Hello!

Lara, it's great that you've finished correcting chapter 1 - well done, especially as you weren't feeling well!!(up) If that's the longest one then the others should be fine! I hope you got a good night's sleep after that too.

Angelofthenorth, I hope your work on your chapter rewrite went well last night, it's a real pain to have to juggle it with work but at least you got some done this weekend, it all gets you nearer the end, thank goodness.

Armendaf, hope you managed to finish that chapter before it drove you mad. It does though, doesn't it, when it drags on! I finally finished writing that chapter 4 this morning and am SO glad to moving onto the next one now.

Pari, I guess you're in the lab again so have fun with the chemicals!

I only finished writing my chapter this morning actually, couldn't think properly last night but today it was fine!! *phew* It's 15,000 words now, so my longest one, but I'm REALLY glad to be moving onto something else today. I was getting a bit sick of it dragging on, to be brutally frank. Haven't redone the figs yet but can do that when I'm tired, as fiddling in photoshop doesn't need much brainpower does it. The writing is the thing right now.

I decided last night that the X Factor is quite cruel really, it's quite voyeuristic watching all those people crying and having their dreams dashed in public, horrible really. It's not like they're the deluded tone deaf ones from the auditions, and I do wonder what it does to their confidence later in life, especially the really young ones. They might end up totally traumatised, so it's not very nice entertainment when you think about it.

I liked the programme about guitars though, good vintage footage. My brother used to test me on guitars when we were young, I had to guess what guitar the pop stars on the telly were playing from the design of their guitars, like oooh that's a Gibson or a fender precision bass or a strat etc, quite difficult you know and a bit nerdy really I suppose. I think these things must stay with you, as I still remember a rare guitar that a man in a rockabilly band had that we used to go and see. A Gretsch white falcon. Why do these things stay in your head???? I can't play and have never wanted to. If we were like usb memory sticks or something with limited memory capacity I suppose it would matter, but we're not little gadgets so maybe it doesn't matter at all.

Today, I have to get on with editing another chapter as I'm seeing my supervisor tomorrow and want to be able to report good progress. I know she'll have jetlag anyway from globetrotting for her Leverhulme project, but that's not the point. It's all got to be done. By me. So I'd better get on with it, I suppose...

Right then, I will now log out and physically pick up chapter 5 and start reading it, once I've got another coffee though.....

See you later Lara, and anyone else around here.
(up)

I think watching TV is an integral part of my PhD 'off' time these days, so I never feel guilty, it just gives me a break. It makes me switch off mentally very quickly, and that's absolutely not intended as a criticism or judgement on the nature of the TV progs I watch either! There doesn't seem to be anyone really interesting on the X Factor this year at the moment, or maybe they'll grow on me. I liked Rhydian last year as I found him quite fascinating, especially after that Phantom of the Opera song. He could easily have done a guest slot at a Damned gig in their gothy Phantasmagoria phase and not been too out of place.

Anyway, it's work on here, isn't it! I'm back in the hot seat for another day, slaving away over *that* chapter. I can't believe I'm still at it, but hopefully that mild annoyance will make me get it done this time. It's only about 9.30 now so it should be done by lunchtime.... I know I've said that before a few times on here, but it's nearer the end than yesterday, so I'll do it this time and then move on! Oooh, what a lovely thought!!!!

See you later. Hope you all have a good day if you're working too!
(up)

Hi Pari, your PhD topic sounds completely mindboggling to me! I think it would be really interesting to see everyone's topics as they're all so varied on here. In fact, I can't think of the last time I mingled with such a diverse bunch!

Lara, Pari's right, take care of yourself, your health comes first - if you feel crap then just leave the PhD stuff and get an early night. You won't really be wasting time, as you'll be more productive if you feel better. I've never thought you were a lazy sod either, probably the least so around these parts! :-)

Well, I've had my dinner and my weekly dose of the X Factor and I don't really think I'll get anymore work done now, if I'm completely honest.... sooo... see you tomorrow then!

Have a good night!

It sounds a good offer to me - she obviously thinks highly of your research, and if she does get funding, I would imagine that negotiating working from home would depend on the project requirements. Personally that would be my ideal outcome after completion, depending on the project it was linked to, as I want to stay within my current institution. Congratulations on getting your first year report out of the way btw, it must have been a good one if that was the outcome! Why don't you just keep her suggestion in mind for now, as it's early days yet in your PhD - your research might take you in a different direction as you progress, or you might get a more interesting offer as you meet more people along the way.

Angelofthenorth, 2 pages is absolutely fine - anything is better than nothing on this strange PhD trail, it is such a slow process.

So what have I done since the the last time I logged in 4 hours ago...? I've rewritten one page - ulp. I think it took ages as I realised it was an important bit and needed to be well thought out and explained, though whether I've managed that or not is another thing entirely! I suppose it leads quite nicely into the next chapter I'll have to do, so maybe all that thinking is not totally wasted. It's annoying it's not finished yet, as I have actually been working productively all day, which is not always the case :$ but ho hum, I suppose if it takes a bit longer than that's the way it is right now. Oh yes and I ordered a cd too, heheh I wondered what else I'd been doing.... is that PhD related? It could be by a long stretch of the imagination, providing me with future aural entertainment. hehe!!

