Jamie profile picture

Jamie

“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” - John F. Kennedy

About Me

I'm a PDIC scuba instructor and a PADI divemaster who does corporate financial/operational/strategic planning on the side. Oh wait ... that's what I wish it was! I have an MBA from USC (fight on, Trojans!) and am pretty cultured and well-rounded, but my passion is diving. I have been fortunate enough to have been to Micronesia, Hawaii, Fiji, Jamaica, Bonaire, and Mexico, but some of my favorite diving is right here in the kelp forests off of our Southern California coasts.I have a sweet wife who also happens to be my favorite dive buddy, so we come as a team.If you're looking for some help with your diving, please contact me. I've been at it for ten years and chose PDIC as my agency because they give me the freedom to teach how and what I think is important ... I don't turn out McDivers!Outside of diving, I'm a person of substance and I value that in others. I'd much sooner spend my time with an insightful person with whom I disagreed than someone agreeable but shallow.

My Interests

We love just about anything outdoors, but my real love is scuba diving. As I said above, I'm a certified Instructor and Divemaster, and my dream is to retire with my wife to the tropics and teach diving. I've completed the L.A. Triathlon and Marathon, climbed Mt. Whitney in one day, dove with sharks, and skied the best peaks in Colorado. Life is an adventure to be savored.

I'd like to meet:

Fun and interesting people, most of all, and especially divers. I'm low-key/no-drama, and just don't get people who are addicted to it. Hangups? Hang 'em somewhere else! Inhibitions? Incompatible. Fun and funky? Fantastic! I'm seeking friends who truly live life and enjoy it but don't merely live for the enjoyment. I am looking for people who have the substance beneath the veneer, who examine themselves and the world around them, who know what they believe because they've really thought about it. I'm fascinated by people who have random knowledge and experiences yet have managed to actively weave those disparate threads into a unique fabric that is their lives. I believe that we are who and where we are in life because of choices we have made or choices we have allowed others to make for us ... are you similar?I'm married, so I'm looking for fun, compatible people and couples for friendship ONLY.

Music:

I love just about anything, with the exception of Hip Hop (and the whole Hip Hop culture, to be honest). Metal, rock, jazz, classical, opera, Motown, soul, punk ... if it is passionate, I'm in. My all-time favorite band is Tool, but right now I'm addicted to new music from Killswitch Engage, Isis, and Lamb of God; other loves include: Buckcherry, Chimaira, Social Distortion, Marilyn Manson, pre-Load Metallica, Kittie, Korn, the Donnas, Disturbed, Mudvayne, Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000, old classics like Aerosmith and The Nuge, Miles Davis, The Bird, Evans, Gustav Mahler, Verdi & Puccini ...

Movies:

Everything from classics to great dramas, mysteries, period pieces, to stupid comedies. Just don't do drippy chick flicks. My favorite movies of all time include: The Jerk, Gladiator, Unforgiven, the Godfather series. I'd watch anything by Clint Eastwood, Darren Arinofsky, David Mamet, or David Lynch (all of which should give you quite an insight on me). I think Andrew Georgitsis is really a magician; if he sold a DVD of him reading his shopping list underwater, I'd buy that, too.

Television:

My favorite show of all time has to be The Shield, followed by 24. I'm also into Lost, and Prison Break, although my interest is waning.

Books:

Any and all things Ayn Rand. I find Milton Friedman, David Horowitz, Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams compelling, and enjoy much history and biography. Favorite reads include "Killing Pablo" and "Why America Slept" (even though I had to put it down often because it made me so angry). Anything that is thoughtfully written and thought-provoking will pique my interest. I also have way more dive books than a person oughta...

Heroes:

The brave men and women who are voluntarily risking, and giving, their lives to protect our freedom. Everything else pales by comparison.

My Blog

Hil vs. HAL (Investor's Business Daily)

Hil Vs. HAL By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:30 PM PST Business: Democrats gleefully demonize oil companies, outlaw offshore drilling and, in Hillary Clinton's case, v...
Posted by Jamie on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 01:43:00 PST

The Coming War with Islam

The Coming War with IslamBy Solly GanorFrontPageMagazine.com | March 15, 2007 Five years ago, I had a conversation with a young Palestinian student who in short precise terms explained how Islam will ...
Posted by Jamie on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:30:00 PST

Court Rediscovers 2nd Amendment, Liberals Fear Other 'Rights' May Soon be Found

..> ..>   ....> Court Rediscovers 2nd Amendment, Liberals Fear Other 'Rights' May Soon be Found by Mac Johnson (more by this author) Posted 03/15/2007 ET Tragedy struck leftists all a...
Posted by Jamie on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:07:00 PST

Prius Does More Environmental Damage Than Hummer

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/print_item.asp?News ID=188 ..> ..> ..> March 7, 2007 ..>Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental DamageBy Chris DemorroStaff WriterThe Toyota Prius has become...
Posted by Jamie on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:09:00 PST

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Fascinating documentary http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9005566792811497638& amp;q=great+global+warming+swindle&hl=en ...
Posted by Jamie on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:33:00 PST

"Democracy or Liberty" by economist Walter E. Williams

Democracy or LibertyBy Walter E. WilliamsWednesday, February 28, 2007 Does democracy really deserve the praise it receives? According to Webster's Dictionary, democracy is defined as "government by th...
Posted by Jamie on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:26:00 PST

"Enforcing Virtue" - Reason Magazine article

Enforcing Virtue Is social stigma a threat to liberty, or is it liberty in action? Cathy Young | March 2007 Print Edition It's the debate that won't die: the endless face-off between conservatives an...
Posted by Jamie on Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:18:00 PST

Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts?

Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts? By Timothy Ball Monday, February 5, 2007 Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist...
Posted by Jamie on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:38:00 PST

"Political Power and the Rule of Law" - Congressman Ron Paul

Political Power and the Rule of Law February 5,  2007  With the elections over and the 110th Congress settling in, the media have been reporting ad nauseam about who has assumed new politic...
Posted by Jamie on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:50:00 PST

A Ban on "Victory" - New York Post

..> A BAN ON 'VICTORY' February 4, 2007 -- Question: When is a U.S. military victory not a victory? Answer: When it's reported by The New York Times. Read the account from Baghdad in the Jan. ...
Posted by Jamie on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:01:00 PST