I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

We went to see some relatives on my Dad's side of the family. Whenever I visit them it always comes as a bit of a shock just how loud they are. There's a new baby in the family, she's a month old or so now. She's cute, she is. But why is it, that whenever there is a new baby, everyone has to hold it?
'Oh,' they say, 'you haven't held the baby yet have you?' Well, no. Then you have to hold it. I just can't get my head around it? What are you supposed to say?
'Oh yes, this baby feels good, its got a good weight to it'?
'Ah, a good solid mass there' What? I really can't see the point? Am i supposed to want to hold it? Is the fact that I can see the baby not enough? I'm supposed to hold it just in case I wasn't convinced that it's real?
And I hate the way that I feel I'm being judged by my holiding of the baby. Look, I'm not good with babies, I haven't grown up with babies, and they can all tell by the way I hold the baby and I really feel inadequate and awful.
Says my cousin to me, 'but you're a girl? Aren't girls just supposed to know this stuff?'
NO!! THEY DON'T!! (or at least I don't) Now shut up and leave me be.

Man, sometimes I just feel so lacking in appropriate social skills that I wish I could go live under a rock for the rest of my life and never have to interact with anyone again.

[/rant]

So christmas was nice ^_^
I got some cool presents including; CLAMP south side, oh yes! A years membership of the National Trust (so many places I want to visit now; Waddesdon Manor, the King's Head inn and Prior Park!). Some nice pens for inking, that I can't wait to try out. And some pretty glass flowers: