Man, I've gotten lazy about this whole blogging thing. I had a nice little vacation, and have quite a bit to write about there (for now, I'll just say that the Museum of Jurassic Technology is freakin' awesome). But it always seems like there's something to keep me otherwise occupied. Most recently, it was some technical problems with iTunes, which I tried to fix using the brunt force method, which ultimately led to the loss of all my iTunes settings (playlists, song ratings, etc.), so I spent quite a bit of time tinkering with that and recreating my playlists as best I could. Only to have my iPod die this afternoon. Still under warranty, by just under a month, but I still have to pay $30 (!) shipping and handling. I could still have purchased an extended warranty for $70 rather than pay shipping for this repair, but I decided it wasn't worth it, as I have a feeling I'll be buying an iPod Video early next year, if the internet rumors are to be believed.

My iPod's death made me sad today, but what truly has me preoccupied is the death of Aldo Kelrast. By means of explanation, let me say that I have become a bit obsessed with the website Comics Curmudgeon. As a result, I have begun reading some comic strips I never paid attention to, like Apartment 3-G and They'll Do It Every Time (I'd never even heard of that one before). But the biggest shake-up in my comic-reading activity was the sudden interest I took to a little strip called Mary Worth. And while an interest in the meddling adventures of an elderly biddy was already percolating within my heart, it was this summer's series of strips, affectionately dubbed "Aldomania" by the internet community, which promoted Mary Worth from an ironic amusement to a full-blown obsession.

And it could be a painful obsession. I don't know if you've ever followed a soap opera comic strip, but with only three panels a day, stories take a long time to unfold. A week could pass just with Mary Worth ending her volunteer shift at the hospital. And the filler strips, intended to stall the story so that the shocking reveal could occur on a Sunday, those would really strain one's nerves, when one desperately needed to learn just how Toby's plan manifest itself. But this week, after I began to lose confidence in Aldomania, things took quite a turn.

I feel bad I didn't direct my faithful...um...reader?...to the Comics Curmudgeon website months ago, so they too could bask in the glow of an elderly woman being stalked by Captain Kangaroo. But since I didn't, I'll simply direct you to some post from their archives, so that you can try to get caught up enough to understand what I'm feeling right now. Anyway, here we go:
It Begins.
Our first good look at Aldo.
Aldo's swarthy good looks accentuated.
Mary's whoring it up with Captain Kangaroo starts to bring shame upon her.
Is Aldo a murderer?
Aldo's magic mirror.
And we thought with this strip Aldomania was truly becomming awesome. We had no idea...
The reality of her situation begins to sink in for Mary.
Aldo contemplates the thrill of the hunt.
Is Mary asking for it?
Mary tears into Aldo! She says capisce!
Aldo has a drinking problem? No kidding.
Toby hatches a scheme.
What is the shocking reveal?
Christ, that's lame.

There are more posts about Aldomania to be found, if you peruse the Comics Curmudgeon archives, but those will give you the basic storyline of this Summer's Mary Worth. Things looked bleak after Labor Day, though, when the storyline seemed to be wrapping up with the lame intervention twist. But when the intervention ended, and Aldo promised to leave Mary Worth alone, things took another twist. The strip archives go back a few weeks, so you can read the most recent installments of Aldomania yourself. The Sunday strips aren't archived, so you'll have to read Sunday's strip at the Comics Curmudgeon.

Today's strip confirms the awful truth: Aldo Kelrast is dead. Aldo is dead. The feeling of loss is palpable. It's truly been a joyous summer watching Aldo desperately try to win the heart of Mary. I'll miss the little guy. The question is, where does Mary Worth go from here? I'm guessing someplace awesome. Unless that damn pompous chinbeard is involved.