DivaSkyChick

I don't think so... they had a really cool logo of a fish under parachute... --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Does anyone remember or know of a team that has a fish under a parachute as their logo? I saw it somewhere and now it's driving me nuts... Thanks! --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Hey beauty! Thanks for the reply - and to all of you as well. I don't know why it bugged me so much, of course it was cheesy but I guess just knowing - what a fucked up way to die, not at all what the average audience is imagining - not cool at all. I could feel the terror of the ground rushing up and nothing you can do. I felt it. I had nightmares about it last night. Clearly it's been too long since I've jumped. Stupid job. Hey Chucky! It's been forever... Might maybe make it to Eloy for Xmas. Definitely be at chicks rock so I'll see a lot of you then. I miss you all! Mandy --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Did anybody watch this tonight? This great guy dying of cancer goes skydiving but at the last second leaves his rig behind... And everybody thinks, gee, what a great way to go... I'm really upset about it. It was just a second ago so this is totally my gut reaction but I was really pissed off. I don't even know why yet. Just wondering if anyone else saw it... --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Thanks for that. I knew what it meant but I didn't know what it meant. --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

nice! --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I loved my '66 but until this one comes out as a convertable, I'll enjoy it from a far. Now talk to me about the Z3... --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I feel you. I know a lot of people who jump at Cross Keys and Christiaan knows even more. We wouldn't necessarily get a call because they're not "best friends" just people we know and love from boogies, etc. I'm going to feel sick-ish until I know it's not a few people in particular. Does that sound terrible that I'll be relieved it's not one of my friends? I barely knew Adria but just the fact that I knew her, that I could really identify with her, that I love Frida and Curt so much and that they're in so much pain, just tweaked me hugely... Does this resonate with anyone or am I horrible for feeling that way? Mandy --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Put me on the list Sharky! I'll be there with bells on!!! --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I have a few, pm me if you want one! --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

There's a great book by Brian Greene called The Elegant Universe which really explains it well. I understand that PBS did a special on the book which is probably easier to follow, but the book is written well and I (mostly) was able to wrap my head around it.

Hey guys, Christiaan and I spent the last few days in Az with Todd and Angela and his many friends who pitched in to help. I'm going to post an update in the incident forum as soon as Christiaan is done with it. Eveyone who is sending vibes - keep it up! Angela truly appreciates the love and Todd's got to be feeling it. And, in case Christiaan doesn't cover this, I want to share that Todd's perfect nose and pretty face is in tact! If it weren't for the tubes and hoses (and the tilting bed and the gown and the hospital...) you'd never know he was injured. He looks just fine

Well if she wants to come to LA and intern with us, let me know! We're always looking for slave labor and it's a great opportunity to build a rolodex. --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I have to check with Christiaan but Monday, May 17th would be great - you guys can come for drinks? Call me! --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Hey Wally, Last year I took a job as in entertainment pr - that is, I pimp out actors to magazines and events, etc., to keep them or get them in the public eye. What that really means is that I am now mother, therapist, cheerleader, travel agent, teacher and general life organizer to some amazingly self centered dorks and a few really cool people. My time is never my own anymore and when I don't have to work, I'm planted firmly on my couch watching Tivo. I don't have the energy to pursue my own life... This won't last forever, it can't. But I started a new career and had to work and learn doubletime to catch up to all the peeps that have been doing this since college... This fall I'm hoping to put my personal life back in the picture. Remind me! xoxox --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

OH Lew, I'd love to see you! I never see you online anymore! Let's definitely try to hook up next week. Be amazing to get to the DZ and be all packed and ready to rock. And I miss you guys so much, can't believe you won't be there that day. Ed will? oxoxox --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Yeah, it's been ages! I made one jump in November but really, Chicks Rock was my last day of skydiving. re the show - my client is an actor and here's the info on the show. it's just dumb luck that they want him to skydive at Elsinore! "Backstage Pass" will use a format similar to shows like Extra to showcase red carpet events, movie premiers, video shoots, and movie locations. In addition there will be up close and personal interviews with some of the most popular people in entertainment. Mixing in the “reality” factor will be achieved through segments showing more intimate moments with celebrities. Backstage Pass will give the viewer another look of our guests not regularly seen. For example some of the segments will feature bungy jumping with Mekhi Phifer, or go carting with Frankie Muniz. Other segments will highlight the music, television, and fashion industries. blah blah blah... Hey Sharky!!xoxoxox --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Hey guys, I'm finally going to get to the DZ on Thursday, May 20th - not for myself but with a client who is jumping as part of a new TV pilot. If I can get out there for a repack first, I'll make a jump too so anyone who can make it out on a Thursday, come early and laugh at the disintregration of my skills! Or just come by and say hi! I miss everyone tons and can't wait to feast my eyes on the desert! Blue skies, Mandy --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

What? A liberal on DZ.com? I'm shocked.. and awed!