Anyway, as I'm now staring blankly at the whole chapter and it's stopped making any sense, it seems a good time to have a *proper* break.... Ok then, I'll have dinner and listen to a bit of music and watch the X Factor and then get back to it later.

Hope it's going well for anyone else working today! (up)
Lara, did the toast help with the brainwork?

======= Date Modified 04 Oct 2008 14:38:40 =======
Is it worth them continuing to do some teaching part-time, even if in another uni, so they don't completely sever their ties with working in HE? That might help remove some of the stress of thinking 'will I ever get a job again when I stop being a full-time student' thing. Even if it's a few hours each week just during one term of the academic year, it would retain a small degree of continuity for them in the current job market. I'm saying that as I'm a 'mature' student who has always worked either fulltime or parttime during my own Phd, and in the present economic climate I am really glad to be in that position, where hopefully I will have a better chance of getting more work or better work post-doc, rather than having to start looking for a job from scratch.

Hi Angelofthenorth,

Me too, I felt so like I was the only one coping with all this PhD weirdness before I discovered this forum. I've read your posts on the other threads and was really horrified at your experiences, I'm so sorry you had to go through it. I really hope your work is going ok now. Pop over to this thread if you ever want to try that sort of online diary approach to working - I thought it was slightly odd and unlikely to help at first, but it seems to work for some of us, at least you get encouragement from others doing the same things. Good luck with your own work!

Hello again!

Hi Armendaf, great to hear from you, we were wondering how you were! It's good that you've got a nice cohort for your new class, it makes such a difference. Once I had a really quiet bunch who came, listened, wrote loads of notes and went away each week and I just couldn't get a lot of discussion going, I actually wished there had been a few gobby students in the group to start them off arguing.

Might be different in your uni, but is it wise to just rely on IT services changing your account as proof of your extension....? Is there a post-grad administrator you could phone to ask for confirmation of the status of your extension, as you can't get hold of your sup? I'm sure it's all fine anyway, no reason it shouldn't be, but it might be extra reassuring to get official evidence - one more little bit of stress busted! Anyway, hope your motivation is increasing a bit more now, it's not long to go and then you can leave it and bask in all your fine efforts!

I've just had a little break - only a snackette, as I know having a big meal sends me to sleep and I don't want that at this time of the day.
I can't believe I'm still going through that chapter, I've started doing that signposting thing, thinking 'well, a sociologist won't understand that term,' so I'd better explain it in a footnote. Anyway, this is the last time I'm reading this chapter for this draft. I've gone through it up to page 26, of 37, and done the fig numbers as I've gone along. A bit more to do on paper, then will have to type up my corrections on the computer and scan in the extra illustrations and fiddle with them a bit. Oh no, it's nearly 2pm!!!! I had some funny idea I'd be done by lunchtime and could go shoe shopping for some of these work events coming up - how naive!!!

Oh well, back to work, I suppose!

Hi Lara, I'm glad you're up too!! You are very good at talking to yourself actually, it's very entertaining to read lol!! I was starting to wonder whether I'd be up to that on this thread after you, Tractorgirl and Armendaf are finished - I've a feeling it might fizzle out around here.

Carry on being a foodmonster btw, whatever gets you through this final stretch - it really doesn't matter right now, as long as you're healthy enough.

I'll check in regularly this weekend as am getting a bit sick of my own procrastination, maybe the thought of the public accountability 'shame' will make me work quicker! It's a bit like being in the stocks or something, or that name and shame thing they did with people that didn't pay their TV licences a while back, putting their names and postcodes on posters down the tube stations. Well, maybe not as bad as that lol but these are unusual times, so whatever helps us get through it!(up)

See you later :-)

Morning!

Lara, it's great that you've read part of that chapter, obviously the disapproving matron approach worked for you lol !!! Plod on and you'll probably have foreseen some of the corrections that your sup will also suggest and will have already done them! Coloured pens are good for corrections, I stretched to 3 recently as my toner was running out and I wouldn't have been able to print out a new draft, so it seemed best to have different colours for each different batch of amendments. And maybe that little dash of extra colour brightened up the dull editing process too!! Though it doesn't take much to do that really, does it...

I'm starting to feel a big fat fraud around here, to borrow a phrase from another thread. Except I'm not big or fat to be quite honest, so that would be a big fat lie lol. I didn't do anything worth mentioning yesterday, apart from start looking at that unfinished chapter :-s then I ended up doing domestic things, spent ages on the phone, went shopping etc, then it was dinnertime and I fell asleep and decided that I might as well go to bed, as all that working on my PhD pretence was just that - a figment of my imagination. :$

It's really annoying me, as people say to me 'when are you finishing?' like the Head of College did the other day, and I glibly say 'oh yes, Feb, it's nearly done'. In my mind, I'm nearly finished and keep thinking of getting my life back and nice things I can do afterwards, but there's a huge chasm between then and now, filled with a hideous amount of work that has to be achieved before I can really cross over back into normality. I know what my deadlines are and there's loads to do before then, but I can't do it every time there's a free PhD time slot. Sometimes I'm just knackered, sometimes I keep thinking about work stuff, but sometimes it's neither and it's still hard to get started. I know you have to think about how nice it will be to finish as it keeps you going, especially in the darker moments of PhD hell, but it's the difference between positive thinking and living in cloud cuckoo land I guess.

