WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Tears of joy mingled with sobs of relief when hundreds of exhausted Northwestern University undergraduate students who had danced for 30 straight hours learned their efforts during the school's Dance Marathon this past weekend helped to raise over $200 in cash for this year’s beneficiaries.

The dance marathon, which took place in the Ryan Field’s parking lot, marked the culmination of a weeklong harebrained scheme to raise funds to keep the Chi Phi spring party from being canceled.The Chi Phi spring party was established in 1998 as a way to celebrate the arrival of shorts and baby-tee-shirt weather and was in danger of being shut down due to The Man.

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If you were wondering, as I’m sure you were, “Claire, how were your salads this past weekend?” the answer is, “F-ing awesome, thank you.”

I had company over both Friday and Saturday nights and I decided that for dinner I’d make a lovely pasta accompanied by a fantastic salad. So often the accompanying salad in dinner is a tedious, obligatory affair, a way to delay the exciting arrival of the main event. But recently, I had lunch at Farmhouse, where I  I ordered a patty melt but substituted a salad instead of french fries. I did this reluctantly, since usually those side salads are such a blah affair, but since I no longer possess the insides and metabolism of a college student, I couldn’t in good conscience order a deep-fried cheeseburger and then also eat fries with it.

I was surprised and delighted, however, to discover that the side salad was actually delicious in its own right, thanks to some Craisins and shaved carrots and serrano peppers on top. Thus I was inspired, this weekend, to make my own salads special. My salads consisted of:

mixed greens
shaved carrots
craisins

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Ron Paul: The resurgence of the dime store

Rick Santorum: The triumphant return of penny candy

Mitt Romney: The reinstatement of the $100 elephant

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Go Casimir, it's your birthday. We gonna party like it's your birthday.

Chicago Poles, I assume you're already drunk by this point but if you're not, remember--today is YOUR day!

Sure, we may not get the river dyed a certain color in our honor or enjoy a big annual city parade or a semi-annual kind of messy South Side parade nor do our baseball teams wear red in honor of St. Joseph's Day, but guess what: We have our own holiday where schools and libraries are closed along with City of Chicago and Cook County offices!! (But all federal and state courts remain open. Banks and the post offices will remain open, and postal service is unaffected. Public transportation will run on normal schedules.)

Paaar-ty!

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Today I chat with a Second City fixture, one of the few performers to have belonged to the all three of the Toronto, Chicago and Detroit touring companies. You may recognize him as "that guy who is in everything." Lately you may have seen him in The Office, Key and Peele or Eastbound and Down. He was also a cast member and writer for SNL from 2000-2001 and has appeared in comedy classics and favorites like Community, Carpoolers, Lucky Louie, Mr. Show and Arrested Development. He is the first person to have sent back an audio file of emailed questions and I quite enjoyed hearing him answer my questions (it was like a phone conversation, only I didn't have to do any work) so I thought I'd share the recorded answers here with you.

1. When you come back to Chicago, are there any restaurants or bars that you make a point of hitting up?

2.

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I was raised Catholic, but I’m not one of those Catholics. I’m a cool, fun Catholic! You know what I’m talking about-- I feel lot of shame regarding the Church’s scandals and injustices and I probably overcompensate when it comes to expressing how valid I think other religions and various beliefs arethat don’t jibe with the Church’s. I’m a guilty liberal Catholic who doesn’t go to church that much. Technically, you could easily say I’m not truly a Catholic, actually, but I still feel the need to give something up this time each year, so I think it’s pretty ingrained.

I know one person who definitely wouldn’t see me as a real Catholic, and that’s Rick Santorum. Santorum is one of those Catholics who isn’t afraid to express religious beliefs that will make him unpopular with feminists, gays, people of other or no religion and those who support all those folks. Obviously, these beliefs have been a turnoff for a lot of people, but a turn-on for several as well.

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Why are they all going to Switzerland?

Why is his hair like that?

Doesn't he get sick of sitting in hot tubs?

Do they ever eat the free food that's been laid out there so nicely for them?

Please tell me these women are just lying when they tell this guy they barely know that they love him.*

Is it allowed for him to just dump these women publicly without really telling them why?

Where's the dignity?

*Not technically a question

Previously: List: Listed occupations of the contestants on the upcoming season of 'The Bachelor'

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