Uhm, citizen tax, iPod, watch strap and other minor annoyances

I feel stupid being poor.

Well, not poor like I am forced to starve poor, I do eat avocado and camembert and fresh bread from a nice bakery on regular basis, but I just don`t like being caught in the midst of things crashing, tearing, breaking, bringing official letters that almost always mean you have to give rather big part of the sum you earn to the blood sucking stately organizations for this reason or another, in this case for one`s simple existence.

Am I being rather cryptic?
Well, two days ago I received an official letter in Japanese which I had no chance in the world to be able to understand with looong numbers on it, such as 17000 and 68000 with Yen marks in front of them and surprisingly, a lot of smiley faces all around them. It was the citizen tax. I wonder whether the smilies were there to make you feel a lot better about giving up all this money you have earned bathing in sweat and have not counted on parting with.

This letter came the evening of the day when my iPod resigned its post and decided to leave its body without its soul~the 10gb of the songs I had went up to Heaven together with the poor iPod himself.
At the Apple store, at the Genius Bar, they told me than they could repair it for me, where the reparaition meant replacement of the iPod. I have two choices they said. Either order the same model I had, but a new product, for 29000Yen, or I buy a new model for 29000Yen. Fair is fair I say (doh!).
What I also said to them was that they should write it in the product information that iPods are on general basis liable to break down after 2-3 years from the date of purchase, so people can count on such occurrences and make sure they have a back up of all in the iPod. When I asked whether they have a lot of people popping by with suddenly and unexpectedly non-functioning iPods he said, ’少なくない。’(not few-a smooth diplomatic answer). I told him to suggest, if he ever gets the chance, to one of the important people, that they should make products that are more people-friendly. It is a very important thing that they receive such a message!
And then (doh!#2) I said bye and that once I have money I will come and buy the new model.
Aren't I ridiculous???
After all this I am still willing and even wanting to go and act as if no moral crisis were at hand! What a little hypocrite me!

And so, yes, the iPod stopped working on the same day my leather watch strap stopped holding my watch tied around my wrist in a circular form. I glued it so that it would.
How cheapskate can one get? (Especially after making a purchase at Victoria's Secret for 60 Pounds~though would I be allowed to use this as my mitigating circumstance?)

I dont want to be negative or anything, but after I came back from work today I found a baby praying mantice on one of the cucumber leaves. Possibly eating my cucumber leaves!!!
Wouldn't that just round it off???