A perfect office, complete with padded walls, part deux

One benefit of living out here in the hinterlands is that office space is cheap. Like $1 per square foot cheap. Sure, the office I’m planning on renting for the summer is a former hospital room in a psych ward. Sure, there’s a crematorium in the basement. But hey, there’s a window with a view. There’s room for a desk and a couch. And I can even sneak in my golden retriever (via the stairwell). What’s not to love?

The best part is that I’ll be on the “artists’ floor,” home to an eclectic assortment of painters, sculptors, print makers––you name it. It’s a total throwback to my art school days. I lived in the dorms at Seattle University (Xavier Hall) on a similar floor reserved for art majors. And while admittedly, I’ve never been to a floor dedicated to accounting majors, I get the feeling that we were just a tad more bohemian.

They building even hosts a First Friday Art Walk, when artists open their studio spaces to the public. How cool is that?  

Fight Club: Hillary & Obama

One more, courtesy of my good friend Eric Heidle. And remember, the first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is...

 

American Gods: Hillary & Obama

What do you get when you take epic lines from Neil Gaiman's Sandman and mash them up with the American political landscape? See for yourself.*



On a quasi-related note, Gaiman's publisher, Harper Collins, is offering a free copy of his transcendent novel, American Gods––online. It's part of an effort to see if free digital copies sell print books. I have my doubts...

* If you know who created this amazing homage, let me know. 

A perfect office, complete with padded walls

For most authors a home office is a dream. On paper, it’s a lovely and romanticized idea. In my case, it’s just a little too counterproductive—at least in the summertime, when my kids are home (and all the other blessed kids in the neighborhood).

So I just checked out a funky little office space to rent for the summer (and perhaps a bit longer). It’s in a historic hospital building that’s slowly being converted into commercial space.

As a retired hospital, the “offices” were formerly used as patient rooms, recovery rooms, surgery rooms––that kind of thing. The entire fourth floor (where I’d be) has been converted into artists’ studios. A fitting home, since it was originally the psych-ward, complete with heavy metal doors and break-resistant glass.

I’ll dish more on the whole office thing on Monday. Gotta run––edits are callin' me.