Oh, I forgot to say - I passed with minor corrections.

Overall, I don't think my viva went well, I didn't 'perform' well at all, but I was so worn out by the end my mentality was just to get it over with. I didn't go out on a high, but I think that's okay - I get the impression that everything doesn't rest on your viva performance.

I tried to read a lot of my examiner's papers before my viva, and it wasn't worth it. He did mention 'we do xxx' at some point when it had a slight connection to my work but I just had to nod and smile which frankly I could have done without reading the relevant papers!!
My viva was very specific to my thesis - page by page really. 'I had a query about something on page x', then we all turned to that page and I had to make some sensible comments. The examiners reassured me before the viva started that the purpose was for me to prove to them that I, and not someone else, wrote the thesis.
They asked me lots of questions that I had anticipated, but I was in a bit of a state beforehand so hadn't really spent a lot of time actually trying to find the answers - that was a bit irritating. Well, that's not entirely true. They were questions that I had made attempts to answer during the four years of my PhD but hadn't been able to, so in that respect the viva was quite difficult.

cc - we submitted around the same time - remember I said I'd hate you if you managed to submit by the end of the week or something to that effect? Anyway, I've put on weight too. When I was writing up, ridiculous as it might sound, I often felt that I didn't have time to spare 1/2 hour every day to exercise...and I'm paying for it now. I don't remember growing out of my clothes (in a bad way) before, and it was so awful having to go buy new, bigger clothes. Boo hoo. How depressing. I put on weight with no effort whatsoever - why can't I lose it the same way??

Howdy!

The years 1948-1966 are volumes 9-27 so your year is 1962. Volume 1 was 1938.

Not sure if you got sorted by now, but a quick search of my uni catalogue reveals "Discovery: a monthly popular journal of knowledge" published 1948-1966, became Science, formerly Modern Science...

"I count!" (I'm thinking of Sesame street - ah, childhood memories, anyway, I also WIN!!)

I thought that story was completely plausible too Chris...

I wish it was Christmas again

??
Coastman, I do believe I had a carebear or two

Thanks everyone! Chris, I'll take that as a congratulations With all the spare time I've had (looming corrections aside) I've been reading a pretty amazing book on animal behaviour that I think would be right up your street - King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz. Maybe you've already read it. Lots of anecdotes about talking birds and the like. (bird)