Apologies for the lengthy quote, but I think Banjo Bonnie had the most graceful response:

Quote: "Well Jay, when someone asks me 'What do I do?', I like to think of it as that person is making an effort to strike up a conversation. Sometimes when people don't know you very well, they are not sure what questions to ask so besides talking about the weather, sometimes 'What do you do?' seems to be a safe thing to ask. When I look at it that way, it doesn't really bother me and I try to answer it as best I can with an appreciation for them taking an interest in me."

And my follow up question is: If this is a conversation opener, why be flippant, hostile or rude in response?

And, really, if you aren't in the mood to be friendly, why on earth are you at that gathering?

Rich