New Secret Hideout

So, I gotta admit. I always liked the idea of a studio outside of the house.

Don't get me wrong. The studio in my house is perfectly comfortable, and it has everything I need.

But I've always liked the idea of having my own studio outside the house.

Of course, that's not very practical. I mean, a studio space involves, among other trifles... rent. And I've never been able to justify the expense until now.

So. Earlier this summer, new aftercare rules and prices were announced at the school both of my boys will be attending in the Fall. It made it impossible for us to avail ourselves of the service. As such, either me or my wife would have to pick up the boys at 2:30 p.m.

Add into the mix the happy news that my wife has a new job. Happy news, indeed, but it makes it impossible for her to drop the boys off or to pick them up at school.

And, finally, throw in the fact that her job would necessitate the use of our single automobile.

That puts me taking the kids to school -- which involves catching a bus and then taking a train -- coming home via the same train-then-bus route, trying to work on the comic and my Web sites, and then turning right around and taking the same bus/train combo back out to the school to pick them up and, finally, taking the train back to the bus back home.

Any one of those bus/train trips can take anywhere from an hour to an hour-and-a-half.

As you can imagine, at the start of this summer, I could see the time that I have traditionally used to work on my projects was disappearing in a flurry of bus tokens and SEPTA passes.

At a gathering of families -- most of which had kids who went to the same school as my boys -- I was bemoaning this development along with the other parents, all of whom were scrambling to figure out who was dropping off and who was picking up and by-god-nobody-better-get-sick.

And one of the moms turned to me and said, "Why are you doing all of that back-and-forth nonsense? Why don't you just rent studio space near the school?"

And the lightbulb went on. I honestly had never considered it. If I could find a place near the kids' school to work, I could drop them off, go to the studio to work on the comic, and then pick them up at the end of their day.

We had budgeted a certain amount of money for some sort of aftercare option for the boys. That money could become earmarked as studio-rent money just as easily.

Last week, I found a perfect place, mere blocks from the school. And it is a little over half of what we'd originally budgeted.

And that's how I'm getting my new studio. It's necessary and it's practical, but it's still awfully cool.

I haven't signed the lease yet, so there's always the possibility that this could crumble in front of my eyes. But I told them I absolutely wanted it. As soon as I get the keys (and get some furniture in there) I'll be posting a video tour of the new digs.