Two People Part 2: Mario

The second person who's presence in my life I'll be eternally grateful for is Mario

At mine and Leah's 21st 

How we met


Mario was on my course so our paths crossed a few times on there but that's not how we really met. I remember chatting to him a few times in lab but as he was always partnered with Florian who I had a bit of a crush on he was always by passed in my head as the one with the blue hair (a trait that I think makes him inwardly cringe now) who was quite funny but not nearly as interesting as Flo. Our paths then crossed again in the summer of first year when I became good friends with Ed, Mario's housemate, through gospel choir and we started hearing things about each other and crossing socially. I think one of these first times was when I was told 'you have to meet Mario!' and we we ended up playing cranium in Mario's room and I didn't really like him. He didn't smile much and had this look of distaste at everything. That combined with how 'cool' I perceived him to be meant that I found him quite inaccessible and intimidating at first. I find this really funny now as his look of Mediterranean distaste is something I look on so fondly and a habit we tease him about, it's definitely just a Greek thing! But anyway gradually we spent more and more time together and I think we started to like each other a bit, I think I was still a bit unsure around him but we got on.

Over the summer of first year we would MSN and play backgammon endlessly which definitely boosted our friendship and I think I went into second year with a mentality that he'd be a good buddy to walk into uni with but maybe we wouldn't have much in common as he still seemed pretty cool. It was over the walks everyday into uni and the lab time that we spent together that all of a sudden we became really really good friends. We had similar interests and attitudes and I just discovered what an incredible lovely person and great big softy he really is! He no longer seemed intimidating and cool but like a great big kid who would chat about Harry Potter and Pokemon. Two years later and we've spent most of every working day together, walking to Uni, sitting in lectures, working in the lab for maybe 6 hours at a time, working through coursework together and socializing and that's meant that we've shared so much of Uni and having him there has definitely made it a much happier, funner and caring experience.

That blue hair

My favorite memories with Mario


*The night we stayed up until 5am sitting in the lifeguard hut on the beach in Barcelona. The moon was really big and we drank sangria. Ed, Mario, Hannah and I decided to go skinny dipping and ran into the water and Dan and Cat held back but then all of a sudden they ran in too and afterwards I naked hugged Mario which was really weird and we walked back to the hotel sopping wet.

*The day we spent at the water park in Barcelona, playing stupid games and going on all the scary rides

*Mario teaching me Greek in labs with my first page titled 'Essential Greek' consisting of greetings and swearing

*The time that he was really cocky about the coursework 'only taking an hour' when I'd spent ages and struggled, and convinced me I'd done it wrong then I got a first and he was so humble and embarrassed about it

*The time we moved every one of Dan's possessions onto his bed at a party so he couldn't go to sleep

*The time that we convinced Dan that we took Transfiguration

*The only time that I ever really had PMS and I screamed abuse at him down the phone then appeared at his house for our revision session and he'd guessed what was wrong and said 'here lie down' and cleared the sofa, presented me with a massive bar of chocolate and then retreated across the room to look at me with apprehension.

*The time we were going to play a prank on him but instead decided to really tidy and organize his room and he ran up as soon as someone told him we were in there but was really happy when he saw how nice we'd made it.

 *The time I took him to Thorpe Park and we went on all the nasty rides with big drops and got him really wet on the water rides

*The time we went to dog sit at my friend's beach house and it was really gray and drizzly and we walked all along the stony beach arm in arm with just us and the dogs and it was so peaceful and beautiful.

Leaving carnage in Dan's room

Things I would always like to remember about Mario at Uni

• How his computer made the Super Mario 'here we go' sound when it was turned on and it would go off at really funny times. 
• Walking through campus he would periodically stop our conversation with: 'hottttttt' as he pointed someone out to me under his breath.
• How he enjoyed scaring the squirrels with the hand movements from charmed as we walked through the graveyard everyday to Uni. 
• He would always bring spare fruit to the library when we were revising so I had some too, and a spare bottle of water.
• How in third year I would get to his house in the mornings and sometimes he was never quite ready so we'd have a little chat as he made breakfast (always poached eggs!) and offered me some, and he'd let me steal his concealer and powder. 
• How he really hated being touched but put up with my endless out pour of affection. 
• How he had this thing where he would 'just be' and lie on his bed staring into the distance and that he taught me how to do this.
• How he would never be able to sleep at night until really early in the morning and yet gradually became cheerful in the mornings
• He would always look after me if I drank too much, and buy me a pizza or give me dry toast and walk me home or let me stay at his. 
• How he steals covers and cocoons himself them with such efficiency that it's impossible to get any back
• How well he can dance
• His room was always at a really constant level of mess, never getting messier but never getting tidier - I'm yet to understand how he did this. 
• The lovely dinners he used to cook me
• After being bought candy underwear for his birthday, despite ample opportunity to use it in a situation for which it was intended, once day he ate it alone just because he was hungry

Putting up with excessive love

Things I admire/appreciate about Mario

He's a really compassionate person

He's very caring, he wouldn't dream of letting me down, letting me walk home alone/without something warm/without an umbrella

He can use words in a way like no one I know, I fear for whoever ends up facing him in the courtroom in his future career!

He would always stick up for me or against anyone who he felt was doing wrong. 

His fancy dress skills are outstanding.

He's just plain cool

Final Summer Ball