So aims for today, taking into account that fraudulent aspect.... exactly the same as yesterday, I'm embarrassed to say.
Finish that flipping chapter 4. By lunchtime. :-s
Then start one of the others after lunch- I'll decide which one later, will probably choose the one that's likely to be finished the quickest.
Right, I'll report back later, as this is getting ridiculous. Time is not on my side at the moment, so I'd better speed up a bit...

See you later (up)

Congratulations from me too Celesmai, it's great that you and Sofia are doing well! Forget the PhD for now, it can wait - other things are much more important!

Hi Lara, I can't remember what I'm doing actually, I wish someone would tell me!! I vaguely remember there was an unfinished chapter 4 plus a couple of others laying around that won't edit themselves... :-s I wish my brain had a switch that I could just flick and I would be in exactly the same mindset as I was before a few days at work messed it up. Well not exactly the same as that would include procrastinating as well, but more or less!

Aims for today: remind myself where I am, PhD-wise.
Finish chapter 4 and start on chapter 5.
I'm seeing my supervisor on Tuesday, so to have finished editing 3 and a half chapters would be great progress to report, if not all 4.

Armendaf, how are things with you? You had a really heavy teaching load this week, didn't you? Hope everything is ok anyway.

Pari, hope life in the lab is continuing to be fun!

Back later when I've woken up properly and done something useful...

I can't get down to it sometimes, in fact the whole prospect seems really tortuous at times and I am nearing the end of mine! When I'm really stuck, I often start by making a sort of mind map or diagram of what I want to include in a chapter then flesh it out gradually with details, ideas, key book or journal references. It's a bit like A116's way of working really.

I don't like doing it on the computer when I'm stuck either, as I'd rather be faced with a blank page in a notepad than a blank computer screen, for some reason it seems easier to start doodling and working out ideas on paper, maybe it seems less serious or daunting or something and gets the mind working with less pressure.

You've got lots of time though - perhaps you could sort out a plan of work with your supervisor with lots of deadlines for writing for the next year? I've had that during my final writing up year and it's worked for me, as they're frequent enough to stop me having long gaps where I write nothing, plus the panic and fear of not meeting the deadlines forces me to do it. I was surprised to hear that even supervisors and established academics also have trouble getting down to their own writing sometimes, so you are definitely not alone!!

I also found 'The Clockwork Muse' by Zerubavel helpful when I admitted to myself I was a bit crap at time management and getting down to writing - I realised with horror that I didn't have much time left and had to find a different way of working. Other people on here seem to swear by Joan Bolker's 'write your dissertation in 15 mins' though I've not read it.

I deferred the start of my PhD for a year because my gran and my boyfriend both died in the 6 months preceding my official start date. His death was a sudden one where I was one of the main witnesses at the inquest so the whole process ended up stretching into the academic year anyway, so it was a good thing I did defer. My sister died suddenly the following year, a few months before my new start date, but I just wanted to get on with it by then and immerse myself in something of my own, to take my mind off it I guess and try to get back to some semblance of normality. I did wonder about how sensible it was to get on with my PhD as the subject is death-related, but it was ok in the end, in fact it was probably more interesting and meaningful doing the reading after all that, though not planned that way.

I don't think you can put time limits on how long it takes to recover from a death, as the previous posters have said, it depends on the circumstances and everyone is different. As long as you can cope with usual day to day things and you've got someone you can talk to about it if you need to, and don't be too hard on yourself if you get fed up sometimes. If you think you're not coping, there's always organisations like Cruse. If things do happen like death or serious illness, it's good to keep your supervisor informed so they know what's going on, even if you don't take time off, as it might affect your work without you necessarily realising if you just plod on alone. Looking back, I think I probably got through it ok because I had really good friends to talk to who knew either my sister or bf very well, though it seems like a lifetime ago now. I think it has probably made me more determined to make the most of my own life though and that includes finishing the PhD. Best of luck with yours.

Ooh Lara, I didn't mean to completely change your day's plans, I was just worried about you! Nice of you to agree though hehe!! 8-)

I ended up getting the same bus as the Head of College last night on the way home, so had quite a long chat with her. She knows who we all are and was asking about my PhD, completion dates etc, and noted that I was in a very strong position in the college in relation to this that and the other, so a bit of extra pressure there for me. Eek. I think I sounded suitably keen about everything I talked about, so don't think I've put my foot metaphorically in my mouth in relation to future jobs, funding etc. Time will tell, though!!

Good luck with your reading, it sounds very impressive! Am back on the slow and lonely PhD writing-up trail tomorrow, so see you again soon. (up)

Well, let's leave it there Sleepyhead, I'm getting fed up with the whole thing now actually.