In all the talk of the five stages of grief(悲伤五阶段理论), I don’t recall one of them being spending hours on hold(电话等待接通中) to energy suppliers. Perhaps I misunderstood, though, and that’s entirely what they’re about. This call won’t take long (denial(否认)); aargh, are they ever going to answer? (anger); if I hang on for five minutes more, they’ll definitely pick up(接电话) (bargaining(讨价还价)); they are never, ever going to pick up (depression); and I live on hold now – this is my life (acceptance(接受)).
在关于“悲伤五阶段”的各种讨论里，我不记得有哪个阶段是花好几个小时等着能源供应商接电话。不过，也许是我理解错了，说不定这五个阶段说的就是这个。这通电话不会打太久的（否认）；啊，他们到底会不会接啊？（愤怒）；再等五分钟，他们肯定会接的（讨价还价）；他们永远、永远都不会接了（抑郁）；我现在就活在等待接通里——这就是我的人生（接受）。
You hear the term “sadmin(丧事行政事务)” bandied about(被随意谈论), you understand there’s paperwork to do after somebody dies – but until it’s you who has to do it, you don’t realise how much, what it entail(牵涉、需要)s or how encompassing(包罗万象的) it is. My mum’s death has basically become my full-time job. The hours are terrible, the pay is worse and the promotion prospects sobering(令人清醒的), to say the least(至少可以说).
你听人随口提起“sadmin”（丧事行政）这个词，也知道人去世后有一堆文书要办——但直到轮到你自己去做，你才明白事情有多少、具体包括什么、牵扯有多广。母亲的离世基本上成了我的全职工作。工作时间糟透了，报酬更糟，晋升前景嘛，至少可以说，让人清醒。
Received wisdom is that you should ask your parents lots of questions while they’re still around(趁他们还在世). For me, this feels increasingly true. There’s so much I now wish I’d asked my mum – namely(即、也就是) who her mobile phone provider was and the number of her milkman(送奶工). I don’t know where the water meter in my own house is, let alone(更不用说) anyone else’s, so it would have been handy(有用的、方便的) if that had come up, too.
大家普遍认为，趁父母还在，应该多问他们一些问题。对我来说，这话越来越有道理。如今我多希望当初问过母亲很多事——比如她的手机运营商是哪家，送奶工的号码是多少。我连自己家的水表在哪儿都不知道，更别说别人家的了，所以要是当初聊到过这个，也会方便不少。