Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Jimmy's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
9:43 am	As of yesterday at 11 am, Jimmy L. Johnson has become "Jimmy L. Johnson, M.S."! It's feels good to finally have something to show, for the past 3 years of work :) ...2 degrees down, 1 to go. Current Mood: accomplished (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 19th, 2009
2:10 pm	I swear, often times I forget this thing still exists. I've spent the past several months reflecting upon my life, particularly my decision to come to graduate school. I thought I knew burnout my senior year at UAB, but it doesn't even come close. 7 consecutive years of college is finally beginning to ostensibly take it's toll. I hate having to teach class, attend class, and conduct research. I'm just ready to be FINISHED. For a while, I've considered just stopping and working after I finish my Master's (expected: August 2009). The goal is finally in sight since I recently found a venue at which to conduct my human subjects research. Here's a tip: NEVER use a target population of African Americans and at an SEC school like Auburn. Finding the necessary sample size is damn near impossible. Sometimes I ask myself, what am I doing here? I love psychology, and find it absolutely fascinating, but I don't know anymore if that's my destined career path. I never thought it would get this difficult. Thankfully, I still have music as my personal sanctuary, and often ask myself why I didn't choose that as a career. Would less money be worth a career that I found intrisically rewarding and enjoyable? Lately, I've been thinking yes...but alas, I've come too far for an abrupt career change now. Maybe a break from school is in order, but would I ever have the desire to return? Are 3 letters (Ph.D.) really worth all this sacrificing? (Comment on this)
Monday, February 4th, 2008
2:24 pm	103 words <a maintaining several AIM convos at the same time has FINALLY proven its academic worth :) (Comment on this)
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
2:10 am	Wellp, I've officially been paid one of the coolest musical compliments since coming to Auburn :) So I get on facebook earlier to discover the following new message from Josh Hebert (a DB for Auburn Football) in my inbox: "hey i know this is crazy but i am in love with my girlfriend and am trying to do something really cool, i heard you were the man to talk to. I was wondering if you would play just one song for her outside of her house, while i sing terribly to her. i could pay you for it or get something signed by brad lester or tre blackmon, just let me know thanks so much" Umm...wow! People on this campus know not only who I am, but that I'm a decent sax player?? Who knew :) Having something signed (I'm guessing a football) is purely a bonus! In any event, it shouldn't be too difficult to whip up something to help him serenade his GF. Offhand, I was thinking "My Girl" or "It Had to be You" might be appropriate. Though, I'm pretty flexible if she has a favorite song. First Josh Hebert's girlfriend, next Tommy Tuberville's wife ;) Current Mood: accomplished (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007
6:39 am	I'm surprised I haven't posted this earlier, but... SHE SAID "YES" :D!!!! ...details to come later. Current Mood: ecstatic (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
4:22 pm	...at the behest of HesterByrde Reply to this post, and I'll tell you at least one reason why I like you. Then put this in your own journal, and spread the love. ...DO IT :) Current Mood: happy (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 6th, 2006
3:55 am	Keep your eye on the quiet ones. They'll surprise you everytime! Current Mood: thoughtful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 31st, 2006
10:11 pm	Once tagged by this entry, the assignment is to write a blog entry of some kind with six random facts about yourself. Then, pick six of your friends and tag them. Six Random Facts: 1. First and foremost, my best friend in life is my mom. Scott (Scottie 2 Hottie) Topazi is a close second :) 2. I can't stand Bill Cosby. Ask if you REALLY want to know why. 3. I feel like I've learned more in my first semi-semester of grad school here at Auburn than I learned my entire four years at UAB. 4. A girl that can AND likes to cook = my weakness :) 5. I have a HUGE butt. Seriously, if you were to measure the discrepancy between my waist and hips it would blow your mind! 6. I've become a lot more lenient of the word "n*gga" since I've been in college. In fact, I'd venture to say that "n*gga, please" and "peace, n*gga" are 2 of my most frequently used phrases. Tag: twosaucy dkinau supercow36 cra_z_4him camogirl528 janene_irene (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 28th, 2006
