The normblog profile 28: Emily Jones
Emily Jones was born to unwed, alcoholic parents on a broken down Greyhound bus somewhere in the Midwest. She has travelled extensively, after being sold to gypsies at the age of three, who helped her develop her talents for pick-pocketing and confidence tricks, leading to many mispent riches in her young life. After receiving modest praise and recognition for her brief career as a porn star, she settled down in a small beach cottage with her two dogs, Merry and Pippin, from where she runs a small, out-of-state prostitution ring via the internet. Or, alternatively... Emily was born in Selma, Alabama, on December 8 of a certain year. Being an Air Force Brat, she has lived all over the US and Europe. She has a BA in Social Science from Humboldt State University (which you may never have heard of if you're not from Northern California or a regular reader of High Times Magazine). Emily resides happily in Los Angeles on and off - since 1986, mostly on. She works as a paper pushing consultant in an industry unspecified for job security. She blogs at It Comes in Pints?.
Why do you blog? > Because I love the liberties of writing without a deadline and not having to conform to any standards other than my own.
What has been your best blogging experience? > All of the smart, interesting people I've met as a result.
What would be your main blogging advice to a novice blogger? > Don't pick mean-spirited fights with people and always try to be polite, even if others aren't.
What are your favourite blogs? > Public Interest, Slugger O'Toole and Harry's Place.
What are you reading at the moment? > The Thief's Journal by Jean Genet.
Who are your cultural heroes? > Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac and Edward Hopper.
What is the best novel you've ever read? > Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
What is your favourite poem? > 'Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London' by Dylan Thomas.
What is your favourite movie? > A French black comedy called Baxter.
What is your favourite song? > 'Ceremony' by New Order.
What philosophical thesis do you think it most important to disseminate? > Communism. :)
What philosophical thesis do you think it most important to combat? > Fascism.
Who are your political heroes? > None. I don't believe politics is capable of creating heroic people, only heroic ideas.
If you could effect one major policy change in the governing of your country, what would it be? > I would substantially limit the powers of the federal government.
What would you do with the UN? > Kick out every country that doesn't have a free press and national elections at reasonable intervals.
What do you consider to be the main threat to the future peace and security of the world? > Human fallibility.
What would be your most important piece of advice about life? > Never take advice from people like me.
Do you think you could ever be married to, or in a long-term relationship with, someone with radically different political views from your own? > As long as they weren't racist, anti-Semitic, or willing to use extreme violence in the name of their political views, I don't see why I couldn't. Especially if the guy was hot.
What do you consider the most important personal quality? > Honesty and loyalty.
What personal fault do you most dislike? > Deceitfulness.
In what circumstances would you be willing to lie? > To protect a loved one.
What is your favourite proverb? > 'Comfort is not known if poverty does not come before it'.
What commonly enjoyed activities do you regard as a waste of time? > Gossip, especially if it is malicious.
What would your ideal holiday be? > On an island where the surrounding water is as clear as glass and the beer is free.
What do you like doing in your spare time? > Cooking, reading, music, hanging out with family and friends.
What is your most treasured possession? > A note I wrote to my grandmother as a small child that she kept until she died a year ago.
Who is your favourite comedian or humorist? > Lewis Black.
If you could have any three guests, past or present, to dinner who would they be? > Dylan Thomas, Veronica Franco and, if I could gather enough arsenic in time, Fidel Castro.
[The normblog profile is a weekly Friday morning feature. A list of previous profiles, and the links to them, can be found here.]
(Updated at 6.30 PM.)
