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Happy new year!

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Illinois

* How was your break?

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:17 am

Comments

Welcome back Rich! Nice to have some time off and now trying to get back into the swing of things. Do we have a budget yet? LOL!

Comment by Stones Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:20 am
Outstanding!! I went on vacation with the Governor; but I don’t know where.

Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:21 am
“How was your break?”

The Star Wars movie wasn’t bad.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:22 am
It was surprisingly pleasant and relaxing. Unplugged for the most part, which was probably needed more than I realized.

Recharged and ready for 2016.

Happy New Year, one and all, and I hope you, Rich, got a chance to relax and unwind too.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:26 am
My break is just starting!

Comment by GV Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:26 am
Wet. Helping folks dry out from the floods.

Comment by ToughGuy Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:29 am
A mix of social and chilled….both went well!
Hope you and everyone else is sufficiently revived.

Comment by Belle Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:32 am
Busy and relaxing - all at the same time! Great time with my family!

Comment by Runbikeswim Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:33 am
I was out of the office but I can’t tell you where I went out of security concerns for my wife and dog.

Comment by illinoised Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:34 am
My holidays were enjoyable and not at all rushed or hectic. Always nice to see family that you have not seen for close to a year. I even was on my very best behavior - not the proverbial “Crazy Uncle” that is known to show up from time to time at family gatherings.

Sure missed this site though - glad everyone is back and looking forward to good and provocative conversations this year.

Comment by illini Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:40 am
Happy New Year, Rich! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season.

Comment by Austin Blvd Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:48 am
Du page Saint- when word came out about the Governor’s vacation whereabouts being unknown I was hoping he was on the lam… One can hope!

Comment by Triple fat Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:51 am
Everything was pretty chill until some dudes arsoned and I had to occupy this federal building. We’ve got 3G and jerky though so it’s cool. Plus I am a patriot because I am white.

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 8:54 am
2015 was the year of “good enough”. We never got the main Christmas tree up. (a small one went up in my spouses Springfield apartment) There just wasn’t time. Two of us got a nasty stomach flu and we pushed towards getting the house clean for relatives the day after Christmas. We did manage to pull off three Christmas celebrations with different parts of the family. We saw some dear cousins and our God children and yes we managed to export said flu to Texas. You’re welcome Texas. On the whole it was stressful, angst ridden and disappointing. I’m frankly glad it’s over. So sorry that was rather dark and broody.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:02 am
Happy new year, Rich. My break was great. I was off work for about a week and a half. It felt good to be lazy - sleeping in, showering late (if at all), not bothering with doing hair or makeup most days. It’s good to be back into a routine, though. Another week off and I might have spiraled downward and stopped brushing my teeth or wearing deodorant.

Comment by Curious Georgina Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:13 am
Great, right Gooner? Cause Arsenal sits at top of the league!

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:16 am
Arsenal went top of the table.

It is a great time to be a Gooner.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:23 am
LizPhairTax is now the early leader for the Oswego Willy Commentator of the Year.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:25 am
Correction. That one is named after Wordslinger, isn’t it? I’m still rusty.

Comment by Gooner Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:26 am
I worked all but 3 days of the break. Not complaiming because I have a job. Taking my break in a few weeks, then will spend one lazy day then on the honey dew lists for rest of it. Happy New Year everyone.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:28 am
- Gooner -

While I really do appreciate the grossly unearned sentiment, honestly, but I know the list is; Wordslinger. Space. Space. “Vacant”, when it comes to Commenters here, and why it’s the “Wordslinger” Golden Horseshoe.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:32 am
Two highlights both were at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago: Christmas eve Christmas show with “White Christmas”, sing-alongs and Rich’s mom’s favorite, a showing of Suzy Snowflake. #2 was yesterday, 70MM showing of “Hateful Eight”. While the subject matter was sometimes a downer, you realize that with digital movies, you are losing the wonderful gradations of black that film gives you–beautiful cinematography of the Colorado.

Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:37 am
The break came at a good time. I needed some time off to enjoy not thinking about the mess this state is in. But I was reminded yesterday on a TV spot that there will not be any budget until after the primary elections, if then. No legislator up for re-election wants to be on the hook for raising taxes or taking any other tough vote. Outside of that, the break was very good.

