I’ve got two Japanese Koi at work … Shillelagh and Shenanigan. Okay, Irish-Japanese Koi. I’ve become very attached to them since rescuing them from a nearly frozen pond at my friend’s house.

One has a gimp fin on his right side and constantly swims in circles. The other is – shall we say – ignorant. (I think he’s mildly touched in the head … but he probably doesn’t know any better.)

Those fish have been through a lot including an algae bloom in their tank and a very traumatic move to the new building. They’ve survived firings, hirings and countless interns. I say, “Good Morning” to them every morning. Heck, I don’t even say, “Hello” to my officemate Tiffany when she stumbles in.

I could watch them for hours on end. Come to think of it, it’s really a wonder I get anything accomplished. In fact, I even missed the deadline on this blog because I was so entranced watching them redecorate their tank. They are constantly moving stuff around. I think they’re trying to make it Feng-Shui friendly.

When kids trick or treat at the office during Halloween, the fish are subject to tons of grubby fingers tapping on the glass. I try to warn them ahead of time, but they never listen. You’d think they’d hide behind the skeleton in the tank … but NOOOO … they act like crazy celebs who enjoy being hounded by paparazzi – uh, disguised as four year olds.

I don’t know what the lifespan is of Irish-Japanese Koi … but I hope they are around for a long time. I’ve gotten used to them. And them me. And, boy, have they gotten big. One actually got stuck in the faux flora/fauna tucked daintily in the corner of the tank. I was embarrassed for him. I put a teeny little sticker on the glass with the number to Jenny Craig. Let’s hope he makes the call … with his good fin.

So here’s to you Shillelagh and Shenanigan – you guys brighten my day every morning. And you provide countless hours of amusement when I should be meeting blog deadlines.

I would have offered to take you to lunch today … but we went for sushi. It seemed wrong on a number of levels.