james nunn | blog

While I was checking out some of the Aussie Day related YouTube videos, I found this one featuring Kate Cebrano, Jack Jones, James Blundell (who my sister had/has a crush on), amongst others. It is the song “I still call Australia home” and was used by QANTAS (Queers And Nellies Training As Stewards) as part of their “pull on the heart strings” promotion.

I’ll always be an Australian, and every time I see those damn ads, it brings a tear or two to the eyes.

Well today (January 26) is Australia Day, and I want to wish all my aussie mates the best from the US of A!

You’ll understand the line at about 4:00 minutes.

Woke up this morning to find white stuff on the ground … outside. Woo hoo we have a snow day! Unlike our friends in the north that deal with this on a daily basis, when this happens in DFW area, everything closes down — so a great day to be at home! It’s amusing to watch the news right now. You would think that nothing else has happened in the entire world, as we’ve only had news on the snow and traffic since we got up (about 30 minutes).

I was just checking my class schedule for next week, and saw the following:

Pretty cool (for me at least).

I just don’t understand who in the Bush Administration thinks this was a good idea, given the happenings today in Congress.

WASHINGTON – President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans’ mail without a judge’s warrant, the Daily News has learned.

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a “signing statement” that declared his right to open people’s mail under emergency conditions.

Source: W pushes envelope on U.S. spying (NY Daily News)

I’m still amazed that someone hasn’t challenged the legality of these presidential signing statements. What is ironic (to me) is that the president attached his signing statement to the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act which “explicitly reinforced protections of first-class mail from searches without a court’s approval.”

It just makes you wonder.

Well this is the month of politics.

This coming Thursday (1/4), the new Congress (110th) convenes with a new Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate (hands up if you will be tuned to C-SPAN at 12 Noon EST). I think this will be an exciting time for those involved in politics. Many believe the Democrats will come in wielding their batons and causing chaos, but I’m optimistic that there will be a calmness over the next two years that will bring together both sides of politics to create change for the better for this country.

Well that is my fantasy. Speaking of which, I am starting a Fantasy Congress League. It’s going to be named after my blog, as it seems an appropriate title for a political league. You will need to register first before you can join this league, and when you have done that, let me know so I can get you attached to the league. The premise of FC can be read here.

And then there is state politics. Next Tuesday (1/9), the Texas Legislature convenes the 80th Regular session. Members of the Texas House and Senate have been pre-filing bills since November 13, 2006 (as of the end of the year, 478 bills/resolutions have been filed in the House, and 150 bills/resolutions have been filed in the Senate).

During this next session, there will be bills introduced that affect us all (well, mostly those of you who read this blog), including topics relating to:

• Sexual Orientation
• Foster Care
• Adoption
• Recording of Votes (Legislature)
• the Internets

For those inclined, you can check out more details of subjects, or general groupings of bills for this upcoming session.

Last night, Chris, Brian and I hosted our 6th annual NYE party. As we all know, he who blogs first, writes the truth.

We were lucky to have some wonderful friends celebrate the new year with us this year (there will be additional photographic evidence to this fact later on), and we all had a fantastic time — some more than others (thanks to alcohol).

Of course, there may be some amongst the crowd that thought I might have been slightly tipsy from the evening’s activities, however nothing could be further from the truth. I was drunk (the first step is always the hardest). I have been told that I didn’t do anything too horrific while in this state, and upon waking up this morning (yes, before 12!) I did a quick inspection and no additional piercings or tattoos had been added to my being. Of course, if I did overstep a boundary or six, then I publicly apologize (public = blog; blog = low readership; low readership = lack of caring).

Some of the memorable events from the evening include the lead up to the picture shared above — something about high kicks and who can get their legs higher in the air (the results speak for themselves); a discussion about the benefits of piercing your nipples vertically, rather than horizontally (I’m still not convinced); and whether it is appropriate to talk about breast size, when the focal point is a person’s mother.

We ran a slide show throughout the evening of some of the highlights from the year, and if I can get that down to a manageable size, I might end up publishing that (spelling errors will be corrected, and the “s-apostrophe-s” will be left intact). We have some great pictures that I am sure will make it into next year’s presentation!

As we were bidding farewell to some of our friends after the festivities, Chris and I reflected on how fortunate we were to have some of the most generous and loving friends in the world. 2006 has been a good year (even if it did pass us by so quickly). Both of us have decided that 2007 needs to be more about family and friends, and we are looking forward to the many challenges that 2007 will bring – including our efforts to become parents.

To all our friends and family, happy new year!