Comment by Big Joe Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:44 am
Enjoyed a night on the town eating at Fabio’s Siena Tavern and then seeing John Oliver.

Comment by Cable Line Beer Gardener Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:50 am
Holidays just fine, tho my Christmas wish of The Raunner Resignation didn’t come through. Sigh.

Comment by sal-says Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:58 am
For the few very slow days I was in the office, I enjoyed looking at capfax posts and comments from years past.

Comment by kissinger Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:59 am
Break’s over? Not ready yet to think about government “shake up” and “turnaround.”

Too late, darn it.

Comment by walker Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:02 am
It was a very relaxing break from state politics and politics in general. Great holiday times with family and friends. 2016 should be a huge year. There’s a good chance as any that we’ll have our first female president.

SCOTUS will hear the monumental public union fair share fees case next week. The state budget crisis and its terrible repercussions continue. There are still no contracts with a few of the big public employee unions and a possibility of strikes.

Too bad we couldn’t get back together under more pleasant and productive circumstances, such as having a state budget and long term fiscal stability policies in place, and union contracts already completed. Wouldn’t that be nicer, to be past this stuff?

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:07 am
I received Christmas presents of a Grateful Dead t-shirt from one daughter - and a Cardinals t-shirt from another. Life is good

Comment by Joe M Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:09 am
@DuPage Saint….very funny!!

Comment by Flynn's Mom Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:17 am
excellent, and just got better. Got tix to see Hendrix Experience at the Fox. We have seen the show twice before, and for any guitar enthusiasts it has been/will be an Event of the Year moment!

Comment by cdog Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:31 am
Good until my basement sump pump shot craps in the middle of the post-Christmas rain event and created my personal flood zone.

Happy New Year, all.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:35 am
DuPage Saint wins! Good break, worried a little bit about some high water over some roads, but nothing out of the routine happened-have actually seen it worse in our area. Saw “Star Wars” with my son and 2 g-kids-one of them said it was “boring, but the ending left me anxiously waiting for the next one… Kept checking in here, but nothing happened…

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 10:49 am
Still breakin’
Generator came in handy.

Comment by Anonin' Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 12:32 pm
Enjoyed Christmas with family and New Years Eve with friends. Nice time was had by all although it was still weird to not have mom around but both my sister and I are convinced she was haunting us for not preparing a couple of the traditional dishes at Christmas.

Tried to disconnect from politics but found myself (still) following Puerto Rico pension raid / bond fund missed payments / potential bankruptcy story (if US Congress would agree).

On related note, Thank You to everyone who voted for me.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 12:52 pm
The best holidays of my life - I retired from a state university after 33 years service. In celebration, I am changing my nickname to RIJ. Thank you.

Comment by RIJ ( formerly PolPal56) Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 1:36 pm
–Everything was pretty chill until some dudes arsoned and I had to occupy this federal building. We’ve got 3G and jerky though so it’s cool. Plus I am a patriot because I am white.–

Members of Y’All-Quada. Waging Yee-Had.

These are the same patriots who pledged to use women and children as human shields as they took aim at federal officials looking to enforce a court order on the deadbeat Bundys.

A couple of those patriots murdered two cops in Las Vegas. They were just eating lunch, they never had a chance.

Sean Hannity didn’t talk the Bundys up so much after that.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:00 pm
All that focus on taking Ramadi back for the Iraq’s and we lost Oregon.

Comment by Qui Tam Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 2:27 pm
Good…yours?

Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 3:03 pm
Wet.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 3:34 pm
Wordslinger’s Y’all Quada waging Yee Had makes me laugh. I missed this board!

Comment by Amalia Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 4:47 pm
Spent the time between the holidays helping my son-in-law move stored grain jeapordized by the Mighty Mississippi. My hats off to the hundreds of volunteers who watched levees, repaired sand boils, filled sandbags. My prayers go out to those who weren’t as lucky. Just a reminder to those who can, the American Red Cross Central and Southern Illinois Region is still a good way to help.

Comment by Blue dog dem Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 9:28 pm
Hey Rich, since Liz PhairTax is hanging with the wingnuts occupying the Nature Preserve out west, can we put her on her own live thread, with updates whenever she gets a chance? Looking forward to hearing how the white guys are able to preserve freedom in a town that’s asked them to just go the heck away…

Comment by Lynn S. Monday, Jan 4, 16 @ 11:26 pm