External drives and disk space for iPhoto, iTunes...

I'm ill and cannot spend much time sitting at a desk, so I have to a MacBook (aka, when real sick, I can work in a layZboy or in bed).
So now I have the 17" MBP with 500G, and should upgrade the GHz to 8 as soon as prices drop.
Here WAS my plan:
I'd put my iPhoto library on an external hard drive (EHD), because I already have about 30.000 pictures, most in RAW format, and they take a LOT of space... (semi-pro photographer) Yup, you read right. iPhoto, not Aperture. Switched to Snow Leopard and my Aperture isn't up to date anymore, don't have the money for Aperture2 and realized I prefer how iPhoto works for organizing... Except there is no referencing... And I also want to finally have all my pics together. Pics I had put on DVDs, finally scan old pics... But I won't have enough space!
So I wanted to use an EHD to put my iPhoto library...
And of course, make a backup of that EHD with another one, which I wouldn't keep in the house, in case of a fire or theft.
But I realized I have a HUGE problem!
My computer is a laptop!
I don't use it in one place alone!
So I can't realistically have an EHD plugged in all the time (especially since they need power!)
I have Airport. It's how I do my TimeMachine backups. Works well. Maybe a little slower, but I don't have any cables!
But would it be possible to use EHD and iPhoto the same way?
I'm not so sure...
I will need to work off the EHD regularly... opening RAW pics, editing them in Photoshop...
Any ideas? Should I buy my EHD?
I don't want to change my computer again... and I can't, realistically.
Physically, I don't have a choice. It's a laptop or no computer work.
When I shopped it was the biggest drive possible in a laptop.
Please help...

Your need for a portable computer forces you to make some compromises — no way around that.
Western Digital has announced the impending availability of a 1TB 2.5" notebook hard drive, and its 640GB and 750GB offerings are currently available:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136459
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136414
The 640GB drive is 9.5mm high and will fit into all MBPs. The 750GB drive is 12.5mm high and has been reported to fit into a Late '08 15" unibody MBP, despite not meeting the 9.5mm maximum height spec for that model. The much-anticipated 1TB drive, not available yet, is also expected to be 12.5mm high.
Any of these drives could be used externally if mounted in a suitable enclosure. Note that many enclosures for 2.5" drives will not accommodate a 12.5mm high drive; one must be careful to buy an enclosure that will. I would not under any circumstances buy a WD hard drive in a WD external enclosure. There have been more reports of trouble with WD prepackaged external drives in these forums than with all other external drive brands combined. WD's drives themselves are fine; WD's enclosures seem fraught with multiple problems. If you want to use one of these drives in an external enclosure, I recommend buying the drive and enclosure separately and putting them together yourself. I can highly recommend OWC's portable drive enclosures, but I don't know whether or not any of them will accommodate a 12.5mm drive. Call them and ask:
http://eshop.macsales.com (phone number is at top of web page)
3.5" desktop external drives are available in larger capacities at lower prices than notebook drives, but of course they're larger, heavier and less portable, always requiring an external AC power supply. If you need a capacity of more than 750GB right now, these are the only option available to you.

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