Hi, My Name Is: (insert name here) by Bryan

Sunday, my friend Jen, ’08 – Course 14, and I went out pet shopping. We went to PetCo by the CambridgeSide Galleria. (The Galleria is the closest mall to campus; a free shuttle leaves from Kendall square about every 20 minutes).

Sunday was pretty hot and the shuttle’s AC was broken, so before PetCo we stopped in at Borders for smoothies. They had Magic Berry Smoothies and Lightning Bolt-shaped Rice Krispy treats (I wonder what they were getting ready for)

Now I’ve had pets in the past, but this would be the first pet that if it died overnight, my mom wouldn’t be able to replace it overnight.

Back at home, we have a Rottweiler-German Shepard mix, Toby. My younger brother got it for his birthday a few years ago and my brother loves the dog. Me, not so much.

Before Toby, there was Daisy, the beagle that should have been a bird. This dog was way too free-spirited. Daisy is now living the life out on a farm where she can roam free for hours upon hours.

When I lived in Florida, this pet was technically not mine or any of my family’s but since we did live next door and this dog was capable of leaping tall buildings like Superman or just her neighbor’s fence, we considered her partially ours as well.

They went on to make 4 movies in total (I stopped after watching #2)

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is Beethoven’s wife. She lived right next door. Life goal #532: Live next door to a celebrity accomplished.

Now, to my first pets ever, my fish. When I was younger, my mom used to keep a fish tank for me with all these really cool fish, and there was this one bottom-feeder who I named Banjo, he was bright orange (just like my links). One sad night in November, the fish all died and my mom had to get rid of them before I woke up and saw them.

(Now the rest of this story I wasn’t actually told until I was older and could understand.)

When my mom was flushing the fish down the loo, most of the fish just floated down the drain, except as my mom watched the whirlpool, one fish, a brave fish, struggled to flap his tail valiantly and escape the vortex, except this fish couldn’t fight the tides, and he was soon gone. Ladies and Gentlemen, it was BANJO; he had the spirit of The Little Engine That Could “I think I can, I think I can.” Ever since Banjo, I’ve never really been attached to a pet, but it was time to face the facts; it was time for a companion since the two pet cacti (Punch & Poke) I’m babysitting over the summer just aren’t cutting it.

Poke and Punch. They’re really exciting, I promise.

So I decided I wanted a pet fish, ergo my trip to PetCo. I don’t actually know if I can have any other types of pets at ZBT, but given my luck with pets, I decided to start off slow. All of the dorms allow fish while East Campus, Bexley, Random Hall, and Senior House also allow cats on some halls. After my photo-journalist desires were extinguished by the woman who told me I couldn’t take any more pictures, I got to business, and after discovering how hard it is just to take care of goldfish, I ended up getting a Beta Fish.

Pictures I managed to snap anyway:

BE A PART OF HISTORY AND GIVE MY FISH A NAME IN THE FIRST ANNUAL “I NEED A NAME SO GIVE ME ONE CONTEST”

Here’s a picture of my unnamed pet to inspire your creativity.

Here’s a few rules and recommendations.
1. No movie names (ie Nemo, Flounder, Flipper) Be original folks.
2. Foreign names are welcome but if a translation is possible please submit them as well.
3. Submit as many names as you want by either commenting or emailing me at [email protected]
4. I will select the finalists on Sunday July 17 and blog readers will vote on the best name.
5. The winner will get a prize. I’ll think of something creative. Don’t worry.

Fish are probably the easiest pets after cacti of course, and for all you folks interested in Course 15, you should try the Fish Sticks too.