Cardigans seem to be out there in droves--unlike black jackets! I am trying to remember where I saw some that I liked--( recalling painful memories of obsessively running through department stores....) I think it was Debenhams, that seemed to have a lot, and all of them onsale. I thought they looked nice--I think that someone online had some onsale--marshallwards perhaps? Hope that is of some help. If I see any I will make a note to remember where I came across them.

Whew...I feel so much better knowing I have a black jacket on the way. I should say that going shopping is NOT one of my favourite pasttimes so it was out of character to be roaming through stores for hours on end...I have decided that this was sort of an existentialist crisis--of "I want MY STUFF!!!!" and feeling very out of sorts with only a fraction of my stuff here in England with me...a crisis of this sort could normally be solved by just walking to the closet, and pulling one out and wearing. Strange sort of crisis to have had!

Thanks all for the suggestions, I will take a look and see what I can find out!

Having become slightly obsessed over finding a black jacket...like the world would end if I did not get one...I have finally ordered one online, and cross my fingers it will work out. I stormed around a few more stores today, and thought I had found just the thing, until I noticed it had a strange satin strip all over the bottom of it--taking away from the business look I wanted. Thanks all for the tips on where to look!

:(
My fantastic goes with anything black jacket apparently is missing in action from my move overseas...is not here in England, and cannot be found in the US...it was one of those most have items that I was so sure made it in the luggage...;( and having searched desperately for its replacement, I am having no luck. Does anyone have a suggestion on where to get a very simple, light weight, unstructured blazer? Where DO people get work style clothes? I hunted all over the main shops I had access to like Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, TK Maxx, Primark, without any luck...not even seeing anything remotely close to something I would wear, price not even taken into consideration. HELP!!!! I need SOMETHING along these lines...and no idea where to look next...

Thanks for the suggestions. I will have to look and see what options there are... Perhaps there is an elderly lady on a small place in the countryside that needs a companion ( human) to assist in her home and in exchange she would tolerate some dogs...that would be idea. I wonder if the local council might be aware of people in need like that?

When I came to England, I had to leave behind my dogs with family members who volunteered to take them. But with some possible changes in family circumstances looming, I am trying to figure out some alternatives. Has anyone had any experience of shipping pets to the UK? It seems like it would be next to impossible to find housing that would permit pets--does anyone have any ideas on this!??! My pets ARE family!

I think Shani has the ideal situation!

No doubt with a supportive group of PhD students, you could really do some fun, imaginative and helpful things--and really learn a lot and gain a lot in the process.

I think if you had to choose between the students and the supervisor, I would opt for choosing the supervisor...and if you are able to have both a lively student group and a great supervisor--that is like a lottery win!

I myself would opt for the PhD where you will have an involved and supportive supervisor. To me that is far more critical than the type of PhD students that are in the department. Your supervisor is vastly more important to the outcomes of your PhD than the students that you might come across. Even if you enter into a PhD department that is devoid of friendly, helpful students, you can make these connections across departments or even across universities, by attending campus events, attending conferences and networking events, etc.

Can you frame the discovery of the book to your advantage, i.e. look how alert and sharp you were to find this research ( because you WERE alert and sharp to find it! and better to find it now than the day after you submitted!) and in the time since you found it, you have been able to analye how your research differs, etc...I would think a review panel should give you kudos for that.

Perhaps it is in the presentation of it? Can you present it in a good news/better news scenario, where the good news is your work was on target ( hence the book!) and the better news is that you can advance the research from that book?

Good luck Chris...it must be really hard to get refocused after fnding out about that book! But, on the other hand, perhaps you can use that as a plus? Can you identify where you and the book are more or less the same--in terms of giving validity to your ( obviously cutting edge!!!) work, and then show where, despite the book, you have originality and your own thought, and where you want to push your research in light of the book?

I am so used to working on my PhD in the evenings, since I was in fulltime work during the day, that I find my best time to work on it is still in the evening, even though I now have all day to do it. So I am trying to find that happy medium of when to work on it, and in what amounts--I have had something that I have wanted to write all week, but not been able to get to because of other things taking priority, and just now it is taking off like a house on fire, and I notice, well, its evening--so---no surprise there. I think finding your productive hours is key as well, not everyone is a morning person or even a productive 8-5er, and so if you have the flexibility to arrange your study hours, do them at the time you are at your peak.

Little by little you can build up your list over the course of several days so you get some momentum back and figure out the size of task you can confront to keep working, but not so big that you paralyze.

I don't think its a matter of motivation and interest going--I think its a matter of how you define the work ahead of you, and making sure you keep the vision of it small in some sense, so you do not get so overwhelmed by the task that you cannot do anything. A daily to do list works wonders to get you moving---just keep it small and simple to begin with, and reward yourself when you have the tasks done!

Which, I think gets back to, redefining your task. Make a to do list of small items, just five, or three. Make it as small as you have to to chart some forward progress. For instance, something like write a 50 word paragraph to start a chapter. Then write 50 words and take it off your list. Move on to something else, like read one article. Read it, and then move on. Take it off your list. Take something else, for instance, edit 10 footnotes in a prior draft. Edit them, proof them or whatever you have to do with them, and take it off your list.

Done.

Make another list for tomorrow, that might be, write a 500 word summary of article that you read. Relate it to the 100 word paragraph you wrote the day before. Read another article. Done.

On the other hand, if you break the task down into simple steps, which can be something as small as, get the horse to stand in one place while you adjust your stirrups...something that does not require the horse to comprehend a whole series of actions, just ONE step, then the learning takes off.

I think the same is true of human motivation and learning. Present yourself with a mountain that seems too big to climb, and you will start to feel disengaged, unmotivated, distracted. You are in fact looking for tasks you CAN accomplish, whatever they are.