestly just do not understand what you are doing--there is no PHYSICAL evidence of the PhD, its mostly rattling around in your brain! Sometimes ( just depends on the person) some gentle education can help them understand--I showed my parents information on the number of hours that it was recommended to put into a PhD per week. I explained I was trying to do 30+ hours of study on top of work, and they really did need to try to understand the level of work on me, even if they did not understand the work itself or even my motivation!

I have even done things like signed up and gone on a guided tourist walk in the area...mostly it was OAPs on the walk, but it was fun! It was a nice change of pace, I learned a lot of the local history, and got to chat with non university types. Very relaxing, and a bit of human contact as it were, and the price one that a student budget could absorb without a panic!

Curious as to whether any one has ever attempted to arrange a real time meeting of those on the PhD forum?!

I can utter empathise with mokey and eddi--mine compounded by moving to a foreign country. I get chipper emails from home asking what fun I am having, and what fun new people I have met...I try to explain that its not that easy to meet people when people are hived off into isolated research ( myself included), and that time and money do not permit huge amounts of expensive day tripping! This is not a gap year! I think it is hard to meet people, although possible, and all I can say is I keep trying--going to events when the mood strikes, lectures, campus stuff, taking the initiative with a flatmate to arrange to meet for lunch, etc...and taking comfort in the fact I am not alone in being alone, as it were!

has just collapsed into my lap and across my keyboard...a leaning tower of pisa of books!!! =~I was trying to surgically extract a book from the middle of the tower * able to recognise it from any angle--not with the title of the spine facing me!!! --when the entire tower collapsed. This was preceeded by a paper snow storm of articles being tossed off the desk and onto the floor--the few inches of remaining floor space...I need at least enough work space that my elbows do not crash into the tower of pisa of books, and the various towers of articles....rant!

Family I confronted a few times, saying, look, it upsets me when you act like this is not important! and we had a discussion about it. Once in awhile I would show up with draft chapters, and ask if they wanted to have a read--and sometimes people would. At least they got a sense of what I was doing. Friends--good friends understood. More casual sorts of friendships went by the wayside in some instances, the people who got stroppy when I was not taking mobile calls in the library, or why Saturday afternoon shopping was not a priority activity!

I think that with those closest to you, just level with them and tell them you need some support and understanding! They may have no idea what you need from them if you do not let them know!

When I was in distance learning mode and working full time, it was very hard to get people to understand that the PhD was not imaginary! I found this very frustrating. I had to prioritize my non work time to be able to do the PhD, which meant that socializing was cut back. Weekends were prime study time in the library. I tried to explain to people, and took the stance that even if they did not understand the particulars that they could at least understand this was important to me.

If you are looking for more specific information on Flowers, I suggest googling Bryan Garner--yes, he is an American legal writer, but his suggestions on process and editing I think would go well in any sort of writing project. He has some books on writing and editing that can be purchased on line, and give some very specific tips on how to go about this, and his stuff seems to be based on the notion of the Flowers paradigm.

I am curious what other sorts of processes people use for constructing their writing projects--especially in the editing phase. Do people make use of any other sorts of processes that are along the lines ( notionally) of the Flowers paradigm?