Hi.

I'm FT working, PT PhD-ing.  I acknowledge i' m not typical in this but i probably work about 30 hours a week.. largely due to an inability to sleep. I'm grateful for it at the moment, getting so much done !,  but hope it subsides post PhD.

That said, I'm thoroughly enjoy it and so much as its exhausting, frustrating, challenging etc it's also fab :-)

No disrespect meant but if you are of the older variety ;-) then could I propose that you are studying out of personal interest, love of subject, a personal challenge...  there will be pressure, clearly, but not quite in the same way as the young pups on here ( of which i am not one) who are fighting to get a foot on the career ladder.    In this you, and I, are probably lucky.

You are letting yourself in for a roller coaster ride that's for sure, and it is difficult .. but I don't know anything worthwhile that isn't. Herein endeth my rant. 

Best, Chuff. 

======= Date Modified 04 Nov 2010 08:31:26 =======
I've sat here shaking my head, hence the delay in response .. what is he/she playing at ??

you wonder if the sup has understood your work? 

either way and irrespective of the source of said looniness.. i would go for it.  i seem to recall you saying previously that you are in a niche field with journals being sparse. 

if this is the only issue and given what you've said you must submit the finding as they are .. suggestive of.

Version control is your fall back ...  if persuasion and evidence are a lost cause ;-)

all the best for submission.    sounds like journal is on your side and telling you what to change to get in.

i remember reading somewhere that its easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. So, if it were me, i would do it your way and if necessary at some later point blame a version control error :-)  "gosh, did i send that one? ... oh dear"   

that said, my sup always says be more definite too. don't say may,  might, probably etc so maybe its a sup thing.. trying to get us to be more assertive in our findings.   

what about the results suggest as a middle ground .. are suggestive of ... indicate ... 

could we have a competition of word substitution (up) ?

... continued..

I did my IM when i was working full time,  trained mornings but mostly evenings and certainly the weekends were a whirl of lycra.   you will get to fit to drop stage but you really shouldn't feel so bad at this stage.

If you can get a heart rate monitor they are fab, and your bestest friend.. you will know exactly how hard to push.. and you'd be surprised how often you need to hold back rather than push harder.

Join a tri  club if you can... that camaraderie is invaluable,  cycle clubs are also keen to show a triathlete how its done ... www.tritalk.co.uk had a forum, much like this one which was really good. i've just had a look and its changed its look since i was fit  :$

It is a tough training regime but its more mental .. and to be honest the fact that you pushed yourself to the point that you were crying is, odd as it may seem, a very good sign.  you definitely have it in you!

All the very best as i said earlier it is something else... the day is / was just.. well words fail.. i'm getting all wobbly just thinking about it.   

Regards, Chuff

Hi Maria.

I did an IM a few years ago.. and its similarities to doing a PhD are uncanny .. just substitute mental for physical and you are there. It is something else.

Its all about the long game.  I would recommend 'Going Long' by Joe Friel.. its what i used for my training programme. To summarise hugely, its not about intensity and so if you're being pushed to the max at this stage i would suggest you need to concentrate on ( pardon the pun) but going longer rather than harder. You will do sessions of short-ish and sharp-ish .. a few 10ks, bike time trial are really useful but its building stamina and mental strength you need.  

Joe's training plan would be based on hours per week... mixing the 3 disciplines but concentrating on long bikes,  medium runs and relatively shorter swims (1.15 hrs in training is enough)

So in hours per week i did something like 12,14,16,10 then 13,15,17,10 then 14,16,18,10 then 15,17,19,10 and so on.. get the pattern.  then for the last two week taper i did 12,10,8,6 then last week was 6,4,2 ... aaaahh IM.   this last taper reminds me of how you must feel post submission - you worry you've "lost" everything and that all your training was not hard enough etc.

