Some of the threads on here today are hair raising to say the least, about things that people are having to endure and go through. Some very serious and concerning situations.

This puts into perspective that a burnt out lightbulb ( having to now work in shadows), bleeding from trying to fix my stapler that seems to have packed it in, and being really hungry for TexMex food that I cannot get in the UK are not really anything to be concerned about.

This serious situations point out I suppose just how grim the PhD can be...and its too bad it has to be that way....

Am in agreement with Olivia, seems there are some people going through some tough situations at the moment- how it all gets better soon. And to think that I have been fretting about the mother-in-law coming to stay!

Why fretting over the ole MIL?

What else is there to do with one?!

MIL is a complete nightmare and control freak. Also my partner and I currently live with the in-laws, which is complicated. They live abroad for 8 months of the year and only return in the summer. Currently, my partners brother is living in the 'pool room' (granny annex) and keeps taking things belonging to the in-laws and is running up huge electricity bills. He then proceeds to blame all this on my partner and myself, which results in a lot of tensions. The sad thing is that the in-laws believe my partners brother when lies and says these things are our faults, which is extreemly stressful and upsetting.

And to cap it all off, they are currently building a bungalow to move into on another part of the (massive) garden, and the house is currently up for sale. Meaning we are going to move house definetly once, maybe twice if we need to live in rented accommodation temporarily.

And my brother is not talking to me because he rung me up to tell me he is going to propose to his girlfriend, and i told my mum thinking she knew (she didn't) and he is annoyed because he wanted it to be a suprise. And mum is upset because she was the last to find out!

My weekend in a nutshell!!! I was quite relieved to return to the office for some much needed peace and sanity!