Sideswipe: August 12: Inglorious baguettes

Is this rude?

"Walking into someone's house without knocking. I find this terribly rude, however one of my close friends doesn't see an issue with it. We went to visit a friend and she walked straight in the house. I stood awkwardly outside like, 'Erm … shouldn't we knock first?' I always keep my doors locked at all times due to this very reason."

"People who go on their mobile phones when you are talking to them. It is clear they aren't listening while they scroll through FB and just answer you with 'yes', 'no', or 'what?'"

"I think it's really rude when people are really 'relaxed' or 'chilled' and therefore opt out of any planning or arranging of anything because they 'don't mind' and it's 'up to you'. They act like they're being super accommodating but, in reality, they're just being lazy and putting all the workload on the other person to organise."

Weird physical afflictions

1. "Because of a blood disorder I have extremely acidic tears. My face swells, burns and I get hives or an allergic reaction. A couple of tears is annoying. Serious crying will eat away at my contacts, I'll have to use cold compresses and take antihistamines."

2. "I have two different ears. One is wide enough for earbuds, the other isn't. My twin brother has the mismatch on the opposite side."

3. "My knees make a lot of noise when I'm crouching down. My doctor tells me it's normal, but my girlfriend thinks I'm breaking a bone every time."

Preparing for a good death

An end-of-life doula is a person trained to support and guide people through the final part of their lives. The process involves imagining your own death, engaging people by active, deep listening, and helping with legacy projects that will live on after a person is gone. Imagining your own death helps you to recognise your priorities and figure out what's really important to you. An exercise begins: Write down your five most-prized possessions, your five favourite activities, your top five values, and the five people you love the most. Close your eyes. Imagine you're at a doctor's office. You've just been given a terminal diagnosis and told you have approximately three months to live. Sit with that news. Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross any four items off your list. Close your eyes. You're back home with your spouse or friends or children or pet. You have to find a way to tell those you love: "I'm dying." Breathe. Open your eyes. Cross another four items off your list. By the time you have crossed off all your favourites, you should have an idea of what's most important to you.