I'm a Mom...

I am a dog person, it’s true. My family has always had dogs, and I have no problem admitting my soft spot for canines (See photo of bichon frise, the kind of dog I will most likey get eventually. Truth be told I'd rather have a Boxer, as they are larger and more athletic, but for now something small and snuggly is more conducive to my lifestyle...anyway). People have asked me “Why not cats? They are just as cute and fluffy as dogs, easier to take care of, and better to have in small spaces.” All these facts are true, cats are cute, sometimes even adorable, they are a low-maintenance pet, and they ARE better for apartment dwelling, much as I am doing now.

Here’s the thing… cats are moody, they’ve got attitude (see photo. There's not room enough in this house for an attitude like that and my own). I figure I have enough trouble with my relationships with human beings. If I am going to have a pet, I want unconditional love. Dogs will give you unconditional love, and that’s what I am looking for in a pet.

So recently, for whatever reason, I have been really wanting to get a dog. For those of you who don’t know, I currently have three wonderful roommates. I have a personal belief that a person should never subject others to living with animals, because sometimes living with an indoor pet (a necessity in our neighborhood) is not the most pleasant thing in the world. So clearly, given the facts that our lease expressly forbids indoor pets, and that I will not subject my roommates to my canine cravings, I was not going to be able to act on my sudden urge to get a dog.

While not a dog, I have purchased a pet, and I would like to take the opportunity to introduce him officially on my blog. His name is Moshi. Moshi is a cobalt blue beta fish that has taken up residence in a fish shaped bowl in my room. Moshi is short for Moshi-ida, which, in Korean, means to be stylish or handsome. Moshi is both of these, so the name is fitting.

I understand, fish are not affectionate, they are not necessarily the best conveyers of that unconditional love I was talking about earlier. A fish will not cuddle up with you at the end of a long day, or get excited when you come home from work. You cannot walk a fish, it will not accompany you on a springtime jog…but what can you do? Moshi is there when I get home, he does flair his tail when I feed him, and somehow I find something very fulfilling about keeping something else alive. Call it maternal instinct.

So now I am the proud mother of a fish named Moshi. He seems to be quite enjoying his new surroundings (a serious upgrade from the cup he was living in at the pet store). I have finally gotten over the anxiety of him making a kamikaze leap out of his bowl—my cousin had an ill-fated beta fish who made several suicide attempts during bowl cleanings, one of them nearly ending in tragedy due to an over-excited roommate and a fork—and have grown very fond of him swimming contentedly around his bowl, nipping food off the surface of the water, and hiding behind his plant.

So, things seem to be going…well…swimmingly, if you’ll forgive the pun. Aside from the fact that Jane seems to be quite jealous of Moshi—she claims that she has been replaced by the fish, as she was on vacation in Hawaii when he took up residence in my room—he seems to be well received by the rest of the roommates, and I am rather enjoying having a pet again.