The start of a new year seems a good time to give you some backstory on the three major plot lines that have been winding through Weltschmerz.

The Breakup Celia left Horst almost a year ago. He demanded extreme measures to combat global warming; she balked. But this was the tip of the melting iceberg. Their relationship had been in a slow downward spiral for some time. For Celia, Horst's refusal to commit to adopting a child, after discovering he was infertile, was tantamount to betrayal. Since then, Horst is now shacking up with his high school buddy, Frank, in hopes that Celia will see the light and invite him back.

The Affair Meanwhile, Cindy, who has long yearned for Celia, took the opportunity to seduce her. Their affair already has shown fissures, as Celia wonders if Cindy cares about her Internet fans more than she does about her. Horst doesn't know about Celia's girlfriend. But because of a vision he had, he suspects she is having an affair with Donya.

The Terror Suspect Donya's husband Raj has just returned from Afghanistan, where he had been jailed by the CIA. He was tasered on the trip back and as a result now lies in a coma. Donya has been distraught; Celia has been helping her cope.

In other news, Celia's former co-worker Max has accepted a job in the Philosophy Department at the University of Alberta, leaving his partner Des back in Toronto.

All these plot threads can be easily accessed through the archive, filtering by character.