Hi! It appears you are writing an obituary...

I apologize for the lack of postings. I’ve been at another family funeral, and have been preoccupied with all of the attendant obligations. Besides being a co-executor of the estate, I had to write yet another obituary, a duty at which I’ve become a reluctant old hand. It’s all made me weary.
E thought that the Microsoft should configure the coy little paperclip avatar/help agent “Clippy” to say, “Hi! It appears you are writing an obituary…”

I had a colleague at an old job who was the personification of Clippy. He had the same air of eagerness and irritating, fatuous good cheer. He even shared a remarkable physical resemblance – he had Clippy’s bulbous eyes and beetly eyebrows. Inevitably whenever I was wrangling with the copy machine he would materialize and offer to help with the same grating, intrusiveness. “Well, hey there! Is that machine being a stinker again?” I’m usually not such an ingrate about any sincere offer of assistance, no matter how unwelcome, so I would always feel deeply petty and ashamed as well as incompetent around machinery.