Newsletter editor Lily here.

I mentioned this in passing a few weeks ago, but back in January, I suddenly had a strong desire to get a pet goldfish. I don’t even know what prompted it. Maybe I felt like nesting a little bit more or maybe it’s my nurturing gene (finally) growing in, but all of a sudden, a goldfish sounded like a great idea.

I immediately texted Kaitlyn, my roommate/close friend/person who deals with my shenanigans constantly, to which she sent me a very confused message that essentially amounted to “Is this your quarter-life crisis?”

Obviously the pandemic threw all of my plans out the window, especially due to spending months away from my NYC apartment. But when Kaitlyn and I chatted this past Monday about our upcoming returns to New York in a few weeks, we got on the topic of people’s pandemic pets. And then she said it: “You know, your goldfish idea sounds really good right about now.”

So now it seems like there’s a fair chance we do in fact get our pandemic goldfish(es). (Cats shed way too much for both of our liking and we’re not cat people, and our building doesn’t allow dogs and we don’t want to schlep up and down four flights of stairs multiple times per day for walks.) Luckily I had fish growing up, so I’m aware how much work they can be in terms of maintenance—checking the water pH, cleaning out the filters and tank, the works. Honestly, the biggest deterrent is trying to figure out what we’d do around times like the holidays, when Kaitlyn and I both leave the city for weeks and can’t take a fish with us.

My mother, of course, thinks this a terrible idea. “You’re going to have to plan your life and travel AROUND A FISH!” She’s not wrong. But for whatever reason, we’re still on board for now.

I’ll let you know it Operation Pandemic Pet ends up happening. But right now, if I have to probably spend at least the next nine to 12 months mostly in an apartment, I want a few friends.

Today’s new questions on Chairman Mom:

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