4:14 am	...it's SOOOO good to be home :D!! (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 17th, 2006
11:34 pm	WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!! #2 in the nation! It's about time we're gettin' some 'spect around here! The game this past weekend was without a doubt the most exciting football game I have EVER been to. The people, the noise, the crowds, even the obnoxious LSU fans added up to one of my most memorable experiences yet at Auburn. I even got my first chance to roll good 'ol Toomer's Corner! It is definitely great to be an Auburn Tiger!!!! Well, that was the happy part of my weekend. I came down with a small cold on about Wednesday-ish, which I THOUGHT I had gotten over by Friday. One can therefore imagine my surprise when I literally woke up gasping for air early Saturday morning. I actually ended up in the East Alabama ER Saturday night/early Sunday morning. Truth be told, I SHOULD have been there on Friday night...but I didn't want to miss the LSU game! Yes yes, I'm dedicated like that...I woulda done the same thing for a UAB game! Anyways, I felt better for about 2 hours after leaving the hospital, but the symptoms returned earlier this morning...so I went to a different doctor where I got 3 breathing treatmets, a chest x-ray, cdc test, steroid shot, and a prescription of antibiotics. Turns out, I have a bronchial bacterial infection. At least I get a day off school for my troubles! In other news, I was offered a spot in the Auburn Knights, which is a semi-professional jazz band in the area. Trouble is, they require about 5 hours of rehearsal time per week...and I don't think that I can spare it. I just have too much going on...but maybe next semester! For some reason, school seems to be getting easier. Actually, I think that I'm just learning to manage my time better. I'm finished with my discussion leader responsibilities for my Advanced Organizational Psychology class, and Statistics is finally starting to make sense to me. Beyond that, I'm FINALLY getting the hang of this teaching thing! Hopefully I'll have some good teacher evalutaions to look forward to at the end of the semester =) ...Why is it that I take the WORST pictures in life? That is all... Current Mood: awake (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 19th, 2006
2:36 pm	The internet is FINALLY up and running in my apartment, so I'd say it's about time for a real update. As of this evening, I will have been in Auburn for full weeks. I'm still making the adjustment from Birmingham life...not as much to do, not so many bright lights. I do, however, enjoy the fact that I'm now in a more traditional college town, and traffic is no where near as bad (unless it's gameday, of course). Band Camp ended this past Tuesday, lasting 8 days from the 8th to the 15th. Did I make the right decision? You better believe it! I've met so many cool people, and made so many new friends in only 2 weeks. We managed to get our entire first show and pregame on the field during band camp...no easy task! Auburn pregame is without a doubt the hardest drill that I've ever had to march, but likely some of the coolest you'll ever see! Above all else, I love how the students and community embrace the band at almost the same level at which they embrace the football team. They make signs, come to rehearsals, and will do just about anything to hear us play "War Eagle" one more time =) Outside of band, school is DEFINITELY going to be taking up the majority of my time. My schedule "reads" 13 hours, but it feels like about 34q2ad5987.6! Participation is a big part of the class grade, since most of my classes have about 6 students each. Gone forever are the days when I could go to class and sleep, or work on other homework. There's required reading almost every night, papers almost bi-weekly, assignments to complete, and assingments to grade. Speaking of assignments to grade, I taught my first class yesterday. This semester and next, I'll be teaching intro to psych. every friday to 3 sections of about 30 students each. I can already tell that this experience is going to be along the lines of a trial by fire. I was SOOOO nervous for my first class, which I wasn't really expecting. So nervous, that I hardly followed my plan of what to say and how to say it. I could feel my voice shake and my knees start to wobble, but I pressed on and eventually made it through...mistakes and all. The second and third classes went WAY better! I got plenty of laughs referring to UAB as the University of Asians and Black People! I'll admit that I was a bit intimidated when I found out that one of the students in my 3rd section is a 250lb fullback for our team! I may have to give