I so feel your pain - I'm also 4 months in - I spent an entire day writing - drum roll...... 6 lines!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used to be able to write so easily, it just used to flow - now I'm lucky to get the shopping list right! It will come, I'm sure it will, for both of us - its a tough time - still trying to get our feet and to get into this - we'll look back at this in 3 years and laugh while thumbing through our epic lol - well, maybe not laugh, more like cry and shake slightly with a noticable tremor, but we'll get there :-) It will happen, it has to - and we have to remember that they chose US - the sups have faith in us and are there to help us to grow and develop. Its interesting the comment about starting to write well when you realise how rubbish you do write. Do you still have any of your early U/G essays to hand - read them - look at what you did then, they are soooooo cute :-) Then realise that by the time we submit we'll be as far down the line again and will look back on what we're writing now and blush (I'd imagine - maybe some of the 3rd years can confirm that?)
Keep strong,it'll be ok, don't you dare give up!!!!

Bug you exhaust me and make me feel like a slacker!! Can you not just not work for a week or two to let the rest of us catch up??? lol lol lol. I've submitted ermmm nothing apart from the results of my pilot - still struggling with the lit review although the submission has been put back due to something else coming up so I have a reprieve. I do worry at this rate I'll get to the end of the first year having not written a single word:-(

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations Dr Ju-Ju - really really pleased for you :-)

That is an absolute classic

Lol lol lol, oooh I do love the matching nose and lippy look, luverly :p, and I must also add, not sure what the weather was like whereever you are (I'd be so interested to know what unis everyone is at and wonder if anyone is at mine), but here there was thick fog all day so the coat and lippy combo would be great for visibility - it should be suggested as a safety feature - add the nose a la Rudolph and you'd be seen from space - perfect!
He he at the crocks - they are apparently incredibly comfortable - I have a lovely pair of croc-like things that are red and hard plastic and for the garden (we have chickens etc) - I wanted a pair of kind of shoe like wellie material things in a dark colour and my mum got me these for Xmas last year - I tend to just slip them on to go to the garden - the worst is when I forget to take them off and go out in them - I mean orangey red dayglo things - yeuck lol - has anyone seen the fur-lined ones???8-)

Ahhh, the Wii...... yes, mine is unplugged atm or I'd never do ANYTHING! I'd like to change my area and research the effect of the Wii on Phd students - could do tons of stuff, would be fun ;-) What I wish I didn't do though is to play strategy games online - or talk on forums - or have the internet lol lol lol - omg I'm soooooo lazy!!!!

Lol lol lol - bug, you are a total bug :p he he he - just kidding! I must confess my hoodie is stained a bit and my jeans - let's just not go there - I too must do laundry, but then I have laundry for 5 people to do - sigh - the kids get so excited if they see clean clothes - I do load the machine, then I'll get waylaid with work and forget it again - I am rubbish! and ironing - what's that???? I appreciate even if we are phd students we must wash occasionally, but ironing is just obscene!;-)
At least my hair now resembles hair and not road kill - ahhhh highlights, blondy bits - I feel much better about that and I can see now through my fringe - very exciting - I still haven't ventured in jewellery though - I might on Mon when I get into clean clothes for the conference lol - although my ears have probably healed up now - bug did you ever find the other earring? I was worried that you were just putting one in :p

Yes, I love it and it fascinates me, but I'm expected by the world to don a fetching, musty smelling, stripy jumper and to focus on the grand narratives writing about the wives of Henry VIII or the norman invasion or something! The fact that my work focuses on the latter half of the 19thC tends to confuse people, and the fact that I'm not studying 'famous' people, but real lives or ordinary people is also confusing for some reason - v annoying. It is amusing to watch them glaze over and nod with that look in their eyes that you know they're pondering if they left the gas on or not ;-) And if ONE more person asks what I want to do when I'm finished I swear I'll end up on the 6pm news for some interesting form of battery or impalement(up)

I also started in Oct and have found the first term incredibly hard - not so much academically but emotionally and psychologically. The transition from the BA and masters to Phd is a tough one that I've found hard to cope with, I feel pretty directionless atm, but I'm sure that that will change. Talk to people, you've had a rough run, but I'd advise sticking it out for a bit longer and seeing if things change once you really get going and have a while feeling better physically.

Lol, love the heels, nothing like showing them what they're missing ;-)

Sigh, yes I know the hibernating animal look, I wish that i could live in nice fleecy pjs, fluffy socks and slippers all day everyday, the school run wrecks that look though :-( I am just about to take off my heeled boots now I'm home and go into slouch mode again and 'try' to get some work done!

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Lol, its ok, I'm a historian, well, I keep being told I'm one but still feel like a wannabe! People hear science or whatever and go ooooh (maybe still the geek part though lol but a useful one) but they hear 'history' and either glaze straight over or wonder why I'd do that, or assume I'm an expert on all time periods and try to test me and find out the era I cover and go blank lol - they also tend to assume that I'd automically be studying the roman empire or henry VIII!

Lol, primark - all worship the great god primark!!! Sadly we don't have one in my town, the nearest is about 20 miles away and a complete pain to get to so I don't get to go very often - I wish they'd set one up here - I just don't have the money for even high st atm let alone the more flashy shops. Ahhh, it would be soooo nice to be able to go into somewhere nice and get a lovely outfit lol - in time........

Omg 14K words???? I've got to do 6K (see that - got to do lol) for my lit review and the sup says that it will form the first chapter and part of the second - he strategically didn't say I'd have to rewrite it (although I know I'll have to) his office is on the 8th floor and he was prob a bit concered I'd chuck myself out of it ;-) I hand mine in in a couple of weeks for the board on the 28th (omg!!! :-()

Oh Walrus.. you not well? Or are you having a pj day? Love them, sadly my kids need to go to school so I have to break the student rule and get up before 10am lol.

Bug, tesco had them, and asda, really cheap - pretty naff and not exactly stylish lol but they at least cover you up he he he.

Ruby, wow, it must be nice though to have a good reason to dress up nicely and look good - I love jewellery and it sounds fascinating! Lol, yep, as Bug confirms sociologists are quite probably the scruffiest dept lol - I did a joint honours BA half of which was sociology! My dept aren't exactly tidy - the office staff look good though lol lol lol - although you always get one who dresses up to the nines in class!