At age 60, I frequently find myself awake at 3:30 A.M., wondering if I can turn the TV on to catch a little news without waking Sara Jean. TV advertising for sleeping aids has increased as we "Boomers" have entered a new phase in our lives, so I take comfort that this experience is probably not all that different from my peers. What I find interesting is the way our minds work, (or don't work), during this sometimes "half awake" period of time.
For whatever reason, this morning my mind focused on the name "Mario".
This gearhead immediately thought of Mr. Andretti... perhaps the greatest race car driver that ever depressed a throttle, but I also thought of the actor/tenor, and the recently scandal-ridden mutual fund manager named Mario.
Here's my question:
By adding the masculine "O", did Italians find a way to name boys Mary?
Mary-O!
I'm treading dangerous territory here, I know. But remember, this is "half awake" thinking.
If these guys are really named Mary and it becomes general knowledge, Marios the world over will need to be warned to avoid saloons in Wyoming or in certain small towns in Alabama!
(Or maybe they can just go by the nickname "Butch"?)
3 comments:
Just a few thoughts from someone who has absolutely NO idea what she is talking about.
Ancient Romans may have name boys Mario after the god of war, Mars.
And of course, after about 300AD, it was common to name children after Christian saints, the Mary beginning one of the more popular.
In Latin speaking countries, it is common for children to get part of their mothers’ name as well as part of their fathers’.
As for boys worried about having a name derived from a female name, guys named Carroll must have a nervous fit every day!
I’m going to sleep now -- I have to wake up about 3:30 AM ;)
I may be stereotyping when I make the following suggestion, but the name Mario conjured up a couple of images for me....the most recent and obvious one is associated with my 'children' and the number of times I've listened to the sound of 'The (Super) Mario Bros.' Nintendo game(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.) in the background of my life...but more significantly (personally) is the image of some very attractive Mexicans who followed our Spanish Club back to the states in high school. I can't say for sure that one of them was named Mario, but the name provided the image, nonetheless, in my mind, of one very handsome guy whose photo is part of our yearbook from that time (ha, I just looked at it this past weekend...don't ask...okay....it was homecoming weekend--for a brief explanation)...anyway...he very likely could have been named Mario...it works for me!! Masculine or feminine...who cares?!? I don't think the name would lower his self-esteem nor MY opinion of him!! Ha!!
Now that I think of it, there was a kid named Mario in a summer camp where I was a counselor..what a cutie...without a doubt he grew up to be a handsome young man...hahaha...what's in a name? It's all about character and a good sense of self....oh yeah...and good looks too (*wink wink*)!!!
I think you should not eat Nachos with salsa before bedtime.
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