:0(

Ah, I am sad today! I had the best weekend with my family and now it is all over, I am back home and feel homesick for my nearest and dearest. I shan't see them for six months! I think my ma is going to come for a visit in Feb which will be nice though. I had lots and lots of fun and ate lots of nice food and drank lots of wine. And now I am at home, suffering the football game that DB recorded, surrounded by mess and boxes of books and house moving stuff... We leave two weeks tomorrow!

The visa office was an interesting experience. DB and I had a huge argument in the car (as to be expected really, but a lot of air was cleared and we are best friends again now. Moving house and planning a six month trip is stressful business!!!) and we got there and all we had to do was hand over our passports and forms. And we have to go back on Weds to pick them up. Back! Rubbish, but DB hopes he can go in on his own and will make it the beginning of his farewell tour in Cornwall... I was actually asked to re-write my signature like the one on my passport - apparently they looked very different! I am sure when I did my passport one I did my *best* signature, whereas in real life I just do a scribble without thinking about it. Being asked to re-do your signature makes it a worryingly conscious thing and I just couldn't do it! The more I hesitated the worse it got as well. If you try and actually write your signature it becomes quite difficult. Anyway, I managed though I wasn't convinced it looked similar. The lady seemed to think it was ok though... I am nervous now because they have our passports and if there is something wrong it will take days more to be sorted... and we have only two weeks! Eek, left it a bit late eh. We needed to though to get maximum time because the visas start from the date they are issued in the UK.

I had my work back from my Sup and there don't seem to be many comments apart from semantics and grammar. I take heart from this.

Tomorrow I am going to start reading about how to do interviews and tings. I have been glad for my weekend away, I feel that my thoughts are back into perspective and also I feel much calmer. I have also realised that I just will not come back after India and fall into this lifestyle again. I am going to be much more sociable and get a couple of hobbies other than the gym and drinking booze. 'Papa, I am going to be a real boy!!' (or girl, more accurately).

My ma told me to wait until after the PhD to start a family. I want to start next year but she assures me that I won't be interested in the PhD when I have a wee baba. I know she is right but waiting until I am 31 and unemployed seems stupid too. Gah, what a pain this whole thing is. Is it ever a good time?

x J