A massive burst of energy, followed by another X 10^100000

Howdy! My name is Jimmy Parkins. I got this name because my parents had my sister choose between James Emmanuel or Elijah Emmanuel Parkins. As you can put together my sister gave me the name James and I am very happy she did, as I could not imagine being called something like Elijah my entire life. Its too abrupt, and just doesn’t sound as good as James. Then my parents started calling me Jimmy, and the name has stuck ever since, I really don’t know why they put down James in the first place if they’d just call me Jimmy my entire life.

Let’s address the elephant int the room shall we? My name is very nickname-able, and when you have a name like that you have to expect every variation of your name to come your way. So feel free to call me any nickname you want, except James and Jimmy Kimmel. I don’t like James because it’s too professional and uptight, and I really, really despise Jimmy Kimmel. Other than that, fire away; but if you can come up with one I haven’t heard yet, not only will I be surprised but will also feel refreshed to be called something new. (An exception is if you want to call me James Bond, because if you do *dramatic pause* be my guest)

I am a very big why thinker. Why? I think it’s why I learn best so I enjoy thinking that way. Why? Well, my number one goal is to fill up this sponge of a brain I have with as much knowledge as possible, whether its helpful or useful knowledge; I don’t care. I think the reason why I do this was because ever since I was a kid I would question everything and everyone. An example would be you’ve been breathing every since you were 0, but you only figured out how in grade 8. I want to shorten that gap by asking why now, instead of later.

I like to move fast, and if you know me you know that I’m never fully still. I’m always fidgeting, bouncing my feet, or bouncing up and down. Even when I sleep I’m kicking myself out of my sheets. That’s kinda what you get when you were born with a nuclear reactor for a heart. It also plays into my personality, as I’m really into efficiency and shortcuts. I think the small things in life suck, and that’s why they’re so small.

That Segways into the way I make decisions. I like to make quick decisions and deal with possible consequences later. There’s always that one poster in teachers rooms that states “In order to learn you must make mistakes”, so I feel like my process is justified.

Now you can see why I like more “extreme” sports that make you have the feeling of death at most times. Especially skiing and mountain biking, where the pressure of basically destroying something are present constantly. An added bonus is how fast you can go in either sport, because speed is key. I only speak two languages, and that’s English and danger.

My other main hobby is gaming. To my parents it’s an addiction that’s preventing me from reaching my potential. However, I would disagree saying that it’s my way of relaxing and unwinding like how some people will watch TV. It’s just nice to know that I will always have video games to fall back on if I ever am going through something, or if I get paralyzed from some stupid mistake all I need are my hands and I can just sit in a chair and play games. It’s also cool that I can do whatever I want in a digital world where the only consequences are you get set back a couple of minutes.

My other hobby is guitar, or music in general. I’m not one of those people where I’m like “Oh my gosh! Music is my liiife!”  but I definitely enjoy messing around in the field. I think the main reason I like it so much is because I don’t understand it, and its such a massive subject to take a bite out of. I’ve gone through life where most things just click after little effort (not to flex), however, guitar is something I really struggle with, but it’s in a way where its fun struggling because I’m learning each time. As for music I like, I really like rock and other things that are faster in beats, but still retain the legibility of vocals and instrumentals.

The other thing I struggle with is that I’m very, very lazy if unmotivated. Over the past years it’s become harder to motivate myself to do anything so I can get it done, and a result of this is procrastination. It does have it’s benefits though, as doing things last minute and playing high pressure games has kinda desensitized me to stress, so I don’t really get stressed out anymore and am actually better under pressure than I was before. Back to me being lazy, I just sincerely hate work, because 90% of the time it’s bland and unnecessary. If I can see purpose in the work, it’s very easy to get it done, but most work I have to do doesn’t really have a purpose other than to drill the same thing I already know into my head, or clean my already clean room that just has some dust on everything.

I couldn’t really think of anything else to put into this presentation when I did it*, so I just threw that cheesy portion where you state what you want to gain from this course. I don’t expect to leave this course full of inspiration to make the next masterpiece, I actually expect to come out with carpal tunnel and a decent enough grade. However, the main thing I wish to achieve is to just know what I’m doing when I write, and subconsciously know what grammar to use when.

*As I write this, I realize I could’ve talked about my faith, sense of humor, friends, role models, and basically anything else. C’mon Jimmy!

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11 thoughts on “A massive burst of energy, followed by another X 10^100000

  1. Jimothy:

    The amount of raw chaotic energy radiating from this presentation sent my computer into thermal shutdown. You, sir, have an incredibly potent and well-developed writer’s voice, and it made this presentation almost as fun to read as it was to watch. The balance between humor and honest self reflection was well struck. Though I know that formal pieces are a bit more restrictive (boring) in terms of tone, I do hope that you continue to keep your voice evident in your writing. It makes your pieces incredibly enjoyable and engaging, even if they have to be about serious business.

    The only suggestion I have for growth is to display more of yourself than meets the eye. After spending two days with you in a table group, I could immediately tell that you were going to be a human firecracker, and your presentation was largely a confirmation of that. However, your discussion of your desire for understanding, and your little footnote about faith and role models shows me that there is more to you than pure energy. I am absolutely not saying that you have to radically change the way you write and speak. I just would like to get to know more of you than what is easy to see.

    This presentation was about you, so that is what my final thought is about. I am so thankful that Hunni put us in the same group, because I don’t think I have ever met someone who is so different from me. We are basically complete opposites, but I think I can learn a lot from you. I think my life could benefit from some chaos.

    Love,
    Maria

    (comment translated from Danger)

    1. Dear Maria,
      I really like that analogy of the human firecracker and I appreciate the fact that you found this an interesting read, as well as giving you a quick laugh. I agree with your suggestion to go more than just face value on everything I see or myself, however, if it’s already hard to describe chaos at face value; it’s a lot harder for you to scrape more than the surface. That being said I will make attempts to delve more into the nuclear reactor that is me, because as you won’t let me forget, I do speak danger.
      I too am exited to see how the chemistry of our family group will react, and what pieces of knowledge I can obtain from each of you. I couldn’t agree more that we have opposite personalities, but as some wise person probably once said, “The best way to learn is to delve into the views of others”.
      From,
      Jimmy

  2. Dear Jimmy,

    We have known each other ever since kindergarten. And even over ten years later, I still burst out laughing at your whole hearted humour and easy going spirit. Your writing incorporated all of this and more. The images you used with the stickers of your face definitely personalized this presentation as well. One thing I admire about you is how you have the confidence to reveal your true shelf without shame. It is a lesson that everyone should eventually learn, so thank you for setting an example for us all. The fact that you speak english and danger will go down in history as the most iconic thing said ever. Even at the end, it was great to see what you wanted out of this course. Your writing and presentation skills all together were phenomenal and inspirational for me. A piece of advice I have for you would be to elaborate a bit more on some of your points, allowing for clarity and depth. Specifically the part where you discussed your decision making. I can not wait for more laughs with you this year!!

    Lexi

    1. Dear Lexi,
      I find it funny how many times we have been put together in classes over the years, and it only gets better with each time. I really appreciate the comment about my outgoingness (yes I know that’s not a word). I can see where you’re coming from on offering more depth in my explainations, as I tend to jump from subject to subject. I’ll be sure to work on this in the future.
      Thanks again!
      Jimmy

  3. Dear *dramatic pause* James Bond…

    Ever since leadership last year you have been this exhilarating sense of energy which makes you who you are. Reading this post shows just how different you are from the norm, and it’s that fresh breath of air which makes you who you are. And it is what makes you so enjoyable to be around. Having you there to make me laugh through these past years has definitely been a highlight in my high-school experience. You captured your uniqueness perfectly in your presentation between your faces on all the pictures and the quirky way you word your sentences. I know that everyone loves the fact that you speak danger, however my favourite part of this presentation was your comment of, “small things suck cause and thats why they are small,” because (1) it really makes sense and (2) the way you worded that phrase makes be laugh every time I think about it!

    The only thing I would’ve loved to see was a more developed conclusion to the PechaKucha which tied back either previous jokes or summed up who you are in a single sentence (though we all know it takes much more to contain such chaotic energy). This would bring a very satisfying end to an excellent presentation which I felt it desperately deserved!

    Looking forward to an exiting year of AP with you!

    Luca

    1. WAIT DON’T APPROVE THAT YET!!

      I want to change:
      “Ever since leadership last year you have been this exhilarating sense of energy which makes you who you are.”

      to…

      “Ever since leadership last year you have been this exhilarating sense of energy whenever you enter the room.”

    2. Dear *normal pause* Luca,
      I appreciate that you enjoy my personality and comedy, and it’s the thing I am most proud of as it allows me to bring joy to others. I also enjoy the complement of stating how much you liked that quote.
      I agree that the ending of the presentation was oddly placed, and could’ve connected the rest of the presentation better. That’s something I’ll keep in mind the next time I do a presentation of the sort.
      From,
      Jimmy

  4. *JIMBONESSA:

    (idk, it just came out)

    I felt the need to read this because there was so much hype surrounding this presentation; therefore, as a clout chaser, I had to hop on the bandwagon. Funnily enough, you’re actually hilarious. This is going to sound super judgemental, but when I first saw you, I assumed you would be another boring person I would have to pry to get to know. But when I found out your name was Jimmy, that fact, and that fact alone, I could see into my future. We are going to be BFFs.

    About this post. I read it on the way to school in a silent car and kept bursting out laughing, which was super awkward, being without explanation. I really admire how you can make your writing humourous. I am already learning a lot from you. Despite your sense of humour, I can already tell that you are very intelligent and I am so excited to read your work and listen to your ideas. The way you provide commentary takes me on tangents that I don’t even realize I’m on! This just allows me to get to know you better, so that was really cool.

    One area for improvement I would suggest would be GUMPS! So maybe if you would’ve done your No Red Ink before writing this, then maybe all your problems would have been solved! JK, I really think one proof read is all you need.

    You’re welcome (Thank you),
    mia 🙂

    1. Mianardo Davinci,
      Thank you for reading my post even though you didn’t have to! It’s great to know that I made you smile for a while and I hope that your magic view into the future was correct.
      I would agree on my issue with GUMPS, and it’s something I’ve been putting off working on for a while. Though I guess you have to face the music eventually though.
      You’ve been blessed by this response (Thank you)
      Jimmy

  5. Dear Jimmy,

    Although I’m commenting on this post now, I still remember the raw energy you had when you first entered this class and how you haven’t changed in that aspect but how you’ve grown as a person. I am grateful that someone as positive as you was in our AP class, and I do sincerely hope that you take AP 30 as well because you have the potential. As a person, you have this natural enjoyment for a lot of things, but when you need too, you also have this other more introspective side, which is a great way to balance yourself. I kind of wished that this blog post was a bit longer, but mine was extremely short as well so I can’t really say much myself. Honestly, I’ve never seen a Pechakucha like this one ever since I joined AP, which says a lot about how distinct you are as individual. Your candid nature and ability to laugh a lot of things off is something I admire, but I do hope that although you do give all this positive energy to others that you have someplace to get rid of any negative emotions. It’s been great getting to know you for the short time we had in AP, so I wish you all the best in the future and that you hold on to this energy because that is what distinguishes you as ‘Jimmy’ instead of the nerdy ‘James’ or the business-like ‘Jim’.

    1. Dear Abhay,
      Although a “bit” late, I do still appreciate the comment, in fact, probably more so than if you did it when it was on the front page as it meant you purposefully searched for something of mine to comment on. Kinda funny how the first post I made is going to be one of the last posts you’ll comment on. Hopefully, you won’t be too disappointed in my decision to pursue AP next year, however, I’m happy my experience in AP was filled with people like you, and I hope you do well in years to come.
      -Jimmy

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