I few weeks ago, I got a pretty big deal haircut, chopping off nearly all of my shoulder-length blond hair in favor of a darker pixie cut. When I did this, I decided it was a great time to bare a bit of my soul as well and wrote an entry telling the cosmos more about me and my life. I loved writing that entry, even if certain parts were difficult or personal, and so coupled with the inspiration of working on my personal ‘elevator pitch’ (thanks to helping a friend edit their own), I’ve decided to do another round.

When I was born, my father wanted to name me Mercerdes. Despite the awesome power of the name (and the car, naturally), I cannot picture myself being called Mercedes. What would my nickname be? Mere? Desi? I don’t seem like a Desi, I don’t think. Then again, I’ve never seen myself much as a Tina-Marie, either (my mother won the ‘naming the daughter’ debate and I was named for a dear friend of hers, hyphen and all, sans middle name).

I spent 13 years as a student and teacher at a dance academy. I’ve studied so many forms of dance, I’ve probably forgotten a few. My specialty (and what I taught to the little kids’ classes) was tap (Broadway, to be specific). I also studied ballet through advanced (pointe), choreography in ‘hip hop’, jazz, and modern styles, and musical theater. I was also a gymnast and Varsity cheerleader in high school.

I don’t like Shakespeare’s romances. I’m not going to fall for it if you’re quoting Romeo & Juliet, despite the title of this post. Quote Henry V‘s St. Crispen’s Day speech, then maybe we’ll talk.

I’m obsessed with history: American, personal, religious, fictional, it doesn’t matter. I can sit around arguing dates and facts with my father for literally hours. I will never tire of reading my own old diaries and journals and middle school class notes. My life has been one religious contradiction after another and I love studying how all of those forces came to be. And re-imagined history is absolutely one of my favorite genres of literature (Philip Roth’s Plot Against America is my favorite example).

If I could go back and do college again, I’d take a second major and get a second BA in environmental sciences rather than graduate early (possibly having to graduate late!). I’d keep my Poli Sci major and my American Literature minor. I have learned more about myself in the six years since I graduated than I ever knew before or during college. I have seen changes in myself – some for the better, some unfortunately for the worse – but this is one of the greatest. I never imagined life outside of policy and campaigning. Suitcase living, mobile offices, twenty hour car trips – these were what I wanted for my norm. As I’ve grown I’ve found there is more that I want, and a background in sciences, green technology, and immediate global climate issues would have been a great start.