At such a time, many human natives were also considered to be exotic animals. Do you touch on that at all?

Poor Kanga! It reads like the opening to an Ian McEwan novel. And so the theme linking to your chapter is.....? Unpredicable chains of event? Misunderstandings between humans and other animals? Class, pets and transport ... oh I think I remember - your thesis is about relationships/beliefs (?) and exotic animals I think, yes?

I don't think I will have the same scope for an interesting intro.

There is a conspiracy against me. My husband has cleared off to Ireland and now Evil Fuzzy has got back into the house and it stinks again. And our buyers are visiting on Friday so I'm going to have to keep scrubbing it: my smaller cat has learned how to unlock the catflap

And I hit another car on my way back from nursery with my daughter (it's like 5 mins away and slow traffic - I must be really preoccupied right now).

And would I help out a student who wants to transfer by going over the ENTIRE first year course with her aaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Yeah right - in my spare time I guess...

The packers are coming on the 5th to move on the 6th so the 4th is my Absolute Deadline or my whole (very precarious and somewhat optimistic) schedule will collapse at the first hurdle.

How is everyone else getting on with their Chapters. Chris - can you cheer me up with the story about the kangaroo?

But this is a report - not a publication. If it were a journal publication that would be a lot more serious I think. I am assuming, also, that it really was a mistake.

If it was just a mistake and nothing personal then why do you feel so horrible? Angry I can understand - it was a stupid mistake, but unfortunately people do make very stupid mistakes liket this. Just be sure it never happens again - but let it make you miserable. I think we all have to learn not to take things too personally some times.

I've already set 6 essay topics for plans. I like the 'talk to each other' option! Some are writing timed essays and want marking - groan. And, alas, the tradition here is to give notes on all essays set - which means 6 sets of notes from me on 6 topics some of which will need a lot of prep as they are not near to me. It's the blasted notes that take all the time.

I'm surprised at that. I was told that the chapter plan can take basically any form that suits the project. Of course there has to be a lit review somewhere somehow - but not as a dedicated chapter. I hope my external agrees with my supervisor about this!

Are you applying to a particular institution? If so, then they must have known areas of research and I would have thought you should be aiming to fit into one of those areas.

Joyce - there're no hard rules about organising a thesis with a standard lit review. I'm breaking mine up into the appropriate chapters - there will be no single lit review chapter. perhaps you could arrange yours to better suit your material.

My first chapter is due May 30th - so 10 days. I have a humungous load of revision supervisions to give next week that will take a ton of prep - so I am not too hopeful. But it feels demoralising to be late with the very first chapter - how will I get the others done on time....? Let's see if we can both manage it.

I don't make a lot of notes - maybe I should! I highlight and sometimes scribble on papers, keep an A4 notebook for general notes and occaisionally write notes on screen if I have a lot to say about a particular paper. Although I love paper - my handwriting has deteriorated so badly that I wouldn't use it for more than a few lines now.

I've put on a few pounds since Xmas and really want to nip it in the bud. I do some exericise by cycling but I'm relly not big on exercise at all. Cutting carb portion sizes, keeping a large salad on the go for snacking and WW meals a couple of times a week is my usual strategy - not fast but it works if you stick with it. That's my mission!

I also switched from lab-based science to humanities via an MPhil. It's becoming more and more common to switch fields completely via an MA/MPhil.

I suspect that you are reading everything worse that it is because of your viva experience. You DID pass your viva - try not to assume that every comunication since then is about your being at the bottom of the pile - that is probably more about how you feel than how others feel.

This is a UK site - our PhDs have a different schedule and are a lot shorter than in the US.