Taking the third day

I was offered for bereavement was absolutely the best thing to do, as it gave me the opportunity to 'decompress' after returning from the funeral and getting some needed rest. Physically I'd really done nothing, but emotionally, I was bunched up and drained. So I wound up taking most of the evening yesterday just relaxing at home. A said today when he gave me a shoulder rub that I was much looser than normal, so I must have done something right.

Today was a day to spend with friends. We visited. I took A to a couple of stores to get some things they needed. YKWIA and I watched a few episodes of 'World's Strictest Parents' where spoiled teens from Britain are whisked off to the far corners of the world for a few days to experience life with much stricter family rules. ALthough technically a 'reality show', it is very interesting. Even more interesting is that when it was done in the United States, the kids not only couldn't easily be sent to other cultures (primarily because of budget along with, in some cases, getting a passport for juvenile delinquents), but the parents apparently got to go along and rate the host family's job. The thing that worked with the UK kids was getting them away from their home life, their friends, and their culture, and then plopping them down in an unfamiliar environment and giving them rules and good, strict host-parents who enforce those rules. It seems to work best if there is a boy and a girl, and if they are separated at some point for some one-on-one attention. So far, the best set of 'parents' I've seen in the UK programme (I haven't seen the one produced in the US) was a gay couple in New Jersey who had both adopted and foster children of their own. They were firm, but at the same time never resorted to shouting or the like, and weren't basing their family philosophy on religion, as seen in many of the other families, which was a turn off for some teens. One of the kids actually wound up staying awhile longer, and one of the mem accompanied her back to Britain to help integrate her back with her family. I have to say, they're very engaging to watch.

So now I'm home, albeit later than I hoped, and I really need to finish the game notes. I did some of them while at an appointment this afternoon with my friend. I could just go to sleep right now but that wouldn't accomplish anything, so I guess I'll at least get as much of it finished as possible, and then get some sleep. :)