Hello there Armendaf and Lara,

Hope your respective sections are coming along well... I don't like to probe too much in case it sends you into a panic, but I'm sure you're working as fast as humanly possible!

Lol Armendaf, I don't have a proper social life yet, you know - I do fantasise about it though! I decided against going to my friend's gig tonight - there will be others and I've started getting a bit twitchy about the PhD, it seemed best to have an evening stuck onto the next 2 days from a deadline point of view, so now it's just me, loads of dirty dishes and 2 unfinished chapters. hehe I really know how to live don't I!! The wild, wild world of academia... Though actually just having most of today off has made such a difference, I forgot about the PhD for a while.... :-)

Anyway, I'll get on with that annoying elusive chapter 5 (again) and try to get it done by bedtime or I'll dream about it :-s

See you later (up)

Hi Butterfly!!

Sounds a good idea to work on a chapter you already think has gaps, it should stand you in good stead for the meeting on Monday. I was really nervous about getting feedback about my first draft too, but it was fine in the end as all the criticism was constructive (as it should be), a mixture of good comments on what worked well and things to do differently. It's a big milestone to reach in this process. Good to get to that point! (up)

food

groan

Hello again, forgot to say thanks for the birthday wishes, so thank you both, it is much appreciated! :-)
Am just wallowing in PhD induced misery today, it seems such a bizarrely masochistic way to live sometimes. No doubt it will be all worth it in the end. :-s
Apologies again for moaning.

toad

drown

======= Date Modified 25 Oct 2008 12:10:50 =======
Hello there!

I'm glad you're both making progress, there'll never be enough time so whatever you can get done, I guess... funny (not in a haha way though) how one's priorities for the thesis keep shifting all the time, depending on where we are and how much time is left. Armendaf, I hope you don't have too much to write? Good taste in music btw, very odd coincidence!

I carried on a bit after dinner yesterday and then got sick of it after an hour (didn't know what I was doing by then) so watched tv and went to sleep. I've been sitting in bed restructuring this chapter for the past few hours now, can't remember the variety of permutations of this thing I've done so far. WHY is it so hard to get the right structure???? It's got to be done today, as tomorrow I have offered to do lunch for those bearing birthday gifts. That will take lots of time, extra tidying up and cooking and trying to be normal and conversational, when I'm actually really worried and my hair is falling out again, like it did a few months ago when I was doing a new chapter from scratch in a month.... I got really stressed when people kept asking last week 'what are you doing for your birthday....' and I kept saying nothing!! I've got a deadline on Tuesday and a thesis to finish... PLEASE let me hibernate and postpone it till I'm less stressed.... now I'm hoping I'm not really grumpy tomorrow and anxious about this sodding deadline. Maybe it will be a really nice break in the middle of all this work... I got a card from an old school friend, she finished her PhD about a year ago and said it was really hideous during the last year, so she understands.

Well, I'll make another cup of tea and go back to bed to carry on with this chapter for a few more hours. Seems a good place to work at the moment - keeps me off the internet. See you later.

Good luck today, both of you (up)

I've had enough for now, rewriting the chapter is going ok - I keep spotting bits where I've said it already somewhere else in that chapter, I can't seem to get a grip on the thing as a whole, what to chop out or move to elsewhere :-s Annoying!!! I am going to have something to eat now and will be back a bit later. - will have to think of something palatable to cook with whatever I bought last night in my tired stupor on the way home from work. It may be a bit of a challenge... I'd be interested to see what the TV readysteadycook geniuses would come up with.

I got a talking Elvis birthday card today in the post, it's great - it's Las Vegas jumpsuit Elvis, not my favourite period, I prefer the '50s rockabilly bequiffed Elvis, but he says have a rockin' rollin' birthday when you open it! Hehe, small pleasures when you're working eh, anything to dent the tedium of the dreaded chapter editing!! It would be great if you could get Led Zeppelin ones, I bet my mum would love a mother's day card with Jimmy Page on it that played Whole Lotta Love or something! Sadly, I don't think they have the same kind of marketing machine as Elvis...

How's it going Lara? Armendaf?

See you later. :-)

It's not unrealistic, but it might be a bit harder or take longer than you'd like, but it shouldn't stop you. If you apply for AHRC funding it'll be judged on the quality of your application, and if you're on course for a first in your BA then it sounds like you're in with a good chance. If you don't get funding the first time you apply, you could take a year out and reapply - there were a number of people on here a while ago who applied second time round and got it that time. Failing that, there are always part-time Masters, aimed at people who also have to work to support themselves. I did that, and the same with my PhD. I'm definitely not upper class either!

There are plenty of academics around when you start talking to them from various low income backgrounds who end up with PhDs or become Professors. If you really want to do it, then you should be able to find a way. If you don't give it a try, what's the alternative? Committing yourself to a life of frustration and bitterness because you decided you were from the wrong background to pursue what you really wanted to do with your life? Why don't you talk to a tutor at college about it too? If you're good at what you're doing and you love it, then I'd really suggest you stop worrying and give it a go. Good luck!

miners

(I know it's the wrong spelling of pit, but near enough)

Congratulations!! (up)

It cheers me up every time I hear that someone has actually submitted, as it shows it can be done! :-) Enjoy that drink!

Hello there Armendaf and Lara,

May I join you both for the following days of PhD hell online? It sounds like you've both been getting on well and hopefully without panicking too much either. (up)

I've got to get a motley selection of chapters off by the end of Tuesday, so 2 to finish by then... they're half done things at the moment. I've woken up with a stress and lingering cold headache, which is annoying, but I'd better get going I guess, as I've been on here long enough today :$

Today - aims????? Well, it sounds a bit flaky, in fact I think flaky is my middle name at the moment, but I'll try to get this never-ending chapter done or at least a LOT nearer the end. :-s

Hope you both have a productive day (up)

Maybe it should be on the list of post-doc things to do (as there WILL be an end to all this). Be very nice to anyone that's still speaking to us afterwards - they will definitely deserve it. Sometimes I get a nasty feeling it'll dawn on me one day in the future what a selfish pig finishing the PhD has made me. :$ Hopefully it's not permanent...

404, you gave them names??!!? LOL!!

It must have been funny for any commuters stuck behind you watching the key/oyster card thing though!

I have flashed my Nectar card at security before, trying to get into our building at work, though not as an intentional suspect intruder or anything dodgy.