An Ode to MP3

I have had 3 beta fish in the last 5 years. Today, my latest one died. His name was Mr. Papadopoulos. You know, like Webster’s dad. Actually, they were all named Mr. Papadopoulos; yet they have all had their own unique life stories.

Mr. Pops – The Original

The original Mr. Pops was given to me by my old boss. She always came up with really unique ways to keep her employees motivated and happy in a very unstable and unhappy environment. One day I had finished a huge project for a big client. I walked into my office and there was a fish bowl, with a beta inside and a little note that said, “Will you be my mommy?” I thought that was the cutest thing ever. Mr. Pops was with me until the day I quit that job. He was even there when we left California and moved to Oregon. Well, he never quite made it to Oregon. We had him in a special travel fish container when we were moving. On the drive up to Oregon we stopped in Redding, CA to sleep at a hotel. Well, we had forgotten to take Mr. Pops out of the car overnight. It was late November and really cold in Redding. You can guess what happened next.

Mr. Pops – Take 2

Mr. Pops part 2 came into my life shortly after the original Mr. Pops went to beta heaven. I went to PetSmart and picked him out. I thought he had really pretty coloring. So I put him in the same fish bowl that the original Mr. Pops had and set him on my desk at home. I decided that he would be called Mr. Papadopoulos as well. One day Ben suggested that I put more water in the bowl. I told him that there was enough water in the bowl; if you fill the bowl up all the way the fish will jump out. Ben claimed that the fish was not strong enough to jump out. This turned into a whole big argument with me finishing at, “Don’t touch my fish.” I came home from work the next day to find a fish bowl filled to the brim with water and a sad little dried up Mr. Pops lying next to it on the desk. I had only had him 2 days.

Mr. Pops – The 3rd Installment

Mr. Pops part 3 quickly replaced Mr. Pops 2. We decided to call him MP3 for short. It was also decided that Ben was only allowed to look at him from a safe distance, but that’s all. MP3 sat in a few different places. On the desk, on the mantle, and most recently on the built-in in the dining room. He was the coolest of the beta fish. He was the only one to actually swim into the little castle in his bowl, like it was his very own home. One day a spider tried to get into his bowl. Mr. Pops flared his fins and tripled in size. He was bad-ass like that. MP3 was with us for a while, that is until this morning. I woke up and went to feed him, only to find him upside down trapped in his little castle. He lived a good life; he was with us for almost 2 years. That’s a good life for a beta in a bowl.

Now it’s on to Mr. Papadopoulos Part IV. I have yet to find him, although I’m considering getting him a different bowl. And maybe a new name, but I’m not sure about that.