My love/hate relationship with Apple...and why I now look more like my Dad

Hello to one and all, it's been a while so I am sure you are starved of your weekly rundown by yours truly. So, to ease the pain, I have found some time to finally post. If you are wondering about the title, as I am sure you are, once again my iPod decided to take on a life of its own and do its best to really piss me off. Those of you who know me well will be well aware of my allergy to speaking to people for the first couple of hours of waking in the morning. Can you imagine my absolute horror and immediate vein-bursting rage that ensued when I discovered upon turning on my iPod that the SOB had deleted all my tunes, photos and backed-up backed-up files!!! As I was out the door and heading to catch the train to work, I did not have time to go back and reload the beast. Instead, I had to force upon my confused and dazed mind, the noise of the morning rush hour...not pleasant. Two days later, after resetting the Pod and reloading de tunes, the FSOB did it again!!! Enraged and ready to push any annoying pavement cycling local off their bikes if they rang their bell at me again to get out of their way as they careened past me on the pavement, I took the Pod to Apple store in Shinsaibashi that night after work. While at this time of night (9.30pm) my mind was saturated and not wanting to deal with anything irritating, I managed to keep my cool and negotiate in a very calm, persuasive, and in, which is what shocked me, such an eloquent manner, the replacement of my iPod...for the 4th time!!! I was hating Apple right there. Yes folks, this was my 4th iPod in less than a year...hence my frustration. However, what I was most proud of was getting the store to honor a verbal agreement I had with the Manager which was if my iPod broke down again, I would get the latest generation iPod as a replacement. They conceeded to this verbal agreement in the end. Nice wan I thought when i walked out the door and headed on my hour long journey home.

About a week or so later I received a phone call from Apple store saying my replacement, the latest gen iPod was in. After having convinced my self that I would get a 30GB ivideo generation iPod to replace my 60GB iPhoto iPod, when they produced an 80GB iPod I was dumbfounded!!! I didn't particularly care if I was getting a 30GB as that is all I require to be honest. However, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I appreciatively accepted the generousity of Apple and walked out the door a happy man. I love Apple.

Apart from that drama, the slog that is work at the moment...sorry, that is always work (boring topic I know but such has my life from Mon-Fri become), and the general malaise that comes with not knowing what day one has until someone realizes at 10pm on Friday night while sitting at our desks that it is, indeed, Friday. With that it's off to 280yen for some beers and soy beans (yes Master Daly, I even eat the beans that provide the milk for my latte that you so love to make). i've been out birding a bit at the weekends lately trying to notch up my 300th species for Japan. After today's mad twitch with Neil, I am on 299...only one to go. More on that later when I post a birdy blog towards the end of the week, which will probably mean the weekend.

Anyway, did anyone see the lunar eclipse last night (Sat March 3)?? Although Europe was supposed to get the full show, us mere mortals in Nippon only saw a fraction of the spectacle. It was however, quite cool to see the moon glowing red as it was sinking in to the Inland Sea of Japan, from the north east corner of Shikoku. Pretty damn impressive. I also visiting Mt. Kongo (see pic below) on Saturday just gone, about 2 hours travelling from my apartment all told. Nice place, quiet, calm and void of a lot of people. Although the typical Japanese hill walkers were out in force, walking poles, bear-bells and loud conversation, I avoided them as best I could. While they are nice people, they just don't walk very quietly and it ruins and spoils the whole point of being out in the peace and quiet of the countryside....

By the way, that mad twitch with Neil saw us cross a series of six major bridges and five viaducts in crossing the Akashi Straits between Honshu and Shikoku. The six bridges are: the Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, Hitsuishijima Bridge, Iwakurojima Bridge, Yoshima Bridge, Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, and Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge. The worlds longest suspension bridge, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (1.991 Km long at its central span), I drove across shorlty after I first came here back in 2005. Pretty spectacular...here is a photo of the Kita Bisan-Seto bridge (I think). Massive.


I bet you are all wondering "why does Carmo think he knows he looks like his Dad?". Genetically of course, I resemble my ol' fella a helluva lot, and phenotypcially I do aswell. However, with the lack of barber time since I returned to Japan, I am now sporting a lovely side-crease people!!! Just like my ol' fella...no disrespect Da, but I think it's time to get a bazzar.

With that lovely thought, i bid you all adieu...

Carmo's Diet: this week, I have mostly been trying to burn off the spare tyre...it's not quite working

Carmo's Birds: Some goodies...but here's a taster, Long-toed stint, Wood Sand, JP Snipe, LRP, Crossbill, Osprey...

Carmo's Birds for Byrdy: I've given up on women