That all sounds so familiar xeno!!! There were a few robberies in our postgrad area last year

I have to say though that is not the main reason that I don't like working there, it is more to do with the silence - or the little noises that echo through it - like even someone typing or turning a page gets on your nerves after a while because you can hear everything!

So here I am still in my PJs I have been staying here as much as possible the last couple of weeks and while there are still a lot of distractions (namely internet and tv) at least I can have a cuppa whenever I want - and I just feel more relaxed in general

I'm with cryogenics on this one... It might be very conformist/conventional but I can't wait to get married and have babies!!! And I want to take my fiancee's name too... just seems like a nice thing to do!

I agree Olivia, lots and lots of piles - and then if you stick one post-it on top of each pile you can call it an ORGANISED mess

Internet, most definitely... that combined with whatever my current 'obsession' is... it's been marathon training every since New Year's Resolutions in January. I swear I already know more about how one would train for a marathon than I do about my PhD

P.S. 5 minutes is the most I have ever run for so far

Go get them cleaned... and then start using 'Pearl Drops' or something from now on. Problem solved

A1 is bigger, I think you mean A5. Ah if only I had that advice 3 years ago sjo4.

Just read that last post... what a load of mistakes Oops... sorry! I went to a class on 'academic writing' last night which covered punctuation etc... clearly it didn't pay off!!!

I have just started (as of yesterday!) a ring binder folder to keep track of all my 'scribbles' - I put in dividers and am trying to separate out ideas that I have written down based on what chapter they may eventually end up in.

As for articles it's all a bit of a mess unfortunately I have some that are printed and filed away by category and some that are not printed but saved in a folder on my computer also by category - but the categories don't necessarily match... aaarrrggghhh!!!!!

Recently I have started printing out everything that I read writing the full citation on it, and if I think I will use writing a note as to why and sticking it on. I wish I had a filing cabinet though articles are just kept in little related 'piles' at the moment

I have an unbelievable one like this... I taught IT to a group of first years last semester - they could get an exemption from this module if they had an ECDL cert. Obviously they had to hand in a copy of the cert, fill in a form etc.

Another lecturer from my department sent me an email one day to tell me student X's ECDL cert number. I wondered how she knew this and on further discussion she told me that student X had told her friend who this other lecturer teaches (in a different subject, on a different COURSE) to tell that lecturer to pass it on to me!!!

I don't know if I explained that very well... but it was so funny at the time - it's as if they assume that every single member of staff must meet up daily to gossip about them - never mind that there are over 1000 staff here!!!

I love Google books too! Found a book on there once and thought it would just be table of contents etc... But the entire book was available there! How do they do it??? Google Scholar is good too... I hate when people knock the internet resources they are fab!!!

By the way - oh my god all the definitions in the Urban Dictionary are filthy!!! Bloody hell...

From the 'Double-Tongued' dictionary...

mouth-breather: a stupid person; a moron, dolt, imbecile.

Editorial Note: The original definition of mouth-breather referred to a person that, due to medical problems (usually with the sinuses or nose), was forced to breath via the mouth. This leaves the jaw hanging open at most times, which has a tendency to make a person look dopey or spacey.

Eek no more breathing through the mouth then eh???

Actually I have forgotten why was it supposed to be an insult again???

This thread cracks me up i'm glad it's back

Because of the constant references to 'mouth-breather' by girigoya, which turned to be an insult (apparently) and also a type of trout. I think.

I tried to play sims once on the playstation and they kept dying - or peeing themselves. I don't get what I was doing wrong or not doing right more to the point???