I had to take the whole day off from work yesterday to travel all the way out to Long Island for a wake. For those of you who've never experienced Long Island traffic...count yourselves among the lucky. You just never, ever know how impossible bad it's going to be. That's what you get when a gazillion & one people live on a long skinny island with few major roadways going in or out of the place. We actually made it under two & a half hours...not bad...considering...

Can you ever really say the right thing at a wake? This was a family friend who died after a long fight against cancer (thanks to some advances benefiting from stem cell research...he gained eight more years on this planet...not to get too political here...but it matters). This man was my father's best friend from first grade & was like an uncle to me. We used to see him & his family a couple times a year or when they'd invite us up to their ski house in PA. His kids wiped the mountain with our butts & we'd call it a day. I haven't seen his kids in at least ten years. I did the whole...huggy...kissy thing...sorry for your loss...blah...blah...all the time hoping that just being there was enough...that's really what matters, right? Because I always smile too brightly & socially at these things & end up just trying desperately not to have to look in the casket...because really...that's just not how I want to remember someone for the last time.

On a lighter note...Mom was in rare form after the wake...talking about this person or that one with the big Long Island hair...as we walked out...she whispered to me...when I die...please...just close the lid, K? Yeah Mom, I could do that for ya, I could.