him his grades over the internet =) The main thing that I tried to do was give a brief overview of myself the student/teacher, the course, and the discipline of psychology. Hopefully the semester will go smoothly, and I'll continue to get a liiiittle bit better each class. One thing that I tried to emphasize was that I was a friendly and approachable guy, and I actually had a student take me at my word when he came up and started talking to me at the Highlands (a local bar) last night, haha!! I guess as a grad student, I'm gonna have to save all of my SERIOUS partying for the house, and mind my P's and Q's while I'm out and about in the city of Auburn =) Other than that, I'm gonna keep on keepin' on! Only 2 more weeks until the opening game, and the latest AP poll has us ranked #4! War Eagle! Current Mood: accomplished (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 16th, 2006
3:24 pm	Well well....the party is DEFINITELY over. It's time to get back on the grind. Today is my first day of school, and I'm gettin' kinda nervous as my first class is approaching. My first day as a student and my first day as a GTA (graduate teaching assistant). I hope I don't say anything stupid! I hope I like all of my professors! and most importantly, I hope that all my students like ME! I remember making a conscious effort to be nice to all my GTA's as an undergrad, and I hope that karma blesses me with the same! Today is also the first day without band camp, so that's a vacation in itself! Auburn band is soooo different from UAB. The pregame drill is about the hardest thing that I've ever marched...EVAR! It's definitely more intense, and there's a definitely a steeper learning curve. I can honestly say that after each day of getting my butt kicked, I couldn't wait to get back the next day. The main thing that I like about Auburn band that I didn't experience at UAB is student/community support. People at Auburn LOVE the band...and will often come to the rehearsals just to hear us play "War Eagle". It really pisses me off that all the hard work that we did as a band at UAB was so underappreciated! Well, that's about all I have time for now. More to come later =) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 30th, 2006
2:30 pm	So, I'm home from church...and I'd say my performance this morning was about 75% of what I'm usually capable of. For some reason, when it was my turn to play, I got SOOOOO nervous! Like, I don't remember being that nervous playing Delta City Blues at North Sea Jazz Festival! I guess it's something about playin unaccompanied in front of several people, but whatever it was I'm done with it now! I got plenty of compliments, but since it was church, you never can tell whether the people are serious...or trying to spare my feelings =/ My summer is slip-slippin' away. In only a few weeks I'll be down in Auburn starting my life as a grad student. Waking up at a reasonable hour of the morning isn't gonna be a pleasant transition to make, but I'm all ready for it. I'm already missing UAB...and I hope that a few of my peeps will drop in on me anytime they're in Auburn =) Oh, and....I'M DOIN' MARCHING BAND! That's right! The Auburn Marching Band can look forward to the musical genius of Jimmy Johnson this fall =) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
4:54 pm	So yesterday, I decided once and for all that I should march next year at Auburn! ...and about 3 minutes later, I changed my mind. Sadly, that's about the closest I've come to making a decision thus far...and it's really starting to drive on me! I've come to the conclusion that either case is going to be a simultaneous win/lose, but this still shouldn't be that hard! To make things easier, I've put together the following list of Pros and Cons: PROS: ~With a preseason membership in the neighborhood of 375, the marching band is the biggest student organization...and the biggest band I will have ever been a part of! ~Being a part of the band is a guaranteed way to make friends. I probably won't know EVERYBODY by name like I did in UAB's band, but having a few more familiar faces around campus wouldn't hurt. From what I understand, the sax section is pretty close knit too. ~I'll be getting a free ticket into Jordan Hare stadium AND the Iron Bowl. Even though I already bought student tickets, I'd be able to make MORE than my money back by selling them during the year. I'd estimate the LSU, UGA, and Florida tickets to go for at LEAST $50 a piece! ~Band Camp! Definitely my favorite part of the season! It's the part where u make new friendships and rekindle old ones. Also, it's the only time that you can focus solely on band without class interference. ~As surprising as this may sound, I've never NOT done marching band. I don't