QuoteHow about Spiderman sponsoring the foul ball net behind home plate?reply] --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I used to detest this woman but now enjoy receiving her weekly emails. Should give the Bush lovers among you some grist for the mill! ----------------------- BUSH DEMOCRACY: DO YOU RECOGNIZE HIS AMERICA? By Arianna Huffington Welcome to George W. Bush's version of America — Bush Democracy. Apparently, he's had his fanatical neo-con programmers working overtime to iron out all those bothersome bugs and kinks that have been holding the United States back for the last 228 years — exasperating glitches like openness, integrity, accountability, responsibility and the value of an informed public. I have to admit, this new edition has been a little hard for me to get used to; it's a lot different than the America that I grew up studying — and revering. You might be having a similar problem, so, as a public service, I've decided to provide this helpful primer. Think of it as Bush Democracy for Dummies. In Bush Democracy, the messy concept of the public's right to know has been replaced by the far more user-friendly "don't worry, we know what's right for you." Why clutter up the citizenry's hard-drive with all sorts of unimportant facts and information? Which is why, just to be on the safe side, Bush Democracy comes with a helpful, one-step fact-check-and-delete program. No need to bother with taping or even transcribing important meetings like the president's three-hour appearance in front of the 9/11 Commission last week — Bush Democracy decides what's pertinent and discards the rest into the unrecoverable recycle bin of history. That's why the White House helpfully confiscated the notebooks of the 9/11 Commissioners as they were leaving the Oval Office. Hard copies are so 20th century. To see how liberating this kind of updated Democracy can be, look no further than the reports of the frequent laughter that occurred during the Commission's two-birds-with-one-stone questioning of Bush and Cheney. No longer burdened with having to fill the public in on whether our leaders did all they could to prevent 9/11 — and have done all they can to make sure something like it never happens again — the president and his inquisitors were free to trade quips and zingers like a gang of Borsht Belt second bananas at a Friars Roast. "The president got off a couple of good shots," said Commission member John "Shecky" Lehman, while Commissioner Jim "Soupy" Thompson labeled the president a "bit of a tease." We don't know the specifics of anything important that was said, or if anything important was said at all, but, hey, at least they had some fun. For his part, the president stressed the importance of his and Cheney's tandem testimony: "I think it was important for them to see our body language . . . how we work together." Body language experts agree that subtle shifts in physical positioning — such as Cheney sticking his hand up the president's back and making his mouth move — can often provide significant behavioral clues. Bush Democracy also automatically eliminates a number of pesky problems historically associated with that overrated First Amendment. For example, this convenient feature allows President Bush and his Man in Mesopotamia, Paul Bremer, to tout the freedom of speech now permitted in post-Saddam Iraq while simultaneously shutting down Iraqi-run newspapers and radio and television stations. And whereas previous versions of Democracy were systemically incompatible with the quashing of dissent, Bush Democracy makes clamping down on the free flow of information as easy as hitting a hot key and issuing a Pentagon ban on media coverage of flag-draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base. What's more, Bush Democracy's state-of-the-art media manipulation software makes it incredibly easy to get away with misstatements, half-truths and out-and-out lies. Witness the lack of outraged coverage of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's astounding assertion in front of Congress last week that the U.S. death toll in Iraq was "approximately 500" — when, in fact, at the time of his testimony, the correct number was 722. But what are a couple hundred dead Americans among friends? Especially when they're other people's children? Or observe the scarcity of critical voices when, on the anniversary of Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" photo op, the president boldly declared that, as a result of the removal of Saddam, "there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq" — a statement directly contradicted by a top-secret Army report completed two months before the president indulged in his soaring rhetoric. And last week we had the ultimate contradiction: the release of enough vile, barbaric and disturbing photographs to stock a triple-X S&M Web site. But Bush Democracy's killer app has got to be its ability to retain the outward appearance of unabashed patriotism while sacrificing the lives of American soldiers on the altar of its tax-cutting fanaticism. Thus, candidate Bush is able to cloak his campaign in red, white and blue at the same time a defense industry study concludes that major budgetary shortfalls have left U.S. soldiers seriously under-equipped — leading to the preventable deaths of close to 200 brave Americans, and the maiming of thousands more. Shortfalls caused, in large measure, by the president's tax cuts. So while many of our soldiers have to make due without body armor, combat helmets and properly protected vehicles, America's millionaires are receiving an average tax cut of $130,783. And yet Bush is still able to continue painting himself as the war president. How's that for performance? The guiding principle behind George Bush's rebooted Democracy is a deep mistrust of the American people and an undying faith in the ability of "the elites" to decide what is best for America — and the world. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the old 1776 version, where We the People get to make up our own minds. Bush Democracy has crashed in Iraq and crashed here at home. I personally can't wait for November to press the Escape Key and shut it down for good. © 2004 ARIANNA HUFFINGTON. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. --- --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

Thanks for your thoughts. --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

I was semi wondering the same thing - not that we release Saddam, mind you, but what exactly would happen if Bush declared, with great "todo" that the US had successfully accomplished it's mission, Iraq was free from a brutal dictator, and the US is now going to pull out and let the Iraqi people decide it's own fate? They could also say that red cross and international aid workers would stay as long as they were welcome and safe, to offer services the Iraqi's need, for as long as necessary. All those services would cost less than the ongoing occupation... In my scenario, Syria and Iran do not invade, because the world community, including the middle eastern states, agrees that they better not. What if Iraq really just had to sort itself out... What's the worst that would happen? Any reasonable thoughts here? --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

You know, if everybody wants to just talk about whatever, but wants to stay in touch, you can go to rec.skydiving. There's no monitor, so you can truly discuss whatever you want. The downside is that there are already a bunch of opiniated old timers populating it now, which is why I left and came to DZ.com in the first place. But if enough DZ.commies start posting, you could make a place for yourselves. All this, of course, just until Talk Back returns... Just a suggestion. --- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

--- www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch