6 46 pm pdt

My least favorite question to be asked when someone dies is, "Were you close?" I think it is a stupid question, and I always pause, say yes, and bite my tongue.

I know that people are trying the best. But people say some stupid things. My boss was fixated on if my stap-dad was Jewish (he was not) and I didn't have the energy to tell her that it didn't matter and she should stop asking pointless question.

The two winners I didn't witness personally. One was fielded by my mom. A woman called today and said she was an old friend of Doug (my stap-dad). My mom introduced herself as his wife and was talking to the woman. The woman said she hadn't talked to Doug in a while. Then she said she hadn't heard that he had gotten married and she asked my mom if she was sure he had gotten married. !!!!!

The worst was a guy who called from the respirator company (my step-dad died because his respirator failed and there's a good chance the company will get sued, especially since they admitted in a phone message that the equipment was faulty). The guy who called asked to speak to Doug. My grandmother (Doug's mom) had answered the phone and she regretfully informed the guy that Doug was dead. The guy replied, "That's what I heard, but I just couldn't believe it." I have never heard of anything so unkind.