This morning, I returned to a project I tackle now and then: making my own calendar pages using Microsoft Office's Publisher software.

It's an exercise to help me deal with scheduling challenges before they become too complex to deal with -- to identify times I need to consider before making other appointments, scheduling other trips, and the like.

The immovable dates this year seem to be as follows:

April 18-20 New York City con at the Javits Center

May 3 Free Comic Book Day -- which will probably mean my annual Madison rampage through that city's comics shops

May 23-26 WisCon -- a science-fiction and fantasy convention, again in Madison (with a side trip in Pardeeville on the way south in order to hit that community's annual garage sale event)

June 26-29 Wizard World Chicago

July 23-27 Comic-Con International: San Diego

October 22-26 Friends of Old Time Radio convention in Newark

And I may try what worked splendidly for me two years ago on "Black Friday": going to Appleton on Thanksgiving, buying a newspaper, and working my way through it to plan the Friday-morning buying binge. It was actually a fun exercise in logistics, culminating in a completed shopping trip by 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

Talk about planning ahead!

What are your plans for the year -- once the snowdrifts melt?