Catalin this is all delicious, although I question the morals of vegetarian using feline slaves...... be honest, did you get ethics approval for that? They are very cute but I swear the little one knicked my feta canape.

The after dinner drinks are one of my favs so top marks there. Then again, combined with the gin to start - I suspect you could be trying to bump up your scores through the power of inebriation!

Oh well, I'm as a merry as a meercat ("simples!"), so have some slightly crushed flowers and a score of 8.

Hi all

Today I really fit right right in with this theme of being overwhelmed! Every time I think the end of my practical work is in sight, and that I can make some progress - a machine fails, or an assay doesn't go as expected, all I ever seem to do is generate more questions and shoddy data, it's really getting me down. I can't see this ever getting done with the way things are going, and God knows I'm behind on even thinking about the writing.

Sorry, moan over (honest). Going to review the whole situation on paper, even though it terrifies me to do it. And then make the final amendments to this paper so that at least something concrete has been achieved today - I can sympathise so much with the hatred of endless revisions!

Sure - I think the others are right, you've been busting a gut getting all this done and now you're in the trough of the wave, try to ride it out without too much self recrimination and you'll hit your stride again soon. And dream of that holiday, God knows we need something to look forward to!

I can't believe I missed all this! Hot tubs, naked servants....... my goodness my guiness as my dear aunty Jill would say.
Who's serving next? Can I join as a late-coming rogue entrant to messs up the scores?

Oh dear sneaks, this doesn't sound like you at all. Are you just drowning in non-phd distractions?

I've been terribly haphazard as well, can't seem to balance all the different research tasks and writing that need doing (not to mention home life nonsense).

Agree about the tomatoes, but then if it was steak or cake I'd just get totally distracted and run to the fridge each time I looked at the timer! Mmmm, steak *drools lightly on lab book* Erm yes, clearly have enough problems regulating my food intake as it is :s

Hope today goes better. I'm planning a looong run of experiments which will be nice to get done, but which will probably deprive me of my planned Yoga class, boo to that.

That's fantastic news Natassia, well done!
I'm sure the call will go well, just be honest and enthusiastic and try not to worry too much, even supervisors are human - well, most are ;)

Sorry Sas, but I don't know anything about finance or CFA. I liek Edinburgh as a city but that's really all I can say.

Thats great that you're speaking at the conference keepcalm!

That said, I fully understand the fear it entails. Despite my own irrational terrors though I must say that I've never having had a bad experience when presenting. You'll always be the expert on your particular piece of research and most academics are pretty decent to (clearly nervous) students. On the off-chance that you do get a grumpy questioner everyone in the room sees them for the prat they are anyway! I found it helped to check out the room first (mentally peeing in the corners and so on), oh and don't have eggs for breakfast, got that one wrong last time and felt sick as a parrot :s

Mind2motion you're being far too hard on yourself!
Everyone works in different ways and there is no single "right" approach. If working until late on the last night sets you up for distinction marks then so be it. The problem here seems to be the stress it causes you, not the results you're getting.

I too have spent oodles of time on gantt charts, plans and timetables, to very little affect! Sometimes it really is a case of trying to froce a square peg into a round hole. One option here is to figure out why these plans aren't working; are you're goals unrealistic, do your plans not take into account other work, or do you simply need the last-minute pressure to be productive? The other approach is to find a way of working with your natural tendencies, don't beat yourself up for them but appreciate how well you clearly work in your own way and maximise that. Academia has many faults but it can be wonderfully forgiving of those who work to their own rythm.

From your post I'd say the only thing holding you back from academia is your lack of self-belief, I'd guess that you feel like quitting not because of teh subject matter, but because you've made the process so painful for yourself? If you get good grades, are talented analystically and want to do this - why on earth would you give up and do something else? Get some sleep, cut yourself some slack and stop comparing yourself to others (most of them are considerably less organised than they appear!), you have every right to pursue this.

Hehe, how intriguing Bilbo. We may be closer than I thought. For my part think shaggy cows with curvy horns ;)

Bilbo that's fantastic, you're so close!
Rooting for you from the frozen North :-)

Don't worry too much Natassia, the fact that you've sought them out and are keen on their work is hugely in your favour already.
When I applied to potential supervisors I started off with a fairly brief email, detailing how I became aware of them, what I knew of their work and why it appealed to me. I gave a summary of my university and work experience, and sketched out what my own interests and motivations were.

It's terribly nerve-wracking writing these things but my experience was pretty positive. The main feedback I got was that they were pleased to be approached by a motivated student, and could easily follow up with questions or a meeting when they wanted to know more.
Good luck!

Hmmm, in true CDWM style I have donned my white cotton gloves and crept to the upstairs. Tut tut Eska, my gloves are streaked with the dust on your laptop! Clearly the menu planning has distracted you from your studies.

But the menu redeems you, seconds please and a class of cassini!

Hi all

I need to atone for my Christmas break sins, so having got to the office at 8.30am I am still solidly here at the same hour of pm. Guilt (and the not so tempting lure of a grumpy husband at home) see me comfortably esconced on the plush seats of the nightly phd train. I'm feeling good though, answers are coming via a science forum I use and with some copy-paste-tastic work I am safely into double figures for my thousands of words. It's a confidence that will be short lived I'm sure, but I'm enjoying it!

How is everyone else doing?

======= Date Modified 13 Jan 2010 20:04:22 =======
I think I may have been following your line Sue - the memory of ethics is definitely one best forgotten :-s

This has given me food for thought though as I work with a vulnerable group and the ethics was a big deal. But I second the desire not to include the actual docs on the basis that only half of what was intended will actually have been achieved! That said, in my case ethics are put through for overall sample use, so I could easily brush the other aims off as having belonged to another project, could you maybe do the same Catalin?

You need the paper clip bird from oliver bonas Button! My friend got me one for my birthday, it "nests" on the clips in a very cute fashion.