April 11th, 2009

Hard Times…

by Terri Libenson

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog entry. I was caught up in presentation preparations during the past few months. So let’s see, where were we? Oh yeah. Poor Rob got canned.

Yes, harsh economic times have caught up with the Kaplans. As I said, I wanted the strip to reflect a certain reality to the current climate. Originally, I thought of making one of the side characters lose their job, but I realized the story line would be more poignant if it affected the main family.

Now here’s the strange life-imitating-art-imitating-life thing that’s come out of this: so many people have asked me if my husband (my real hubby, not the inked & scanned version) was laid off. I wasn’t too surprised at this questioning. However, I was surprised by the sheer volume of it. Actually, I’m pretty touched by the concern.

To answer this question…no, luckily my husband is still employed — although he’s taken quite a lot of ribbing at work because of the strip. I did suggest to him a “Stranger Than Fiction” scenario, where I can control his life just by writing it (new furniture, anyone?). He wasn’t amused.

Occasionally, I’m asked the question, “Do you have these story lines all mapped out, like, say, a year in advance?” My answer: usually no. In this case, I’d like to explore the job loss situation as it progresses in real time. So I guess we’ll all wait and see how this pans out.

(Note: new sample strips will be posted soon, including the reader favorite “Libido-meter”…so don’t forget to check back)