Speaking from the point of view of a nearly finishing-up PhD student. If you worry this much before starting a PhD, you WILL become mad with depression during the PhD. Most PhD students tend to have some freedom within the area before deciding on which one to specialise.

Who's paying?

Oh my God - Mind numbingly boring... I am outgoing and social... Those I find interesting in my lab, I chat with. Why should I then be forced to go sit for 1 hour talking about what we have been doing.

Sleeping pills and those little bottles of alcohol... With any luck one could sleep right through a conference... One of the things I do is get the proceedings and then bugger off to explore the place! My first conference was in Barcelona and my supervisor came and asked me if I had been to Spain before. I said No and he told me to get the proceedings and go on a tour. I did and have done so ever. The only thing I stay for are the keynotes and interesting talks I pre-select!

I think this comment a couple of posts back "every major radical thought has already been exhausted in the area, all you can merely do is slightly modify it" is true to most areas at the moment... not just classics

What is wrong with treating your supervisor as *just* another person? Unless ofcourse you have a bad relationship with them in which case all you need to do is to get your seats on the plane seperately by going at different times to the airport!

:) Political correctness obviously not a strongpoint.

I am sure everyone has seen this one before but it is still a favourite for ever since my supervisor moved to another country part-time which means I am going to meet him over there since I really want his attention on my thesis at this point!!!

The Lord of the Rings: an allegory of the PhD?
http://danny.oz.au/danny/humour/phd_lotr.html

:) nice!

Of course I meant peer-REVIEWED publications

You have to open the competetion to the public... Peer-revied publications are much more respected!!!

Do the guys mind much??? And how do you handle it if the booths are full :) Just kidding.

I have a goldfish and two white white cloud minnows; now all I have to do is find my digicam.

Here is a URL that I went to entertain me during a break today.

http://aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

This made a nice break in between writing for me. You need headphones/loudspeakers to appreciate this and if you don't have them beside you, get up and go get it. It is worth the effort.

4.15AM BST... I think I will stop writing now and go to sleep. I can't think any more.