She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME
She ate from a plate called TASTE ME

Heeeeeelloooooooo to the world out there! (Or, at least, the small minority of the world that's reading this, haha.)

To start, I go by Mercedes. It's my legal middle name, but I would like it to be my legal first name in the future. I've become gradually more comfortable with my first name, but since I don't plan on keeping it forever, don't bother to call me it, should you find it out. Besides that, I'll note I'm named after my grandmother, whose first name is Mercedes; she lives in Peru, still, which is my mother's country of origin. My father originated from the U.S.A., is mostly just southern redneck, and his ancestry (way, way, waaaay back there) hails from Wales and England. Sadly, I'm not fluent in Spanish. I understand it fairly well, but speaking it—not so much.

On the other hand, I've studied both German and Latin; I am quite fond of both, and I'm fond of learning languages overall. In that vein, I'm quite fond of multiculturalism and globalization. I take great joy in diversity, and a few of my friends have probably noticed that I'm attracted to it like a moth to light. (Luckily, it doesn't seem diversity kills me like those moths who smack themselves repeatedly to those lights, despite not seemingly gaining anything from the inanely repeated action.)

I'm fairly academic, and I have a good amount of "book smarts." I'm an English major at the moment, and although I'm at a community college and have no minor currently, I'll probably minor in something dubbed Cognitive Science. It's essentially a multidisciplinary degree involving philosophy, psychology, neurology, computer science, and one or two other areas I'm blanking on. I still retain an interest in ancient civilizations, particularly Rome and some Greek, so I wish I could find a way to squeeze Classical Studies in there...but it seems impossible. Maybe I'll change my mind on things anyway; who knows?

For those who are interested in potentially "hot button" issues in interpersonal relationships, here you go:
1. I'm bisexual.
2. I identify as pagan or neopagan.
3. ...I'm not sure anything matters as much as that. The rest is probably my opinions, which I don't think should scare off anyone. (If they do, um, kindly gtfo.)

On another note, something very significant that has shaped me as a person is Papi's—my father's—passing on May 19th, 2009. My dad and I were very close, and we had a good understanding of each other. I was quite open with him, and I felt I had a lot in common with him. I miss him every single day of my life without his physical presence, and there is no day or night where I don't think about him in some way. My dad gave me a lot of good advice and speeches, and I'd do almost anything in the world to have him back so he could keep doing what he's been doing all my life. One of my greatest desires is to keep myself on a path I know he would be proud of, one he would endorse, one he would know is ultimately good for me. I strive to take all his advice to heart, and I find these days that I give my friends some of the same advice he gave—only now, I feel I have a deeper, better understanding of my father's words and actions. I can only hope to be half as great as he was.

I currently live in an apartment with my mother. We're essentially roommates with a twist. We often don't get along since we've had a rocky history; and, of course, we're generations and a culture apart. It makes daily living tough sometimes, but at the end of the day, my mom and I are close, best friends in a sense, and even partners. I love her as much as I love my dad, and I have every intention of "being there" for her in every way. If this means lessening my time on the Internet and such, so be it. I've found there are more important things in life than wasting my life at the computer.

Having said that, I'm still a fan of the Internet and computers since they can bring people together. A good number of my friends are online, and I accomplish a lot of things while on the Internet. I do a lot of my spiritual studies online, in addition to the classes I take at places like Avalon. (I've also recently started going to pagan festivals. Yay!)

Related information on me:
1. Sun in Capricorn
2. Moon in Taurus
3. Leo Rising

Overall, I'd say I'm just a young woman trying to keep developing into the person I really want to be. I believe I am, actually, who I want to be, only I have growing to do. I'm enjoying my life without drugs, without seedy night life, without a "significant other," and without quite a few things. This isn't to say I wouldn't welcome a potential S.O., and it's not to say I don't use OTC or prescription drugs ever, but I think you get the idea, right?

I'm always open and free to friends. If you're truly interested in getting to know me and my life, don't hesitate to contact me to request friendship on here. :]

P.S. If anyone out there is interested in getting a tarot and/or rune reading, feel free to PM me or comment on my FO post. I'm currently trying to get myself out there in terms of professional reading.