know how I would handle not having marching rehearsals and not having a chance to play my sax. Beyond that, I've always wanted to march at an SEC school in front of 87,000+ screaming fans at that! People actually appreciate the band at Auburn, unlike at UAB! CONS: ~Time Commitment. While I'll only have rehearsal for 3 hours per week, those 3 hours sure do come at inconvenient times! On each rehearsal day I have 10 min. or less to make it from Thach Hall to Goodwin Hall. How far is it from Thach to Goodwin you ask? Well, lets just say that the people in my dept. advised me to get a scooter or some rollerblades. ~Band COULD kill my GPA...and I don't have much lenience in that department either! If I make anything less than a "B", I'm gone like a fart in a hurricane. Courses like my teaching of psychology class (mentioned in my last entry) help the cause, but the possibility is still out there. ~Band Camp! As much as I love it, the schedule seems pretty intimidating....a majillion times more intimidating than UAB's band camp schedule. It's a week long...and by week long, I mean ALL 7 days. o...m....G! ~...it actually costs money to do band here! That's right, no more of that getting paid to march crap. There's a $35 band fee, plus $30 for new white shoes! Thank Jesus I play alto sax...EVERY other instrument except for clarinet has to pay another $30 instrument rental fee. It's still too early to tell, but as of now I'm still leaning towards doing it. After all, if things fall to pieces, I can always drop. Opinions? Suggestions? Please comment. Gah...Decisions Decisions! In other news, it's a REALLY bad idea to smoke pot if you are a college student on financial aid. If charged, you're no longer eligible for financial aid....EVAR! Who knew that daytime court shows were so informative =) (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 23rd, 2006
5:11 pm	Well, I can honestly say that this morning I was reminded why I enjoy going to my church on Redstone Arsenal. We may not be the hippest or the livliest, but dangit, we love us some God, and we have some preachers that aren't a big afraid to show it! Between Chaplain Lawrence and Bro. Hobbs, the Sunday sermon is becoming my favorite time of the week. Today, we talked about about how we shouldn't let "stuff" interfere with our personal walk with God. Of course, "stuff" constitutes anything from new cars to the love of money, and I'm definitely guilty. I really think it's about time I start attending bible study, too. There are so many topics in the bible that I have questions about. So, they say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Psshhh....how about, what doesn't kill you makes you WISH you were dead...or, what doesn't kill you, might kill your graduate GPA. In this case, the "what" would be Marching Band at Auburn. Everyday it seems like I get another e-mail or another message telling me about a different responsibility that I'm gonna have as a grad. student...clases, teaching, office hours, research! Save the fact that everybody in the department is telling me that doing band would be academic suicide. These next few years are gonna hurt SO good, and I just don't know that I'll have the time to squeeeeeze in the Marching Band....decisions!!! I got the syllabus for my first class at AU next year and so far, I have FIVE required texts!!! Beyond that, there are external articles to read, papers like whoa, and a professional porfolio due at the end of the semester. BUT, there is one helluva silver lining to the storm cloud that is PY 7120. The following is a direct quote from the syllabus: "GRADING: I assume that each of you will perform at the "A" level and thus, there is no need for grades." The one pro (in the face of about 139873098 cons) of being a grad student =) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006
1:19 pm	Jess Taylor and Desmond Wilson will be forever immortalized in NCAA Football '07!!!! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, July 17th, 2006
9:07 am	What a weekend! I'm thankful to say that I officially have an apartment for this coming fall! Also, my schedule should just barely allow me to squeeze (emphasis on squeeze) Marching Band in. I still haven't decided whether or not that will be academic suicide or not. I guess I could just try marching band camp to test the waters =) Six Flags was a bit of a bust. I mean, it was crowded, hot, rainy, EXPENSIVE, and i'm sure my total line-waiting time approached 4-5 hours! We only got to ride 3 coasters, including the new "Goliath". The Goliath was definitely the saving grace of the park. All things considered, I'm really happy that I went. It was probably one of the last times for me to kick it with my buddy Scott before he heads to North Texas =/ If you like video games (ANY video games) and/or anime, go to gh.ffshrine.org RIGHT NOW! It's my new favorite site...EVAR =) Current Mood: content (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, July 7th, 2006
