You know you've been a research student too long when

- even though you've submitted and are waiting for the viva - the man in the shop selling a USB memory widget thingy (and where for some reason the only 1GB widgets are decorated with footballs, for goodness sake, 'cos only blokes could possibly want that much memory, obviously) looks at you kindly and says,

'Why you look so desperate?'


(He eventually said he'd pray for me, and ask me if I prayed; and given that I think he's probably a Muslim, this struck me as inter-religious dialogue of the good sort! But still. 'Desperate'??)