Thanks Satchi and Sue, you're both really right, I need to start re-building a social life, I'm becoming too set in my ways! I guess I was just having a bad day, the weather was terrible and I watched Up in the Air. I am currently writing up and looking at finishing this year. Satchi I like what you say about moving on from this chapter of my life after the PhD is done....I think thats exactly how I am going to see it, it's already helping me focus and feel positive. Thanks, much appreciated.

Has anyone else been doing a phd for a long time, gone through a series of department mergers and closures and found themselves friendless and partnerless? Academically speaking, I am not overly worried about my work, I went part-time a couple of years ago when my full-time funding ran out and found a very well paid job working at the weekends for an international company. However, I always seem to be working away alone, most post-grads in my department are foreign and speak very little english (similar to my housemates), my old friends from grad school have finished or are finishing and moved away settled down etc. Because of work, I no longer have a big interest in conferences. I am just thinking, how on earth did I become so alone, I used to have so many friends and so many things to do, now, all i seem to do is work or watch tv when I am exhausted, when everyone else around me seems to have healthy family lives or rich partners or parents supporting them. Has anyone else been through this?