my boss bought my co-worker and i a fish to keep us company. he's really beautiful, a japanese fighting fish. he has a long flowing tail and the coloring of oil on pavement when the sun shines on it.

we've been waiting to name him, since we wanted to call him according to his personality. its only fair. but, the first day or two we had him, he hid all the time, and would only move around when we fed him. we thought we had a recluse on our hands.

until yesterday. i was doing my thing at my desk, fishy still hiding, when the radio started playing mr. boombastic by shaggy. the fish went nuts! swimming round and round in his bowl, as if he were trying to start a whirlpool. who knew beta fish were so into shaggy. ever since, he's been quite outgoing, no longer hiding in the plant in his bowl. so, appropriately, we named him shaggy.