Meet freelance journalist Enrique J. Gili of commonground, who'd like to remind everyone that Payment Must Be Received Within 30 Days of Date on Invoice.
What's your name?
Enrique J. Gili, third in a long line of Enriques.
What do you do when you're not blogging?
I'm a gainfully under-employed freelance writer covering LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) issues for regional magazines in the Southland and beyond.
What is your blog called?
commonground
What's up with that name?
Blogs are heavily politicized forums, whereas environmental issues ought not to be. The tagline is 'The Red, the Blue, and the Green.' Nature doesn't respect state boundaries and when it comes to issues like climate change neither should we.
How long have you been blogging, anyway?
Ever since the summer of 2005, I was totally burned out on new media communications until a friend offered to pay me $1500 to start blogging. That was enough incentive for me.
Where are you from and where do you live now?
I was born in London, England. Raised in New York City. I now live in Ocean Beach, San Diego—the coolest beach town in So Cal.
Would you describe yourself as a working scientist?
Does dropping Mentos candy into Pepsi bottles count?
Any educational experiences or degrees you'd like to mention?
I'm exceptionally above average in some regards, which has provided me with several excellent opportunities. I've also seen parts of the US few people have ventured into or imagined still existed.
What are your main academic interests, in or out of your field?
I've had a lifelong and abiding interest in natural history and environment. I'm keen on anything that flies, jumps, slithers, pollinates or crawls. People are interesting too.
Last book you read?
Heat, an epicurean account of Bill Bufford's foodie adventures. Cooking and natural history ought to be more widely taught in schools. Although I thought Diary of A Kitchen Bitch would have been a more appropriate title.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
I haven't had one yet. So I couldn't possibly tell you.
What's your greatest habitual annoyance?
Accounts payable, enough said on that.
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
I've read many of the literary classics...I wish I could say it was Ishmael or Leopold Bloom. But that would be lying.
The violence-prone lawyer Duffy Deter from the comically dark novel All We Need of Hell. Harry Crews is a national treasure.
Clinton Tyee—aka Skink—is a popular and enduring character in Carl Hiaasen's satiric novels. He's a former Florida politico turned 'Glades dwelling recluse, who emerges occasionally to smite shady lawyers and other forms of pond scum.
Ignatius J. Reilly, the hapless hot-dog vendor selling "twelve inches of paradise," from the novel Confederacy of the Dunces. Proving protagonists can come in all shapes and sizes.
Your favorite heroes in real life?
Unlike books, real heroes are rare. And as coddled as we are, few people get the opportunity to be brave. Having said that, individuals who perform selfless acts under extreme physical duress come to mind.
What's your most marked characteristic?
I'm defiantly not a gabber. That's why I like to write. It's a form of dialogue. Giving me the perfect pretext to walk up to strangers and start asking probing questions under the guise of journalism.
What's your fatal flaw?
None of my bad habits have killed me thus far. I hope to keep it that way.
Who are your favorite writers?
I admire literary journalists that can go for thousands of words in a seemingly effortless fashion on esoteric subjects.
What would you like to be?
Becoming a wealthier and wiser version of myself wouldn't be all that bad. I could use the insight and the cash.
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