Looking Forward

Gosh, is it almost April?

I've been a bit confused about time lately. I think it's partly because my work-based countdown has gotten messed up.
One of things about working at the library is that I always know the date four weeks from now, because I stamp it in hundreds of books each day. However my branch is closing for a month to have work done, so I've been stamping May dates into books for the last three weeks. This means that it feels like April has snuck up on me this year.

April should bring good things:
1) Eastercon
After last year me and my husband decided we definitely had to go again. Now that it's a week away I'm looking forward to it, whilst also feeling a little startled that it's so close (due to aforementioned time issues I'm sure). There are various fun people I'm looking forward to seeing again, and a few people I've met online that I'm looking forward to seeing in person.
Last year we were a bit overawed by it all -it being our first con and everything. I don't think that will completely go away this time, but I'm hoping that the sense of community I get from chatting to people on Twitter will keep me from hiding in a corner.

2) Alt. Fiction
I'd assumed I couldn't go this year. I work Saturdays and it was tricky enough getting one off for Eastercon, so there was no chance I'd get another off the week after. However as my branch is shut and I'm being sent to branches as a spare person it meant I could get to Leicester for both days. Bless you, Broken Lights.
I enjoyed Alt.Fiction the last two times. The panels were good, it felt friendly and not-intimidating. Plus it was where I first started meeting cool people and realised that you can just go up to people and have a chat even if they do work in publishing, for the BBC, or write reviews for your favourite magazine.
I'll be going solo to this one as my husband isn't so keen on the more writer-based focus. Plus his working patterns haven't changed for April. As it's a smaller con and a more relaxed one I'm hoping to meet up with several friends I haven't seen in a while and hopefully make some more.

3) My Birthday
Well this really crept up on me, which is unusual. A few weeks ago my husband suggested I decide what I'm doing for my birthday, which was strange because I think birthdays should be special, and he doesn't really care if anything happens on his or not.
Last year the Government made my birthday a national holiday, however it seems I have fallen from grace this year (maybe it was all those NHS petitions I signed). I suppose it might just be possible that the football people were honouring me by having their final on my birthday, but as I'm uninterested in most sports and particularly do not like football, it seems unlikely. This means that I'm having to come up with birthday plans that won't be punctuated by drunken shouting when a ball does/does not go into a net.
Many of my good friends have already said they'll be there, and that's really the main thing, so I'm looking forward to a good afternoon.


In family news, I am now the aunty of a 3 week old baby. So in the longer term I'm looking forward to doing fun aunt things, although most of them will have to wait a few years.