11:39 am	omg...my new saxophone is AWESOME! Huge fat sound, and volume like whoa. I'm still learning to control the metal mouthpiece, but that will hopefully come with time. Beyond all that, it's a BEAUTIFUL instrument. I just hope that I can make it sound as good as it looks! So yeah, I'm still very much on the fence about marching band. I got an e-mail from my advisor enumerating all the reasons that marching band would be a bad idea. The bottom line is, if I can fit it into my schedule at all, then I'm doing it! I don't think it'll be any more suicidal than taking 21 hours (with marching band and wind symphony) in the fall of last year! Truth be told, marching band isn't THAT much of a commitment...and I'd love the free seat into Jordan-Hare. It looks like I will have somewhere (nice) to stay next year. The Courtyards at Auburn will likely be my newest home in August. It was between there and Auburn Trail, also a VERY nice place. The rent is just a lot more than I want to pay. I want to stretch my assistantship/fellowship monies as far as possible. I REALLY need to get back to the 'ham, there are a lot of people I need to see before I leave for Auburn! Current Mood: content (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 3rd, 2006
1:30 pm	I'd say it's about time for an update. I would think that with all this freetime, I would update almost daily, but for some reason I can't seem to find the desire. We'll see how devoted I am this time =) First and foremost, I am the proud new owner of a Cannonball Big Bell Global Tenor Saxophone (Raven Series). Black nickel plated, dual necks, 2 metal mouthpieces, ice finish...that baby is niiiiice! Hopefully I'll be able to pwn at Auburn in style now! I'm still waiting to hear back from Dr. Good as to whether or not I'll be able to do marching band. As of right now, my schedule would only allow me to attend the MWF rehearsals and not the TR rehearsals. I sure hope everything works out! I would love to run through the tunnel in front of 87,000 screaming fans just once! Speaking of Auburn, I REALLY need to find somewhere to live. I talked a while with my soon-to-be roomate Leo from Virginia and between the 2 of us, we should be able to afford a sweet crib! It's kinda funny because just about the whole time that we talked via e-mail, I coulda SWORN I was talkin' to a white guy (he's black)...but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he had the same experience with me, haha! In any event, I'm gonna hafta get down there and do that, as well as audition for band. So...what has gone on today? Not a whole lot outside of xbox-ing with the cousins. I still suck beyond all human comprehension at Halo, but I still can put foot to @$$ in NCAA Football '07. It's nice to even have the time to play, since I was so busy during the school year. Now that I think about it, I should really go and spend time w/the fam. before they all leave tomorrow. Current Mood: content (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 10th, 2006
10:31 am	I'm a UAB Alumnus....minus 3 hours =) Well, Saturday's graduation had to be one of the most emotional events of my life. I did a great job of not crying all over everybody (particularly Scott) after the ceremony. I'm really going to miss good 'ol UAB next year. Despite all of that, for some reason graduation didn't seem quite "final" enough for me. Apparently, that's because it wasn't final. In fact, I'm in the BEC right now waiting for my May-term class to start. I must say that it sucks to have to go to school AFTER you've graduated...but in only 3 short weeks, I'll be done forever! Err...well, until August anyways =) So what am I going to do with the rest of my summer? RELAX!!! I've been wanting to go to New Orleans ever since Hurricane Katrina. I hope to drop in on my buddy David (Shumate, for all the GHS people reading this) since he's only a minute away in Baton Rouge. Beyond that, I plan to do as little as possible. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that exactly. I just plan to do as little WORK as possible! I'll be quitting my job soon...maaaaybe heading to Huntsville to make some easy money this summer on Redstone Arsenal. I'm also planning to buy a new tenor saxophone in the near future. After hearing the jazz concert, I remembered how much I miss playing jazz...tenor specifically (thank you Gary Wheat). I'm going t have to practice my butt off if I want to own when I get down to Auburn =) Class in 15. Off I go =) Current Mood: accomplished (3 Comments |Comment on this)