Hi Pineapple,

such an obvious question but have you asked for sup or, more likely to get a response, your Uni admin team if there's any news ?

isn't there something about no news being good news ;-) ... i think "all" you can do now is prepare as per previous posts on here.. reading, note taking, summarising etc. Lots of fab threads on this topic.

keep strong; and very well done for submitting. Chuff

I haven't heard that term either but would equate it with very minor corrections. It sounds like you have submitted an excellent thesis, many congratulations.

An extra intro and conclusion, does this mean an additional paragraph in each ? If so, i'm sure word count tolerances will accommodate this ?

Not wishing to repeat myself on the forum but i love a good story... so if you could pass on your experience of your viva it would be much appreciated; especially as you did so well.

Thanks in hope. Chuff

I use a wheat bag, four minutes in the microwave, too long according to instructions ( we are such rebels on here :-) ), but keeps toasty warm for ages. Does burn out after a few months but not too expensive to replace and better than blue, or worse white, feet.

Chuff

What a fab idea, and without the push of your sup too.  well done. Go for it. 

The abstract is an initial offer for sale, it'll be picked up if it shows you can write something that can grab attention.    Now, whether what you actually submit in the paper is exactly the same as offered in the abstract is another story. It's all part of the reflexivity of emergent themes - if you could foresee the outcome what's the point of doing the research ;-) 

so, with that in mind, many abstracts are way off the final paper... but it is expected and in some way respected.  You will add a new abstract at the top of your final paper and way to go.

Well done again, hope you enjoy and your sup appreciates your efforts.

Best.  Chuff

Hi Ashley,

the answer to what its like will be all too apparent if you read just a few of the regular threads on here. Its full of high and lows, frustrations and congratulations.

Not being work shy certainly helps, as does being aware enough to ask the question, but what you need above all else is the love of the subject.

It may not always come to the surface on here ;-) but most, i suspect, started with the love and hopefully end with it once the stuffing that has been knocked out is returned.

Practically, the work load is a full time job - 40 hours per week.. for 3+ years if full time but be aware you will be thinking of it constantly so 24/7 maybe a more accurate figure.

Application and ease varies, maybe others can assist here. I got "in" via a work programme so wasn't the norm.

On a final note, this forum is fab so when you start (up) come back.

Chuff

======= Date Modified 27 Oct 2010 14:58:13 =======

Hi,
i agree in sentiment with Jojo ...  does anyone ever need a PhD?   No, we just bloody want one... and if you bloody want one then you have to fight for it.

You have done brilliantly to get this far but you're at the toughest part now.. maybe your sup is using a psychological technique to get you to fight - mine doesn't need a psychological technique we just seem to fight all on our own. ;-)

If you want it, go for it .. we're here to help you !  not with the writing up but with the rants and raves.

If you're absolutely sure you don't ( and will not regret it) then leave it.. life's too short. 

Let us know what happens though. 

Chuff

I pretend i can play the piano on my desk when i can't think... when it gets really bad its the third movement from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Its knackering.

Hi Pinepple29 .. i read your post and went "understandable concerns", "normal post submission panic", "the viva is meant to be scary, that's how Prof's get their kicks"  - as my Prof said.

Then i went "wowwee" to these bits...  "if only" i thought :-)

The practical tips on this site will get you through but give yourself a mini break to recharge then come back and focus on these two statements.

Regards, Chuff

I had a thought of something that I might find useful and wondered if anyone had any advice please.

Software to create graphics, simple graphics like clip art / cartoon style - nothing fancy, a stick man is beyond me artistically.

Anyone know which software is best ?    Adobe, corel draw - so they do this sort of thing or are they all whizzy photo editing etc .

ta, and have a good day.  Chuff

Hi W.

Not sure if i read your post correctly, plus I'm using Word 2007 so hope this applies.

But if so.. and if so ... then you can apply section breaks in W7, and then make one section landscape, then following that landscape page make another section break and return that section onwards to portrait.

Do a help in Word10 and have a quick read see if it applies.

As for headers and footers on the landscape etc.. nightmare city. i've googled til i can google no more on that one. Its hit and miss.

HTH. Chuff